Excellant material for the Pre-Catechumenate phase of RCIA. Just enough information to provide the "overview" encouraged by the Rite.

Fr. Champlin provides an excellent "beginners" overview of the important aspects of Catholic faith. While this is not intended to be a theology text book and does not address any issue in depth, our parish has found it to be the perfect resource for persons in the Pre-Catechumenate stage of Christian Initiation. The colorful illustrations and very readable text are attractive and inviting. The articles lend themselves well to discussion questions that draw on the life experience of the participants. It provides the Inquirers enough background to introduce them to the church and stimulate questions without overwhelming those without previous instruction with excessive theological jargon.

For use in the Pre-Catechumenate - this book is PERFECT.

An excellent book that I would recommend to anyone interested in learning about the Episcopal faith. Concise but not a text book--simply a good, solid book.

This book is an easy read - one to two hours max. Huge print! However basic info on Episcopalian doctrine/ belief. Just as the title suggests.

I used this book in addition to the Confirmation classes I took at our Cathedral. It gave me the opportunity to study more in-depth the history and doctrines of the denomination I was becoming a part of. The book is clear, and laid out well for reference purposes. Recommended for anyone seeking to learn more about the Episcopal Church.

This cookbook is pretty much exactly the same as any other charity cookbook you can get in any rural area. It's a collection of mostly country style recipes that were submitted by residents of Madison County, Iowa. Of course, the fascination with the bestselling novel "Bridges of Madison County" explains why this particular local cookbook was released nationally. As such, the cookbook is fine, and there are a number of stories included that some people might find interesting (again submitted by local residents).

The main fault of the cookbook is the lack of standardization across recipes, leading to recipes that are sometimes vague. For example, one recipe may call for "1 can of tomato juice," but not specify what size can to use. Many of the casserole recipes are especially vague; for example, indicating that one should "cook one chicken," but not explaining how the chicken should be cooked. This cookbook would probably make a nice gift for persons who like country style food and who already know quite a bit about how to cook in this manner. Others beware.

My daughter gave me this book & I in turn am buying it for 2 sister in laws...It is that good. The homespun stories in it are just as good as the recipes it has. I have done numerous recipes from this book & they have all been great!! My only problem with this book is I get sidetracked reading the stories...

I found this cookbook to be a wonderful addition to my cookbook library. With its downhome recipes that include ingredients that you usually have on hand, it is a joy to use. The illustrations that are included give the book a folksy feeling. The short stories give us an insight into true family life. This cookbook is a must for anyone who likes to cook for the family. They are sure to enjoy the results!

Some super-Mormon will read this review and think "She just didn't understand it because it was way over her head." They will be wrong. Lectures on Faith painfully stretches out the obvious and shallow observations until they might seem deep to someone who searches for such depth. It's ridiculously unchallenging. A good comparison: If you've ever taken a regular common word of the English language and stared at it, pronounced it over and over again, until it began to look and sound strange and foreign... that's what this book does to our very existence. I was actually insulted by it.

"Faith."

This small word, I think, is the key to everything, since at some point every religious and irreligious person is backed up to the wall of faith, and there they take their stand. I include irreligious, atheists, and antitheists as being faithful since it has been my experience that unbelief takes as much work as belief. You must close your eves to a lot of truth and say that the sun isn't shining at noon in July, which requires as much work as saying God lives in the face of the 9-11 Attacks, or famine, or dying babies. Indeed, C. S. Lewis observed, "A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful in his reading. There are traps everywhere." (Surprised by Joy, ch.12)

In the Lectures on Faith, Joseph Smith records seven lessons that the early leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were taught in the Temple at Kirtland. These lessons are a peek into Joseph Smith's mind and reveal his rather extensive understanding of faith.

The Lectures are seven and follow this outline:

Lecture 1: The nature of faith is discussed. It is a principle of action and a principle of power in the temporal and in the spiritual realm. In fact, "power" is a perfect synonym for faith. In its most unlimited sense, "faith then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things; by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeable to the will of God."

Lecture 2: This lecture show the object upon with our faith exists. Our faith is based on God; and our knowledge of God is reducible to Adam's testimony as recorded in the Bible. Joseph Smith does a complex and sometimes tedious proof to show the internal consistency of the Bible, and that we have an unbroken chain of testimony from Adam to Abraham. In addition to the Adamic testimony, we can get our own person experiences with God, like Abraham, Moses or the Brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

Lecture 3: Discusses the character of God. Now that we know that God exists, we need to know what type of God we are dealing with, and have a correct understanding of God. The seven key characteristics are:
First, that he was God before the world was created, and the same God that he was after it was created.
Second, that he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness, and that he was so from everlasting, and will be to everlasting.
Third, that he changes not, neither is there variableness with him; but that he is the same from everlasting to everlasting, being the same yesterday today and forever; and that his course is one eternal round, without variation.
Fourth, that he is a God of truth and cannot lie.
Fifth, that he is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that fears God and works righteousness is accepted of him.
Sixth, that he is love.

