Evil And the Justice of God
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Looking for Paul's View on the Demonic
  • In Heaven (Everything is Fine)
  • Wright respone to evil
  • Small but Elaborate
  • book review: Evil and the Justice of God
Evil And the Justice of God
N. T. Wright
Manufacturer: IVP Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0830833986

Book Description

Evil is more serious than either our culture or our theology has supposed. How might Jesus' death be the culmination of the Old Testament solution to evil but on a wider and deeper scale than most imagine? Can we possibly envision a world in which we are delivered from evil? How might we work toward such a future through prayer and justice in the present?

These are the powerful and pressing themes that N. T. Wright addresses in this book that is atonce timely and timeless.


Endorsements

"From now on, [Evil and the Justice of God] should be the first work consulted by Christian philosophers and theologians working on the problem of evil, and pastors, laypeople and Christian workers should read and internalize the perspective of the book to insure a distinctively biblical approach in ministering to people in the face of evil." J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, and co-author (with Klaus Issler) of The Lost Virtue of Happiness

"This is a book that every thoughtful Christian should read." John Wilson, editor, Books and Culture


Features and Benefits

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Looking for Paul's View on the Demonic.......2007-09-14

This book was helpful in researching Paul's view of the Demonic. I have, in the past, found N.T. Wright a little glib in his writing, with words too quickly flowing off the fingers (yet another book rolling off the press) rather than evidence of 'laboured over sentences'. The book did give me insights into Paul's conviction that we 'wrestle not against flesh and blood', that we cannot palm off accountability for sin onto the demonic, (we are individually accountable for our shortcomings), and that Paul's preoccupation was with his adoration of Jesus Christ and not a predilection with the demonic.

2 out of 5 stars In Heaven (Everything is Fine).......2007-08-17

When I reviewed Alister McGrath's Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, Amazonians recommended the works of N.T. Wright, a British Christian theologian, for answers to the skeptical questions I raised about McGrath's book and theism generally.

In "Evil and the Justice of God" Wright offers a critique of contemporary approaches to evil, and suggests that Christianity's approach is better.

Alas, Wright's book casts great doubts on his capacity to solve any problem, let alone such grand complicated issues as Good, Evil and the existence of God. Wright's book is incoherent, obfuscatory, intellectually empty and morally bankrupt.

The main question about Evil and God is why bad things happen to good people? If God is just, how come the world isn't? I believe that theologians have wrestled with this question for centuries. Wright offers a unique, two phase approach to this problem: 1. refuse to answer it. 2. blame those who even ask.

Wright candidly admits that "I have ruled out... any immediate prospect of finding an answer to the question of where evil came from in the first place and what it's doing in God's good world." (p. 136). OK, so he chickens out from answering the tough questions. But then, he has the Chutzpah of attacking those who do: "much of the agonizing over evil as a problem in philosophy or theology is exposed as displacement activity, as moaning over spilt milk instead of mopping it" (p. 150).

For Wright, the solution to the problem of evil is God as, literally, the ultimate dues ex machine. "The Ultimate answer to the problem of evil is in God's creation of a new world, new heavens and new Earth, with redeemed, renewed human beings ruling over it and bringing to it God's wise, healing order". Makes you wonder why God couldn't get it right the first time.

But, Wright is concedes that he's open to the attack that, if everything is gonna be just fine in the new world, we shouldn't worry too much about this one. Deus Ex Machine comes to the rescue again: We should care about the here-and-now because God wants us to. If only God addressed the world's problems as effectively as he does the theologian's.

Add to Wright's confusions in general his confusion about a specific thing - namely, what do we call evil. When Wright talks about Evil, he's not being metaphorical. He really believes in Satan, supernatural powers, all that "exorcist" stuff. "The Gospels tell the story of the deeper, darker forces which operate at a superpersonal level, forces for which the language of the demonic, despite all its problems, is still the least inadequate" (p. 81).

But should we really look at evil as a "non human being"? (p. 108). Personally, I cannot think about the concentration camps, Mao's Giant Leap Forward or the 9/11 attacks without the word "evil". And yet, "evil" is mostly not a very useful term for thinking about things. What does it mean to say, for example, that the Iraq war is evil? Is George W. Bush evil? I find that the terminology is unhelpful in either case. I don't think the questions of whether some things are evil or not lead to any real insight as to what to do about them.

