Books Read and Recommended by GCF Members

Here are some books, listed in alphabetical order by title, that GCF members have enjoyed; take the time to read some of these when you get away from lab, or even if you don't. Please note that these are not necessarily Christian books, and all opinions are solely those of the reviewers.

If you have a book review you'd like to submit, please fill out the Book Review form.

Boundaries - written by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
Boundaries in Dating - written by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
His Dark Materials - written by Philip Pullman
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth - written by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart
The Jesus I Never Knew - written by Philip Yancey
Left Behind - written by Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahaye
Merlin - written by Stephen Lawhead
Parables for Modern Academia - written by Debbie and Loren Haarsma
Responsible Technology - written by Stephen V. Monsma
A Severe Mercy - written by Sheldon Vanauken
Space Trilogy - written by C.S. Lewis

Boundaries

written by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
reviewed by Michelle Crotwell

Because Christ teaches so profoundly about serving others selflessly and putting others' needs above our own, as Christians we often struggle with understanding how to operate within our own limitations. In our desire to be faithful Christians, we find it difficult to say "No" to worthy causes or needs around us. We avoid confronting others when they hurt us. Unfortunately, as a result of our misunderstandings about discipleship and service, many Christians become burned out in ministry, and our relationships become full of unnecessary burden, resentment and deception. Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend have written Boundaries to address these problems from a biblical perspective. They define boundaries, demonstrating that God Himself sets boundaries in His relationships with His people. Then, they discuss the various conflicts that arise when boundaries are not set or respected, and finally they show how to develop healthy boundaries in all areas of our lives. I found this book extremely helpful during a time in my life when God revealed how my lack of understanding about boundaries was hurting my relationships with others and my attitude about ministry. Applying the principles outlined in this book has helped me to experience much greater freedom and joy in serving God and others.

Boundaries in Dating

written by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
reviewed by David Chan

"Between singleness and marriage lies the journey of dating." In this book, the authors take the theme of boundaries (which has spawned a whole series of books) and apply it to dating relationships. The central idea, as in their other books, is that the setting of boundaries is essential to the health of any relationship, and that many of the problems people struggle with in dating can be attributed to the lack of clearly defined boundaries. Another important theme running through the book is that dating is a mature, adult relationship that is based on love rather than need. The advice is to deal with one's hurts, insecurities and immaturities through other relationships with friends, relatives and support groups, because a dating relationship is in general not a suitable place for healing, counselling or mentorship. On the whole, sound biblical support is given for points and suggestions made in the book. The authors strike a good balance between theory and practice, with excellent real-life examples taken from their experience as counsellors. They spend a great deal of time talking about what characteristics to look for, what pitfalls to avoid, and what these things could do to your dating relationships.

I found this book extremely helpful at a time when I was struggling to discover how to date in a Christian way. This is by no means a trivial endeavour, partly because of the lack of clear guidelines and the difficulty of generalizing to form a set of principles. The Bible does not give explicit dating advice, and the few instances of courtship mentioned are definitely set in the cultural context of the day. There is no specific "right" way of doing it, and the best thing to do is probably to stick to the established norms of dating in today's society and try to do it in a loving and unselfish way, with an eye on the purpose and sanctity of marriage (which should be the ultimate goal of dating) at all times. This book provides a bridge between one's understanding of biblical teaching on love and marriage, and the modern phenomenon of dating, and how one can use it to find a suitable spouse. I would strongly recommend it to any one who wants to integrate their dating lives with their faith.

His Dark Materials

written by Philip Pullman
reviewed by Tim Chow

His Dark Materials, a trilogy by Philip Pullman. Volume 1 is called The Golden Compass, volume 2 is The Subtle Knife, and volume 3 hasn't been written yet but should be coming out soon. An extraordinary fantasy novel with very strong Christian themes---the soul, sin, betrayal---as well as excellent science fiction. Unlike most children's books but like real life, good and evil are not always easy to discern, due in large part to incomplete information. The Golden Compass won the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. equivalent of the Newbery Medal.

Note added 3/5/01: The third book came out in the fall of 2000 and in my opinion was a major disappointment. For one thing, it is strongly anti-Christian to the point of being preachy, but this is not even the main complaint I have; the book has many shortcomings purely as a work of literature. I still think the first two books are very well written, and can be appreciated on their own merits, but overall I am much less impressed with this trilogy now that I've seen how it all ends.

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

written by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart
reviewd by Aaron Kirtley

How do we interpret those difficult passages in the Bible? What about whole books that can appear very confusing? How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth is an excellent guide to scriptural exegesis (understanding the Bible's meaning) and hermeneutics (the authors' favorite word, meaning to apply the Bible's lessons to our daily life). This book is full of helpful tips for understanding Scripture more fully and approaching it from the perspective from which it was written. The Bible contains many genres of literature and this should be taken into account when studying it. This book examines each of these in detail, explaining their nature and giving keys to interpreting books falling within each category. For example, the style of wisdom literature is vastly different from the epistles, although both are the divinely inspired word ofGod. Similarly, the Old Testament narratives are much different than the gospels, but together they give us a fuller picture of God and his plan. Well written, clear and concise, this book is a valuable aid for anyone truly seeking to "read the Bible for all its worth".