Lecture 4: Discusses the attributes of God. These help clarify the correct nature of God. The seven key attributes are: Knowledge; Faith or Power; Justice; Judgment; Mercy; and Truth.

Lecture 5: Continues the discussion on the correct nature of God, and focuses on the nature of the Godhead, and each person's relationship to the members of the Godhead. This lecture is one of the best lectures on theology out there. The focus is on getting "the mind of Christ," which is another way of saying getting the Holy Ghost in our lives.

Lecture 6: Discusses the nature of sacrifice, and how sacrifice is necessary to know God and to have faith, Abraham being the example. "Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation."

Lecture 7: This lecture covers the effects that flow from faith, being namely Salvation. When we work by faith [see 1Thess. 1:3; 2 Thess. 1:11], we work by mental exertion, and we work by words, not physical labors. We become more like god, and soon become "assimilated" into the likeness of God. So, then, salvation is the product of faith.

I think I have given away half of the book! But buy the book and get some flesh on this skeleton-outline!

Shakespeare observed that brevity was the soul of wit (Hamlet), and that simplicity was oftentimes miscalled simple (Sonnet 66). These lectures are quite easy to follow, but the older I get, the more profound they become. We see that simple faith really isn't something simple, but that it is the mainspring of all things good. With such powerful teaching, comments about "blind faith," or people needing crutches seem to blur into the background.

The "Lectures in Faith" were included in the early "Doctrine and Covenants" of the Mormon religion. They were omitted from later versions, and there is no official reason why. The guess is that the Mormons changes their beliefs about God, and these new beliefs did not fit in with the Lectures. Great reading if you want to see how a religion makes up its doctrines as it wishes. But then, there were 3913 changes made to the first version of the "Book of Mormon".

I am 17 years old, and I had just discovered Belloc (in The Path to Rome - lucky me!) when my grandma gave me this biography for Christmas. So it was all news to me; I've never read another biography of him. I loved all the quotes and anecdotes, and the prose is outstanding. It was often very sad, especially towards the end...

Here I have to say something about the reviewer who gave it two stars. I understand his feelings, I think, but his view of history is somewhat distorted: I'm sure he'd agree that the Catholic Reformation and Counter-Reformation were even more energetic with "intelligence and activity" than the Catholic Revival - with all of the saints, missionaries, scholars, artists and composers who worked to bring Europe and all the world to Christ. That said, the Catholic revival (literary and otherwise) was a unique and exhilarating period in the Church. It was not a "last twitching" before a "long decline" - the revival began in the early 19th century and continued about 60 years into the 20th. The decline was not long and slow but sudden and catastrophic - it has been going about 35 years. Every empirically measurable statistic in the 20th cen. Church - Mass attendance, vocations, converts, belief in key doctrines, etc. - shows either a high, constant rate or a steady upward trend - until the 1960's, when there is a sudden, almost exponential drop. The Church just hits a wall. It can't be wholy blamed on "sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll"; there is no equivalent collapse in Protestant denominations. Everything was just different after the council and the new Mass and all that. It's a good thing that Belloc didn't have to see this - it would have broken his heart. On the other hand, we need his fighting spirit now more than ever...

The "atmosphere of English Catholicism". I think Pearse does convey some of this. What struck me when I began to read English Catholic literature was this overpowering sense of elegy, and an awareness of injustice past and present that was almost too painful to read - but all of it balanced by levity and satire and soldierly faith. It was quite intoxicating to someone young and idealistic, and unaccustomed to it. It is found in many writers - you could almost tell that JRR Tolkien was an English Catholic just by reading "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Silmarilion". It even turns up in Chesterton's detective stories...

I think that Pearse does give us some of this atmosphere, but he is not really relating Belloc to the post-conciliar Church. A lot of Catholic authors today just don't want to think about this disparity - Pearse included? I hope not. Anyway, this is a very enjoyable biography with many stories of Belloc's life - his travels to Rome and America, his exploits in Parliament (with excerpts from his very provocative speeches!) his friendships with Chesterton and Maurice Baring... I still wish that Pearse would put photographs in his books through. Oh well.