As if to illustrate my point, Wright offers a reading of the Old Testament as a narrative of God's continues engagement with, and judgment of, evil. When the people misbehave, he sends the Flood. When Pharaoh refuses to "let my people go", he sends the plague. When the Midyanites sin, he sends the Israelites to wipe `em out.

This is a very forced reading. How can the murder of countless innocent first born be called "the Justice of God"? How can Genocide correspond to any concept of good that we would find palatable? What did the animals do to warrant their execution along with humankind in the flood?

Now, we shouldn't expect the bible to embody the morality we hold today. It was written thousands of years ago in a completely different cultural context. But pretending that it does speak to questions of Evil and Justice in a way that's recognizable to us is just that - pretending.

After this unconvincing spin on the Old Testament, Wright tries to discern the qualities of Heaven from a close reading of the book of Revelations. I will spare you the details - suffice to say that it would consist of a very beautiful, but physical place. "An incorruptible, unkillable physical world" (p. 116).

Wright also offers some advice as to how to improve the world we live in today. He's not much of a political philosopher. He chastises the "Modern" view on the superiority of Democracy to other Governments. "Are we really so sure that Western style government is the only or even the best type?" And yet, immediately after that., he says "I still agree with Churchill that democracy is the worst possible form of government, except for all those other forms of government that are tried from time to time." Well, that ought to settle it, then, right? Apparently not "I find myself increasingly wonder[ing] ... [is it] right to expect Afghanistan or Iraq to adopt a version of [democracy?]" (pp. 35-36). Now I'm all confused. What form of government does Wright suggest would be better for Afghanistan or Iraq? A clerical theology? Another Saddam-esque dictatorship?

Although he's not too high on democracy, Wright does like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (p.125). This is not the place to discuss the merits of these bodies, but I would like to know what biblical authority Wright Marshalls to support either. When the Israelites wanted to enter Israel, they did not call an assembly of the Nations and argued their case peacefully. No International Court judged Moses, Saul or David. It's nice that Wright has faith in the International Community, but this faith does not come from my bible.

5 out of 5 stars Wright respone to evil.......2007-08-07

N.T Wright is one of the best biblical scholars of our times, and this book continues his tradition of insightful and thoughtful writings. Evil and the justice of God is not neccesarily just for those looking to understand the presence of evil in the world but, almost more so for those Christians reading it, how we should respond to it.

4 out of 5 stars Small but Elaborate.......2007-08-02

Well written, but I would have to -slightly- agree with (although not entirely) another reviewer about this book being verbose... it is at times hard to follow, and I have found myself rereading a paragraph 2 or 3 times. Perhaps he intended this book to be much larger and in-depth but decided to condense it to 160-some pages.

I would have to commend Wright on his viewpoints on Evil, and he does manage to point out the problem of 'dualism' that is so common in our culture: that we see evil as an outside force, a clear yin and yang, an us and them. The clarity he brings, is that evil runs through all of us, on some level (not in the horror movie or politician derived evil).

Do not mistake this as Wright trying to say that evil is always there, so just accept it... or as an excuse or explanation... rather he points out our connection (each one of us) to evil, and therefore our responsibility to be aware of it and counter it.

Excerpt:
"...it is a problem if and when a `Christian' empire seeks to impose its will dualistically on the world by labeling other parts of the world "evil" while seeing itself as the avenging army of God. That is more or less exactly what Jesus found in the Israel of his day. The cross was and remains a call to a different vocation, a new way of dealing with evil and ultimately a new vision of God.
What, after all, would it look like if the true God came to deal with evil? Would he come in a blaze of glory, in a pillar of cloud and fire, surrounded by legions of angels? Jesus of Nazareth took the total risk of speaking as if the answer to the question were this: when the true God comes back to deal with evil, he will look like a young Jewish prophet journeying at Passover time, celebrating the kingdom, confronting the corrupt authorities, feasting with his friends, succumbing in prayer and agony to a cruel and unjust fate, taking upon himself the weight of Israel's sin, the world's sin: Evil with a capital E. When we look at Jesus in this way, we discover that the cross has become for us the new temple, the place where we go to meet the true God and know him as Savior and Redeemer. The cross becomes the place of pilgrimage, where we stand and gaze at what was done for each one of us. The cross becomes the sign that pagan empire, symbolized in the might and power of sheer brutal force, has been decisively challenged by a different power, the power of love, the power that shall win the day."
There's much more to it than I have explained... and it is a very creative intriguing work. Other than the problem with ease of understanding, the reason I gave it 4 stars is how he condensed this work so small, and the way (although he admits it) he brushes over so quickly so many passages from the Old and New Testaments.

