Book Review: Venom and Song by Batson & Hopper

Venom and Song by Wayne Thomas Batson & Christopher Hopper

Being the second book in The Berinfell Prophecies, Venom and Song is the continuing adventure of seven teenagers who are thrust into the warring world of Allyra. These young Elf Lords, each possessing a unique gift, must learn to use their gifts individually and as a team if they are to defeat the Spider King.

Though I had not read the first book, I had no trouble settling into Venom and Song.  Batson and Hopper are a refreshing option in Christian literature, dealing effectively with the issues of individual and corporate strengths (and weaknesses) in any community, but particularly as paralleled with the Body of Christ. With each character so uniquely gifted, and with such a variance of personalities, every reader may find a “kindred spirit” in one of the Elf Lords.

Surprisingly, and quite unlike much of Christian literature, these characters are in no way immune from injury, personal struggles, feelings of insecurity and fear. I saw myself many times in the pages of this book, and was encouraged by the realization that even an Elf Lord who makes a mistake is still an Elf Lord.

I enjoyed this book so much, in fact, that when family visited recently, I began reading it to my pre-teen nephew before he went to sleep at night. I knew he would love it, but what surprised me was when his 17-year-old brother turned off his computer, put his headphones away, and propped himself up on his pillow to listen as I read.  It proved the point to me—that this generation of young people is hungry for good literature, and is willing for that good literature to explore Christian themes.

This young adult book is a great read for any lover of fantasy, and I would recommend it to any friend.

For more information about this book, please visit the Thomas Nelson product page for Venom and Song.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

Book Review: Plan B by Pete Wilson

Plan B by Pete Wilson

What do you do when life falls apart? When your deepest desires are unfulfilled or your heart is buried in despair, what can you do? What can you say? When your life plans crumble before each step, how do you find God’s will? And when a friend is dealing with these questions and issues, how can you support and encourage them without offering the typical Christianese answers?

Pete Wilson receives five stars from me on identifying the issues—the loss and grief that life can sometimes cripple our faith, the struggle of growth between pain and faith, etc. But the book itself, like much of our modern Christian sub-culture, left me rolling my eyes.

I am loath to give any writer a poor review—especially one like Wilson, who so obviously sees the needs of people and desires to walk them through the process of simply surviving. I felt several times that what I loved about Wilson was his acknowledgement that sometimes words—even words spoken by those of faith—can be not only unnecessary, but unhelpful.

But it was in that light that I also disliked this book. One moment Wilson is telling us about a moment when his words failed him and his faith; the next, he is repeating those words that can sound not only empty but judgmental toward someone who is struggling: “Don’t be afraid,” and “Trust in God,” and expressions of that nature.

Maybe I read the book from the wrong perspective. Maybe my expectations for this book were unfair. Or maybe—and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit—this is nothing more than a case of me not liking a book. As I said, I really don’t want to give Wilson a poor review, and I hope this review won’t keep anyone from reading the book. Perhaps it is exactly what some need to hear; just…not me.

For more information about this book, please visit the Thomas Nelson product page for Plan B.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

Collective Salvation

There’s been a lot of buzz around the internet about the idea of Collective Salvation–whether or not our President believes in it, whether it is a spiritual or political idea (or somehow both, perhaps), whether it is taught in Scripture, etc.

Can we set aside the current politics of the discussion for just one moment?

Israel was not expecting the Messiah that came. They were looking for a king, a political leader who would “save” Israel as a whole, as a nation, not as individuals.  Many today are still waiting for that Messiah.

But when Christ came, he made salvation specific to each man and woman. Suddenly, it wasn’t enough to be a Jew. Suddenly, it had never been enough. Suddenly, everything depended upon grace and mercy and forgiveness and love.  And nobody could give or receive those things on your behalf, you had to choose them alone, with no one else to blame if you chose poorly. Here was a man, who spoke truth–who was Truth–who broke down the barriers between races and genders and the classes of society, and offered freely to all. Those who would, could become Children of God.

So is there room in Scripture for the idea of collective salvation? It seems that Jesus himself came to dispel that doctrine. Aside from pre-Christ ideas of national salvation and a ruler who would establish peace for the Jewish people, I don’t see any foundation for it. And again–this was the idea that Christ himself countered.

That is not to say that our faith has no relationship to others. It certainly does. But our salvation is not dependent upon another person; it depends solely upon Jesus the Messiah.

What do you think? Have I missed some crucial piece of Scripture? Do you see Collective Salvation in your Bible? If so, please share.

Pax Domini!

Semmie.

Glimpses of Destiny

I don’t really believe in personal destiny. I believe in making choices, and the Divine Providence who knew what choices I would make long before I came to be. Without getting into an enormous theological discussion about destiny, allow me to say…

I think I stumbled into a couple glimpses of my destiny today. It was terrifying. It was healing. It was confrontational. I’m not sure what to make of it. It caused me to ask some big questions, the most important being: Is there anything you would be willing to die for?

It’s such a flippant discussion in Christian circles. We all want to say we’d be willing to die for the cause of Christ. I’m not sure that we would be. If we would, I’m not sure we’d be so quick to claim it.

But are there other things? Would you be willing to die for your family? Your friends? An innocent stranger? Your country?

Food for thought.

Have a good weekend.

Pax Domini!

Dear Ben & Guest Blogger Ben

I confess, I am disheartened.

After reading that non-Reformed Christians focus more on self than anything, I felt it appropriate to share the foundation of my own faith–the words that I come back to time and again when trying to define Christianity. You might remember this…it’s a couple of years old:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Divine Foreknowledge will never unite the Body.

Free Will will never unite the Body.

There is One faith. One hope. One baptism. One Lord.

Calvin wasn’t it. Arminius wasn’t it. Molina wasn’t it. Wesley wasn’t it. Spurgeon wasn’t it.

John Piper…isn’t it.

Can we stop demeaning one another long enough to unite under the one thing that can truly unite us?

I love you, Ben Lem…and I love you, Guest Blogger Ben. You can be in my Jesus Family, even if you disagree with me.

Pax Domini, brothers.

Semmie.