Joseph Pearce has carved out a niche for himself as the primary biographer of Catholic Literary Greats. His volumes on Chesterton, Tolkien, and other literary figures are well worth reading. Although he has written of Hillaire Belloc in many of his other works, "Old Thunder" finally gives Belloc his due. The man who is remembered by many as a writer of children's verse is revealed to us as a powerhouse of journalism, fiction, and poetry. At the same time, we see a man of intense Catholic piety and devotion making his way through struggles with finances and the early loss of his greatly beloved wife.

If you enjoy literary biography, you'll find Pearce is a master. Jump in with "Old Thunder" and make the rounds through all of Pearce's work.

For Catholic Converts, "Old Thunder" is a must read. I am certain it is not the most well researched nor scholarly work on Belloc or the period of Catholic literary rennasaince. But as an introduction to the period and the players it is an excellent book.

Historians and biographers such as Joseph Pearce seem to be held in low regard by their peers. Nonetheless, in bringing charaters such as Belloc to the less well read they are invaluable.

The value of this book is also multiplied by Mr. Pearce's prose. Few writers of non-fiction are so preasurable to read. Old Thunder is an extraordinary biography.

If anyone really wants to know about the "myths of mormonism", why not just ask a Mormon? I have found that they are very open and honest about their faith. I have yet to meet one, in fact, that is the caniving, secretive, tragically misinformed and misled fanatical cultists that books such as these portray. On the contrary, they are remarkably well-versed, well-educated, and very knowledgable people. And even more interesting to me... I have yet to notice a Mormon publication that picks apart or bashes another faith. It is a shame that there are so many making a profit off of such slander.

Ethan Smith does a credibly principled job of pointing out many clearly glaring inconsistencies and contradictions between (a) Mormon doctrines and the Bible, and (b) present official Mormon doctrines and past official Mormon doctrines. He does this fairly, honestly and logically.

But note: 1. A clearer and crisper job at the same task is done by Sharon Armstrong in her book, For Any Latter-day Saint: One Investigator's Unanswered Questions. 2. Though Smith is a valiant LDS contradiction illuminator, he does not in fairness point his light at any of dozens of equally glaring inconsistencies and contradictions in (a) the Bible itself, and (b) between the Bible and many accepted current non-Mormon Christian teachings. So his principled argument against contradictions is inconsistently applied and, therefore to that extent, ironically unprincipled. A much better job than Smith's at applying facts and principle consistently is done by Burke (a professor of ancient Christian history) in Who Wrote the New Testament?

All that said, Smith's book is still a valuable introduction to the depth of contradiction in Mormonism.

This book is a wowser. The perfect best that is much better than those books by Dr. Quinn, such as the one on fairy tales and mormonism, which I believe. An asset to any libray opn Moronism.

Joe McIntyre - himself a Word of Faith teacher indoctrinated by the Faith movement - endeavors to present the "unbiased" truth about Christianity's Faith movement by telling what he claims is the "true" story of Faith founder, E.W. Kenyon. The problem, however, is that McIntyre tells this true story by out and out fabricating. He claims to be responding to "heresy hunters," but he does so by misrepresenting them at least FIVE times by my own count. Don't take my word for it, just check out his footnotes to find that he misrepresents people. But here's the best story of them all.

One of the sources cited by McIntyre contains information that contradicts what he says regarding Kenyon's death in 1948. He knows the information that contradicts him exists, but instead of acknowledging this fact, he simply doesn't mention it and then tells what he says is the "true" story of Kenyon. This fact alone disqualifies this book from being anything more than a reference so that Faith followers can say that questions are answered that HAVEN'T been answered.

But supposing McIntyre told the truth, here's something we learn by reading this book: E.W. Kenyon took aspirin - despite being "healed by Jesus' stripes" (p. 170). He suffered at one time from peritonitis (chapter 6). He was divorced even though he could manipulate his circumstances by "having what he said" (pp. 154-156). It appears that in telling the "true" story of E.W. Kenyon, we found that the message he proclaimed - and is still proclaimed today - is anything BUT true.

On the cover of this book, it says "Includes previously unpublished material from his personal diary and sermon notes." This is why I bought the book, as I wanted to read sermons by Kenyon that were not published in book form or in his newsletter. Sure, I read the book, and I really didn't find hardly any direct teachings from Kenyon or additional sermons that he never published, which disappointed me. Overall, this book is just a research book providing key answers to his critics. If you read after Kenyon, and want additional material on what he taught on, I do not recommend this book. This is primarily a book on Kenyon, and not on what he taught.

Pastor Joe McIntyre, has produced an invaluable resource text for those in the body of Christ, who are not only interested in knowing the True Story of E. W. Kenyon. But are spiritually hungry for the victorious Revelational Truths taught by E.W.K.
This book will not only inspire you, but put a glossy wheather
proof coating over your Faith-Walk from legalistic head-hunters, as well. Trust me!!!

