Boyer presents a comprehensive look at the development and continuing influence of end times prophecy, especially what has become dominant in American Christianity, premillenialism.

I think for premilleniaslism's attractiveness to American, it presents an over-arching scheme to world history, especially America's part in the great scheme of things.

With the downfall of utopian post-millenialism (see Tuveson's excellent work, "Redeemer Nation," Boyer shows historically how this system of Biblical interpretation has become increasingly popular among us.

He at points, e.g. pg. 310, suggests that premillenialism of our day is not intellectually valid, especially in its exegetical competence. I believe this unfair, given the caliber of individuals who study and believe in this eschatology, e.g. Ryrie, Chafer, etc. Although I personally do not buy into their eschatology nor hermeneutics, I cannot concur with Boyer by suggesting that only simple minded will buy into it.

Without this critique, this work would have been a five. It is a valuable, well-documented source for end times history and currents within popular American culture.

Anyone who reads this book would not be surprised at the runaway success of the "Left Behind" series, since it demonstrates that a preoccupation with Bible prophecy affects a much wider demographic than the fundamentalist subculture. Indeed, the impact of premillenial thought has extended all the way up to the Reagan White House. And, Christian or not, who hasn't heard of the term "Antichrist" or the significance of the number "666"? This book presents a fairly comprehensive survey of popular eschatology, including the role of Israel, Russia, the Arab countries, Europe, and the United States. It also shows how those beliefs have changed over the years (Turkey was considered Gog and Magog before Russia was, and the Pope was designated as the Antichrist for years before Hitler and Henry Kissinger came along). The final chapter, written at the brink of the collapse of the Soviet Union, demonstrates how, once again, premillenial thought adjusts itself (or sometimes not) depending upon world conditions. This is a fair, even-handed treatment of a religious and cultural phenomenon.

Boyer's treatment of dispensationalism in its modern American populist form is encyclopedic and exceptionally fair-minded. His summary includes discussions of the thought (?) of every major player in the end times publishing field. Lindsay, LaHaye, van Impe -- they are all here and all represented quite fairly.

Boyer is not merely encyclopedic and thorough, but is also quite attuned to the subtleties of American prophecy belief. He discusses at length, for instance, the irony of how modern end times beliefs and left wing politics have generated very similar critiques of globalization and economic corporate homogenization.

One thing I did find missing here was a thorough analysis of the arguments that the end times writers use to defend their positions. I had hoped for some discussion on how they argue their positions and how scholars from other Christian traditions have interacted with those arguments. But such discussion was not Boyer's intent. Instead, he has given us more of a "source book" of modern end times beliefs. But, since this is probably the first serious scholarly foray of considerable length in this field, I guess I can't fault Boyer for not writing everything possible on the subject.

A good chunk of the book is devoted to presenting a history of prophecy belief -- from the days of the early church up to the present. This part of the book was actually secondary from Boyer's point of view but, if you're already familiar with modern end times beliefs as I (admittedly) am, you will probably find this the most educational part of the book.

In short, this book is not the place to go for an analysis of the strengths of end times thought (such as it is). But if you want to know how modern end times beliefs developed historically, or if you want an explanation of what it is all about from someone familiar with the end times subculture (but not a part of it) this book is the place to start.

Electrifying and shocking, (McAuley's) WHOLE WIDE WORLD is a terrific blend of John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and Orwell's 1984. One of the best suspense SF novels around! Gary S. Potter Author/Poet

Paul McAuley's _Whole Wide World_ is a science fiction/murder mystery, and works well as both. A young woman is murdered, her computers destroyed, and then we discover the crime was broadcast on her website. Our narrator really fills the bill as an anti-hero; short, disrespected, dumped by his girlfriend, demoted from detective work to a do-nothing police support division. He is pulled into this crime when asked to pick up and examine the computers, and finds he cannot stay away from the case.

McAuley sets the book in in London, maybe eight years from now. Cameras cover every block, and a vast AI ties them together. A terrorist virus has crippled all computer networks, and most haven't recovered completly. Social mores have gotten more restrictive; porn is completely illegal, and foreign books/movies/magazines censored. And London is hot and uncomfortable, with screens and mesh everywhere (presumably to keep out virus-carrying mosquitoes, but never specifically mentioned), more like New Orleans than the UK.

Our hero must handle colleagues who wish him ill and try to keep him away from the case, the victim's uncle who invented the CCTV AI system and has too many secrets, his absent girlfriend who can't decide what to do with him, and a series of taunting emails from the possible perp. Like all good mysteries, each question answered leads to five more; each suspect checked out only implicates formerly trusted people. McAuley does a great job ratcheting up the tension as our unnamed protagonist tries to win his good name back. The descriptions of near-future London were well-written and disturbing enough to linger for days. And the issues raised about privacy will keep you thinking long after you put the book down.

