March 23, 2012
To End, to Follow, to Believe
LeRoy Lawson reviews books by Henry Cloud, Kyle Idleman, and Stanley Hauerwas, exploring necessary endings, committed discipleship, and one theologian's unconventional journey into Christian faith.
Series: From My Bookshelf
February 26, 2012
Provocative Approaches to Purity, Dementia, and the Afterlife
LeRoy Lawson reviews three thought-provoking books exploring purity and mercy, the fractured experience of dementia, and imaginative visions of the afterlife that ultimately illuminate this life.
January 3, 2012
Aging, Dying, Disasters and Joy
LeRoy Lawson reviews three very different books that explore aging, death, disaster, ordinary life, and the surprising capacity of human beings to find meaning and community.
December 13, 2011
Four Books About Microfinance
LeRoy Lawson considers four books on microfinance and global poverty, exploring how thoughtful lending, patient capital, and results-focused generosity can help poor communities without undermining their dignity or opportunity.
November 4, 2011
Two Books about Hell
LeRoy Lawson considers Rob Bell’s Love Wins alongside Brian Jones’s Hell Is Real, examining their contrasting views of Heaven, Hell, God’s nature, salvation, and the urgency of evangelism.
September 23, 2011
Reconsidering Politics, Revisiting Columbine, and Rediscovering Fun
LeRoy Lawson reflects on three very different books exploring Christian engagement with politics, the truth behind the Columbine massacre, and the surprising importance of play for a healthy, productive life.
August 13, 2011
Embracing Mystery, Remembering Churchill, and Reconsidering the Classics
LeRoy Lawson reviews three thought-provoking books exploring science and religion, Winston Churchill’s relationship with America, and the demanding classical education championed through the study of Greek and Latin.
July 25, 2011
Believers, the Bible, and Prescriptions for Health
LeRoy Lawson reviews three books examining American religious life, the Bible's influence on Western civilization, and the mindful pursuit of personal health and well-being.
June 17, 2011
Dead Guys and a Living Church
LeRoy Lawson reviews three books exploring Southern memory, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s extraordinary wealth and power, and Charles R. Swindoll’s call for churches to return to the priorities of Acts 2:42.
May 14, 2011
Service and Love: Paths to Change
LeRoy Lawson reviews three books on older adults in ministry, loving enemies in the Middle East, and James Davison Hunter’s call for Christians to serve the world.
April 15, 2011
Trying to Keep Up with Books by “˜Us”
LeRoy Lawson reviews five books from Christian church writers, including reflections on Superman, devotional poetry, Stone-Campbell meditations, missions in Ukraine, and ministry amid pornography’s destructive reach.
March 15, 2011
Charting a Course Through the Humanities
LeRoy Lawson revisits the classic reading list for Milligan College’s Humanities 101, reflecting on Homer, Vergil, Beowulf, Augustine, Greek tragedy, and enduring questions from ancient and medieval culture.
February 23, 2011
A Troubled Continent, a New Dream
LeRoy Lawson reviews two histories of post-independence Africa and David Platt’s Radical, connecting Africa’s suffering with the church’s call to sacrificial Great Commission living.
January 4, 2011
Changed Lives, Reformed Hearts
By LeRoy Lawson The Brain that Changes Itself Norman Doidge, M.D. / New York: Penguin Books, 2007 Dark Journey/Deep Grace: Jeffrey Dahmer”s Story of Faith Roy Ratliff and Lindy Adams / Abilene: Leafwood Publishers, 2006 In the 1950s Norman Vincent Peale”s The Power of Positive Thinking became a surprise best seller. Robert H. Schuller took up his mantle a generation later with a host of self-help books with a variation on the theme, the power of “possibility” thinking. It has been pretty easy for cynics to dismiss Peale and Schuller and their ilk. Too easy, too Pollyannaish, so much “pie
November 28, 2010
From My Bookshelf: It Matters What You Believe
LeRoy Lawson reviews three books exploring quantum theory, Pearl Buck’s complicated legacy, and the bin Laden family, reflecting on truth, biography, belief, and the consequences of sincere conviction.