This is one of several books that attempt to get at the root texts of Joseph Smith. We are in an unusual position with Joseph Smith: we have no autograph manuscripts of previous church leaders, such as Buddha, Moses, Mohamed, or Jesus Christ, but whit Joseph Smith, we have a tidal wave of primary documents that can be studied.

This book has the precious 1832 autograph history which has the second earliest version of the First Vision ever recorded, the earliest being D&C 20:5. It also has transcripts from his official journals. It is wonderful to have this book of the real words of Joseph Smith. The most surprising thing is to see that there was no monkey business going on with Joseph Smith's official history.

This edition is by Signature Books, which is a publishing house not friendly to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which makes this book even more interesting. The problem comes with the silent editing (p. xvii) that occurs with the book, especially with the disputed texts, such as the 27 July 1838 entry (see footnote p. 198), or the 26 September 1843 entry associated with the temple endowment, where the silent editing becomes rather loud.

The font is somewhat small, but it is quite readable, and this edition contains the manuscript strikeouts and misspellings, which impede reading a bit. This book has great biographies on people mentioned in the journals, and has a superb index, and a chronological overview of Smith's life. On the down side, there are no illustrations, except for the RLDS portrait of Joseph Smith.

This is a good one-volume alternative to the two-volume "Papers of Joseph Smith" published by Deseret Book, since it covers his entire life, stopping days before his assassination on 27 June 1844.

In the 1842-43 journals, it's written "I wish you had my soul long enough to know how good it feels." I suppose that I came to this book trying, in a sense, to borrow a little bit of Joseph Smith's soul long enough to see how good it felt-- or at least trying to understand a little bit of the person behind the history.

It's more opaque than that. Although there are flashes of personal insight-- particularly religious insight-- these journals are more the record of Mormonism and the issues about it that concerned Smith as he moved across the country. From lists of payments and donations, to intra-faith quarrels, to visions of Nauvoo, to complaints about lawsuits, it gives a clear day-to-day picture of the man and his movement.

The diaries and journals were written by a mix of Joseph Smith and various secretaries acting in his name. In the introduction, the editor comments that he was trying for ease of reading rather than faithful photostatic reproduction-- and I have to say that I would have hated to see what happened if he'd tried for faithful, because the major problem I had with the book was that I found it very difficult to read-- all shorthand, omitted words, crossed out words, and misspellings were noted as they occurred in the text and while I'm sure that it's more valuable as a scholarly text because of the inclusion, it was very distracting. Also, some annotations about historical events wouldn't be amiss rather than the reader always being forced to refer to the (very sketchy) timeline at the beginning. I suppose that most people who will read this would be scholars of Mormon history rather than people with a more casual interest, but it would have illuminated parts of this book much more clearly for readers like myself.

This is an excellent collection of the personal writings of the founder of the largest pseudo-Christian cult in America--the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (commonly known as the "Mormons"). It is a valuable resource for any cult apologist or theologian desiring to better understand the Mormon cult founder

This book is good only for people tyring to understand Mormon theology, yet it is scary at the same time while reading it to know that people actually believe that what is in it was actually inspired by God. It is blatenly contradictory to the teachings in the Bible. It is interesting to note that the revelations received from God decrease majorly after Jeseph Smith is killed. To those offended, my apologies, but blind exceptence is no excuse for believing something.

During the formation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by Joseph Smith in Eastern & Mid-America during the first half of the 19th century, this document was accepted as the word of Smith's God to his new-found followers. Developing in a time when many were searching fo divine guidence as a hedge against the odds of frontier life, this tome contains a record of directions to members of the infant church, its leadership, a record of some blessings given others by Smith. Topics vary widely and visit subjects ranging from dietary advice, care of wives and children, the giving of blessings, church organizational structure and the document proclaiming the Church's end of polygamy. The book provides an insight into the early politic of the Church, which has since grown to ten million. Other than as a religious reference for this body, this is should be considered something to read when one is trying to sleep. Since the book is published by The Mormon Church, its historical reliability should be considered questionable. The Church has consistantly made unnannounced changes to other documents over the years, to support theological shifts with its ever changing management.

The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of the revelations of Jesus Christ to the Prophet Joseph Smith and some of his successors. It is a masterful book full of deep doctrine, and presents an eloquent case for the validity and truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are revelations in this book that are as powerful, and some more so, than any in the Holy Bible, which Mormons accept and believe. Ask yourself this: if you wanted to learn about the doctrines of the early Christians, who would you ask, a Christian, or a Jewish person? The LDS Church has the right to define their own beliefs; Anti-Mormons can only distort the facts. The Doctrine and Covenants, along with the Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price, is true scripture from the Lord Jesus Christ.