A great read for SF readers, mystery fans, and computer geeks.

Since the Infowars, English Detective Inspector John ? has been plagued by his doubts and shuffled into the remote bowels of British crime enforcement. In this dystopic near-future, England and much of the world are overrun by computer viruses, networked security cameras that can track and identify nearly anyone, and new morality laws that forbid virtually everything, even requiring editing of Disney movies before they pass the censors.

But murder is still a crime and Sophie Booth's murder is the DI's chance to reclaim active status in the police. It was a particularly nasty murder--complete with torture and finally a knifing. Worse, it was broadcast over the net and only one viewer bothered to notify the police. As the DI investigates, he begins to believe that the crime is not the straighforward murder it is made out to be. Finding the killer may not be enough to unveil the entire crime. As the police force turns against him, the DI is forced underground, taking chances that put him outside the pale.

Author Paul McAuley writes a tense SF mystery. The near-future environment he describes feels real and possible. For the most part, his technological crime advances ring true. The DI is well motivated and carefully drawn. His relationship with the missing Julie adds to his humanity and the violence of the crime motivates his extreme thirst for justice.

Too many Christians "feel" that the exercise of the mind is not important when it comes to the Christian faith. How wrong these believers are! In this day of easy-believism, where the intellect is forsaken for a spiritual diet of cotton candy and bon bons, it is refreshing to know that there are important Christian apologists who make it a point to write thinking pieces such as "Why I Am a Christian." Indeed, Jesus Himself said that we are to worship God with our whole heart, soul, MIND, and strength.

Although I don't remember seeing if the editors, Geisler and Hoffman, were attempting to respond to Russell's "Why I Am Not A Christian," this book certainly serves as a lob back to the atheist's court. Included in the book are essays on truth, God, miracles, the Bible, Jesus, and evil and suffering. Taking some of the better apologists who have already written on the topic at hand, the book's top two strengths were:

* William Lane Craig's chapter 4 entitled "Why I believe God exists." Using the same arguments that he used in a Willow Creek debate against an atheist in the early 1990s--Kalam, Design, and the Moral arguments--Craig's chapter is solid and is a good reference to utilize when determining strong rational arguments for the Christian faith. I think the following chapter by Geisler was very redundant and not as clear as Craig's. It would have been good had the editor perhaps narrowed his chapter since he commissioned Craig to work with the cosmological and teleological arguments.

* Although he offered very little new material, Barry Leventhal's chapter on Jesus as the Messiah was enjoyable to read. The chapter was well-laid out, fully supported, and summarized its points better than perhaps any other chapter in the book.

The book's top two weaknesses were:

* Beckwith's look at moral relativism. He tries to pack too much into too short of a chapter, and though I admire the man for his brilliant mind, I think he needed more room to complete his thoughts. Geisler does an admirable job with the next chapter (Why I believe Truth is Real and Knowable), but I don't think this issue is still fully resolved with these two chapters. Rather, I would recommend Beckwith and Greg Koukl's book entitled Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air to get a better look at this important issue.

* Chapter 7 regarding the miracles of Jesus was pretty dull and was written with little life. It seemed like Habermas could have simplified his approach with this chapter. The next chapter on divine creation by Hugh Ross had some excellent tables incorporated in it, but truly it just seemed dry. Also, not everyone will agree with Ross' view of the age of the earth--nor with Walter Bradley, a Progressive Creationist who in chapter 10 says on page 168 that the earth is at least 4 billion years old--Ross' ideas about the world being designed would not be quibbled with by the theistic thinker. However, I could see some of the Young Earth folks become offended with these chapters, and I'm wondering if perhaps the other side should have also been represented with an issue that, while important, is peripheral to the essential Christian faith.

Overall, I would say that the book as a collection of essays is worthwhile for readers who like to think, but the average lay reader would probably be best served in looking for other avenues, including Handbook of Christian Apologetics (Kreeft) or When Skeptics Ask (Geisler).

This is a collection of articles (or chapters) from the top contemporary Christian apologists. The book is divided into 6 parts. Each 'part' deals with an issue such as Truth, God, Miracles, the Bible, Jesus, and Following Christ. Within each part is a chapter written by well known scholars/apologists such as William Lane Craig, Norman Geisler, J. P. Moreland, Ravi Zacharias, Peter Kreeft, Winfried Corduan, Gary Habermas, Doug Geivett, Francis Beckwith, and the renown Law Professor at the University of Texas, J. Budziszewski (a professor of law who at one time used to be an atheist).