The Jesus I Never Knew

written by Philip Yancey
reviewd by Michelle Crotwell

What was it like to live when Jesus lived? What would we have thought about Him if we had been one of the crowd that often flocked to hear Him preach or eventually demanded his death? Is it possible to get past 2000 years of culture and tradition and discover in a fresh way who Jesus really is? In his book The Jesus I Never Knew Philip Yancey uses his training as a journalist to paint a portrait of Jesus' life as if he had been a reporter following the story of the man from Nazareth some said might be the long-awaited Messiah. At the conclusion of the book Yancey writes:
Icons of the Orthodox Church, stained-glass windows in European Cathedrals, and Sunday School art in low-church America all depict on flat planes a placid, "tame" Jesus, yet the Jesus I met in the Gospels was anything but tame. He was notoriously difficult to predict, pin down, or even understand.

I conclude my survey of Jesus with as many questions as answers. Jesus is radically unlike anyone else who has ever lived. The difference, in Charles Williams' phrase, is the difference between "one who is an example of living and one who is the life itself."
I felt challenged by Jesus' message in the Beatitudes, His response to "sinners", and by His very human struggle in Gethsemane. I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with incorporating a deeper understanding of the reality of Jesus into his relationship with God.

Left Behind

written by Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahaye
reviewed by Mike Neely

Okay, you've probably heard of this book already, or seen folks on airplanes reading it. But, just in case you don't know about it, here is my take on it: It is a creative book about a plausible end-times scenario. The Rapture occurs and God comes to miraculously take away all the Christians. Everyone else is "left behind" and has to make some sense of these vanishings. You might think such a world-wide supernatural act would convince everyone that Christianity is true, but the authors do a great and I believe accurate job of portraying the different excuses that many of the left-behinders have for remaining unbelievers. However, there are also many converts to Christianity, and a core group of new believers is in place for doing God's work against the impending plans of the antichrist and his henchmen.

Just try reading the book and you'll see why its a best seller. If you are like me, you'll get hooked into the many volume series, (Trib. Force, Nicolae,...) of which Left Behind is just the first. There is also a movie of the book Left Behind. It was released on video first, and will soon be out in the theaters.

Merlin

written by Stephen Lawhead
reviewed by Mike Neely

Did you read the space trilogy? If not, then why are you looking at any other book reviews? Read the trilogy, then you can continue looking at other reviews. Okay, now, you've read that, right? Well, remember the Merlin character in the last one? Wasn't that really cool? Okay, so this Merlin book isn't directly related to the Space Trilogy, but Stephen Lawhead has a whole book now on Merlin. A lot of great parallels to Christian themes too. You might even cry at a few parts if you read this. Not that I did, of course, but i overheard that some other guy manlier than me did... =)

Parables for Modern Academia

written by Debbie and Loren Haarsma
reviewed by Donald Crankshaw

Jesus' parables were meant to teach the principles of the Kingdom of God in terms of everyday activities. Although we sometimes think of them as allegories, where every object has a deeper, spiritual significance, their true purpose is usually to transmit a singular idea in terms we can understand. Unfortunately, we sometimes miss that idea today. Sometimes this is because what was everyday in Jesus' time is foreign to us today; more often our very familiarity with the story lessens its impact. Debbie and Loren Haarsma's Parables for Modern Academia does a great job of reminding us what those parables really mean. Rewriting Jesus' parables in terms of the modern academic world, they make the now foreign context of the parables once again familiar, which in turn makes the lessons of the Kingdom strikingly otherworldly. There are a few weaknesses, such as the unavoidable interpretation involved in the modernization of the parables, and some compromises to the lessons to make them believable in the new context. I certainly would not recommend these parables as a replacement for Jesus' own words, but reading them can help illuminate the parables recorded in the Gospels.

Responsible Technology

written by Stephen V. Monsma
reviewed by Donald Crankshaw

Today's society is a technologistic one: we serve the idol of progress. The Christian response to this has covered the spectrum from direct opposition to total submission to this idea. In the book Responsible Technology, the authors argue that progress is not antithetical to Christianity. In fact, man's purpose before the Fall, to fill the earth and subdue it, to work the Garden and to keep it, may well be interpreted as a command to develop the earth to its full potential, which includes the development of technology. However, this development, as a mandate from God, must be done in response to Him and in submission to His Will. While the authors do a good job of arguing why technology must be done in the service of God and of our fellow human beings, their lack of engineering expertise is apparent in their insufficient explanation of how. I would agree with them that a holistic approach to design is necessary, one which considers not just efficiency, but also service to God and society, care of the environment, and even abstract and often-dismissed ideas such as aestheticism. I do not see that it is obvious how to do that in the grind of the day-to-day work of an engineer. Nevertheless, I believe this book provides a good starting point for further thought and discussion on the concept of doing design in a Godly manner.

A Severe Mercy

written by Sheldon Vanauken
reviewed by Aaron Kirtley

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It captured me from the first page and left me pondering its messages long after I put it down. It begins with the perfect love story between man and women and ends with the love story God intends for each of us. Sheldon Vanauken describes his extraordinary relationship with wife Davy - a love that appeared to hold everything, a barrier that nothing could penetrate- until their lives are transformed by Christ. While studying at Oxford, the intellectual, but atheistic Vanauken and Davy begin an extensive investigation of faith and religion. Through an amazing friendship with C.S. Lewis, beginning with a series of challenging letters, they ultimately become convicted by Christianity's truth. They soon discover that this has profound implications for their relationship with one another. However, it is only when tragedy strikes that Vanauken, aided by the ever-insightful Lewis, begin to fully comprehend the nature of God's mercy. This book addresses many of life's greatest questions- the nature of love, the power of Christianity, the longing for true fulfillment, and the lessons of grief.