Against Nothingness

Leonard Sweet, Viral . Waterbrook Press, 2012. 240 pgs.  "The Gospel is nothing without relationship. And no one gets it like the google generation." So begins the copy for Viral by Leonard Sweet. What follows, once you get into the book, is 4 chapters distinguishing the "Google generation" from the "Gutenberg generation." Once Sweet has set up this division, he proceeds to examine Twitter, Google, iPhones, and Facebook and how each of these lends itself to relationship and, thus, the gospel. Sweet concludes by saying that we need to be able to deal with both cultures with love and hospitality.  I have enjoyed some of Sweet's books in the past. I did not enjoy this. The problems with this book are numerous. Sweet acknowledges, in the final pages of his book, that he has "grievously simplified the two cultures" of 'googler' and 'gutenberger.' He is almost right. I would go so far as to say that he has invented the...

Squire Rushnell, Louise DuArt.   Couples who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman. Thomas Nelson, 2011.  224 pages.  Thanks to BookSneeze® for providing a free copy of this book for me to review.  This is a book which aims to improve your marriage.  It argues that couples who pray together stay together (that almost hurt to write).  In terms of outline, the book begins by touting the benefits of prayer, moves on to the "40 Day Prayer Challenge" and then explores some of the obstacles and outcomes of praying together as a couple. In terms of content, the majority of this book is the stories of people, mostly celebrities, who have taken this challenge.  I have to begin by saying that as an idea, or advice, the main point of this book is great.  Getting couples to pray together will help their marriage and it is a good thing.  Further, the idea of a 40 day challenge is a great start.  However, as a book, Couples Who Pr...

Stephenie Meyer, Twilight . Little, Brown and Company: 2005. 498 pages. Introduction What follows is an extended review.  I read this book as an exercise and as research.  It was an exercise in understanding popular culture and in discernment.  It was research in that this book/movie is a feature of teen culture right now.    As Christians seeking to be discerning in the face of today's various media, I think it is important for us to explore art, and interact with it, on multiple levels: Aesthetic (the content of my normal fiction book reviews), Moral, Ideological, and Theological.  Not all of these apply to all works of art, but we should bring them up when applicable.  Book Summary I think everyone probably knows what this book is about but, just in case, I will summarize. Twilight is the story of Edward, a vampire who is part of a unique family that resist the urge to feed on human blood, and Bella, an apparently normal teenage gir...