The chapters are detailed, highly referenced, well researched, and well written. Of course, this book is a basic apologetics tool/reference but is quite compatible to those who might already have this knowledge (due to the articles and the caliber of scholars writing) since it is always nice to refresh your data base on these issues. I would recommend this book to anyone who is searching for solid answers to objections or issues which have been raised in witnessing to non-believers or in discussions about the essential tenets of the Christian faith.

The book is 318 pages long and is a nice companion to works such as J.P. Moreland's "Scaling the Secular City," or William Lane Craig's "Reasonable Faith," or Norman Geisler's "Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics." I recommend this book whole heartily.

This collection represents the best essays on apologetics, a must read for any person serious on Christian faith. If one thinks that there are no new ideas from these essays, he/she might have overlooked that these essays are deep rooted in the rich apologetics tradition and built on previous scholarly research, so any reader can get a quick overview on what arguments have been put forth for the topic discussed. Having said that, the overviews are not overly simplified. They are really high quality review essays and intellectually stimulating. This book is a must unless you have read all the literature on apologetics written over the entire course human history.

I think this book is a fairly good inventory of design works by the giants. Some of the works displayed have dated and it seems there could have been better editorial choices. Nevertheless, i think its a good starter for the begginer, and is a fun way to kill an hour.The print quality is exellent, giving vivid colors, but the cover design is...well- a shame.

This book is exactly what I hoped it would be: a visual parade of the works of designers who are arguably considered superstars in graphic design.

The various graphics are seen applied to print (magazine/book/poster), signage, film and sculptural media.

The examples span several decades, from the early 40s to the mid-90s. The great thing about seeing superb design in the years before the 1980s is that design during that period was accomplished without the use of computers; as a result, greater emphasis was placed on composition, shape, typography, color and imagination. The result was design that was simple, bold and highly communicative. It's a far cry from the over-stimulated design that almost everyone with a computer is capable of producing -- and has.

The back of the book contains an index to the graphics with a descriptive label and the year in which each was produced. Each designer's section starts off with a few paragraphs of introductory text, and ends with a brief bio.

The graphics are displayed one per page, and speak for themselves. Designers should pay attention to the message in this body of work.

Great works by the great designers, including my fav. Saul Bass's anatomy of a murder, it's simply a designers inspiration in carry size.Don't strain your eyes - it's picture only.

but not something that I was looking for. Don't have real life examples in detail.......

Much of Advanced Macromedia ColdFusion 5 Application Development will be a discussion of technologies and ideas with examples to demonstrate specific techniques. Advanced Macromedia ColdFusion 5 Application Development will also contain case studies to illustrate real-world examples of specific topics. ColdFusion 5 is a massive upgrade, and it adds lots of new features, including some designed specifically for advanced and power users. Advanced Macromedia ColdFusion 5 Application Development will address these issues and technologies, including: using clustering and fail-over technologies to ensure server uptime, using the new archive and restore features. server monitor and benchmarking, creating secure applications and integrating with existing security system, extending ColdFusion using COM/DCOM, CORBA, and the ColdFusion C and Delphi API's, using the Java integration options, customizing and modifying the client environment, writing custom tags and functions, ISP ColdFusion hosting issues, and working with XML and XSL. User Level: Advanced, 600pp

Within 1 chapter, I was already able to increase performance and get a quality return from this book. A must for every Cold Fusion Developer. It's part 2 of the Cold Fusion Bible!

This is the story of two men named Jack and Whit who discover manuscripts about people who went to another world. This is the third manuscript they find. They aren't sure whether they think they are true or not. All of them so far were gripping stories. This one is about a girl named Madina Nicholaivitch who had a wild imagination. One day she was playing tag and decided to hide under her porch. Thats when she went to a whole different world in a different time. In this place the king has decided to marry a Marutian girl named Annison. Now the king was a Palation who conquered the land of Marus. Annison, the captain of the guards(Simet) , and many others were believers in the "Old Faith". That meant that they believed in one God. The king's second in command(Lord Hector) wanted all of those believers to die. Madina was able to help Queen Annison and Simet in winning, but Hector influenced the king.
I read this book because I really enjoy this author's works. This is the second series that I have started to read by Paul McCusker. All of his ideas are interesting and vivid. Whenever I read his books I feel as if I am there witnessing everything that goes on in his books. I also like his books because they teach moral lessons, plus they relate to the Bible or have similar stories. He also helps make the Adventure in Odyssey tapes which I love to hear.
My favorite part in this book is when Lord Hector gets caught. King Willem becomes smarter at the end of the story, and is able to realize that Hector was the traitor. By Annison's bravery in influencing the king of what has really happend in his kingdom, her people were saved from the hatred and treason of Lord Hector. Madina also helped to testify to the king about Hector's plot. When the king accused him of exactly what he did, he ran for the doors, but were stopped by soldiers. This was a great book and I would recommend it to anyone.

"Alright", I thought. "Another book came". To me,these are one af the best books in a series, besides Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. I first discovered these Passages books by Paul McCusker by having my mom mail in for them, after seeing them on an advertisement sheet. I wanted to check these books out because I was totally into a whole different series written by the same author. The Passages books in particular deal with children who get transported to another world called Marcs. There they have adventures similar to ones in the Bible. Also all these stories were manuscripts discovered by two men who believe that there is a connection, but don't know if they believe they are true or not.
In Annison's risk, my favorite is when Lord Hector, stephen, and Terrence try to assassinate King Willem. They were stopped because of Maddy. She heard their plan and told simet who told Princess Annison who told the king. They planned to poison his cup, but Lord Hector betrayed his comrads by stopping the king and arresting them. Annison did not tell the king about Lord Hector being a part of the scheme because he was the king's most trusted person.
This is a story of Maddy who is taken to another world. She has to help Annison in order to stop Hector from killing everyone who believes in the old faith. Will she succeed or be killed. Find out in this amazing story.

If you've read any of the Passages books, you know there's nothing more to be said. This one follows the story of young Maddy as she finally discovers the "magic" world she's always imagined. Only it's not Prince Charming and a beautiful princess to rescue...it's a Queen marrying a foreign king. Maddy manages to bungle her way to the palace though, and though she can't help Queen Annison meet her knight, she can help her by serving as her message-bearer between her and her secret adopted father Simet, who also serves in the palace.

When Lord Hector begins to show his hand as the cruel man that he is, Maddy, Annison, and Simet must work against the clock to save their people from extermination.

The book is excellent. Billed as a kids' book, it operates just as well for an adult reader who has an interest in this kind of thing. It's one of those books that talks about other worlds, a topic that probably interests all of us to some extent.

Really great book...the only piece of advice I'd give is to read the first ones first!

BUD AND ME is one of those books that hold you spellbound while all of the time you are saying to yourself "this can't be true"...and yet, there are the photos to prove the story. My uncle was the stepson of Jack Abernathy, the Oklahoma US Marshall whose sons, Temple and Bud, journeyed across the US on horses, elephants, donkeys, cars and motorcycles. I have heard these stories for years and I must admit took them with a grain of salt...until this book was published. Now I believe! Anyone, whatever their age, with a little bit of wanderlust in their soul will have a very difficult time putting this book down. Can you imagine two lads 5 and 9 (I think this is close to their ages)walking to school today, much less from ocean to ocean on horseback...alone? Read about it...and read it to your kids and grandkids. For them to repeat this feat today would be more than a little difficult. But it certainly can teach them a little self reliance and independence...which can't hurt them at all!

This is my second review of this book. I use to teach fourth grade and read the last edition to my students for Oklahoma. What a joy. We wrote to Alta Abernathy, the author, and she wrote back to us. I'm not sure if she is still alive or not, but would love to know. What a wonderful book. I now teach third grade and still read this wonderful book to my students. I blew the pictures up and made a map for each child to follow all those boys adventures. A must read for all children and adults who love adventure. Jeannie Scott

In today's culture, it is hard to imagine two boys accomplishing everything that Bud and Temple Abernathy did. But they did do some wonderful things, and along the way became young ambassadors for the Southwest in 1910. It is great reading if you are 8 or 80. The book also gives readers a concept of what life was like at the beginning of this century as times changed before their eyes with each mile. The boys meet representatives of the old ways (Chief Quannah Parker) and the new (The Wright Brothers.) Just to name a few. Very enjoyable reading just by yourself and/or a book that you will want to read over and over to your children.

First, Somewhere on Amazon.com I read that the pictures in this book are FULL COLOR. They are NOT. I did not find this book helpful at all as far as showing the pictures to my son while he sits on the toilet. He has no interest in looking at these cartoon people. I've never seen a kid have less of an interest in anything in my life.

This book immediately became my little boy's favorite book. "Look, Mommy," he said with a big smile. "It's about me!" After a few days of looking at the charming, colorful illustrations in Part 2 (the book's children's section), designed by experts to help children learn about their bodily functions, and of having the book's cute story read to him, he let me know that he was ready to go to the bathroom "just like a grownup." I couldn't believe how soon he was using the toilet by himself. The whole process was amazingly hassle-free. I found Part 1 of the book (the section for parents, which contains complete information about the psychology and physiology of "toilet learning") fascinating. In fact, the relaxed, patient attitude Part 1 recommends has carried over to every other area of my parenting. There's a banner that runs across the upper-right-hand corner of the book's front cover that reads, "The classic bestseller." I can certainly see why.

My daughter loved this book. She asked for it every day and now she is diaper free. I found the parent section highly informative. IT MADE ME A BETTER PARENT. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

"The Whiz Kids" met my expectations. It is great material for Phillies fans. Having grown up hearing the names of Ennis, Ashburn, Konstanty, Roberts and the rest, I wanted to read a good account of the first Phils pennant since 1915.

The ever humble Roberts (with the help of a professional writer) recounts his rise to the major leagues as well as the futile history of Phillies baseball. It's a nice, easy to read story that follows a tried formula: the team has a long history of losing, young players come aboard and develop into a close team, they exceed expectations and go to the World Series. There are plenty of scenes that flesh out the personalities and struggles of the team mates. Plenty of train trips and hotel stays. Tough game situations yeilding exciting victories or close defeats. Those looking for deep insights into the era should look elsewhere. In fact, I see this book aimed primarily at us Phils fans. Our banners are few, so we need to raise them high. These aren't Duke Snyder, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and the other "Boys of Summer." The Phillies of this era had one great year surrounded by several decent years. Only a couple of the names stand out these years later.

I give the book four stars because it served its purpose for me. If you are looking for light reading material about a cinderalla team, this could be for you as well.

This is a very well written account about a team that captured the hearts of an entire city. This is a great account of the surprising achievment of the 1950 Phillies. The excellent interviews of the players involved and the rehashing of the author is great. A very nostalgic and fact filled retelling of an exciting and fun filled year in baseball. A must read for all Phillie and historical baseball buffs.

Authors Paul Rogers and former Whiz Kid pitcher Robin Roberts have done a great job in bringing a memorable team back to life. Baseball books on teams usually involve New York teams and it is refreshing to read a book about a team that will always be remembered, not just by Phillies' fans, but by baseball fans across the country. Many of the names I came across in this book were merely pictures on baseball cards I started buying in the early '50's and this book provided me with some insight into their accomplishments on the ball diamond. There is a story behind each of those players' names I have in my mind, and the authors brought them to life in this book. If there was one drawback, if I may call it that, I found an excessive amount of play-by-play among the pages. However, I can live with that. The names of Robin Roberts, Curt Simmons, and Richie Ashburn are household baseball names, but I was also happy to read about lesser lights like Bubba Church, Mike Goliat, and Stan Lopata who were only pictures on baseball cards to me. Phillies' fan or not, if you like baseball history, you will enjoy this book.

The author does okay in the beginning when he sticks
to the physical principles underlying ecology. Unfor-
tunately, later chapters are tarnished when he mixes
unsubstantiated (and outmoded) opinion with fact.
Indeed, parts of the book are better suited to an edi-
torial than a work on science.
The world has moved light-years on in the twenty plus
years since this book was written. The publisher does
us a disservice by keeping it in print.

Colinvaux did a grand synthesis of biology and evolution on earth with a little poetic license and a lot of literature backup. The arguments ring true, but I am not an ecologist. The point that adaptation and compromise are more suitable for survival than raw agression was a pleasant and reasonable message.
It was a pleasure to read about the effects of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere before polital mayhem overtook the subject. It was a revelation to read that there is 50 times as much CO2 in the ocean as in the air, and that the burning of all fossil fuels would only double the conc. to 0.06% in air, and that the oceans would eventually knock it down to 0.03% again. It was also refreshing for Colinvaux to write that no one knew what would happen overall during the rise. This was written when CO2 conc. was rising and global temp. was cooling in the 1970s.
Other books from Amazon.com that expose the nonsense on CO2 are Hot Talk, Cold Science and The Satanic Gases. Fragile Science tries to be neutral.

Interesting, humorous, lucid, balanced -- Paul Colinvaux's book is one of the finest books I've read. He takes biological conundrums and makes them crystalline. Controversial topics are handled with balance and grace. Abstruse terms are explained simply and wittily.

Written in 1978, the book is a little dated in some areas. For instance, he has a whole chapter on the increase of carbon dioxide in the air and never once mentions global warming. But this is a very small issue. Most of the book is timeless, and invaluable.