I recommend this for anyone, not just Christians, if just for his concept on evil if anything.

5 out of 5 stars book review: Evil and the Justice of God.......2007-06-11

Using book for discussion in one our church's adult Sunday School classes
Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A Needed Corrective
  • Last Battle?
  • A needed corrective to the Reconstruction story
  • Mississippi Burning
  • America's Own Terrorists
Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War
Nicholas Lemann
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0374248559
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Book Description

A century after Appomattox, the civil rights movement won full citizenship for black Americans in the South. It should not have been necessary: by 1870 those rights were set in the Constitution. This is the story of the terrorist campaign that took them away.
Nicholas Lemann opens his extraordinary new book with a riveting account of the horrific events of Easter 1873 in Colfax, Louisiana, where a white militia of Confederate veterans-turned-vigilantes attacked the black community there and massacred hundreds of people in a gruesome killing spree. This was the start of an insurgency that changed the course of American history: for the next few years white Southern Democrats waged a campaign of political terrorism aiming to overturn the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and challenge President Grant’ssupport for the emergent structures of black political power. The remorseless strategy of well-financed “White Line” organizations was to create chaos and keep blacks from voting out of fear for their lives and livelihoods. Redemption is the first book to describe in uncompromising detail this organized racial violence, which reached its apogee in Mississippi in 1875.

Lemann bases his devastating account on a wealth of military records, congressional investigations, memoirs, press reports, and the invaluable papers of Adelbert Ames, the war hero from Maine who was Mississippi’s governor at the time. When Ames pleaded with Grant for federal troops who could thwart the white terrorists violently disrupting Republican political activities, Grant wavered, and the result was a bloody, corrupt election in which Mississippi was
“redeemed”—that is, returned to white control.
Redemption makes clear that this is what led to the death of Reconstruction—and of the rights encoded in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. We are still living with the consequences.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A Needed Corrective.......2007-04-11

Nicholas Lemann's book "Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War," focuses on mostly forgotten and often sanitized versions of specific incidents that marked the end of Reconstruction and the regaining by White Southerns of state and local government institutions leading to Jim Crow and Segregation that continued for another 90 years or so. The book, relatively brief, examines in detail several incidents, one in Lousiana, the others in Mississippi where local vigalante groups seized control from local black officials through intimidation and massacres. It is perhaps not coincidential that the worst offenses took place in Mississippi, and perhaps some sort of rough justice that in exchange Mississippi remained for decades afterwards on the lowest rung of the ladder among the states in nearly every social and economic ranking.

Much of the book is through the eyes of one Adelbert Ames, a Union general, senator and governor of Mississippi, as revealed in the copius correspondence with his wife, Blanche Butler, who most of the time remained at home in the North. Because of weariness of the part of the North, insufficient troops, deliberate foot-dragging by US officials sympathetic to the South, and indecisiveness on the part of President Grant, these events from 1874-76 were allowed to precede with little intervention and protection of Black citizens. In effect, the withdrawal of Northern troops in 1877, the result of a compromise that ended the electoral stalemate in the Hayes/Tilden presidential election of 1876, overturned a major achievement of the Civil War, namely full citizenship and voting privileges for former African slaves. The result was another dark stain on American history and our pretenses of a just and equitable society where everyone has the chance to be president.

Because of its brevity, the book suffers from a lack of context of how overall Reconstruction had proceeded in the South, it's weaknesses and its victories. The book also would have been improved through a map, particularly Mississippi and the various places where the rampages of the vigantes took place. Another improvement would have been photographs of the several colorful characters portrayed. But all in all, for a brief look at an important moment in American history, the book is highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars Last Battle?.......2007-03-14

The subtitle is a little bit of a cheat, for the Civil War was long over by the time the massacres of 1875 began, but after reading Nicholas Lemann's book on the failure of Reconstruction and the life of Civil War General Adelbert Ames, I can see why he decided to bend the truth and capture the huge Civil War market.

he shows how JFK was a patsy to the Southern Conservative myth of Reconstruction and how, in PROFILES IN COURAGE (1956) Kennedy included Lucius Lamar of Mississippi as an avatar of courage, when in actuality he was a liar and a bigot and was personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of Mississippi freedmen. What was JFK thinking? Well, as Lemann points out, this was not an anomaly in Kennedy's otherwise antiracist public profile. Indeed it was part and parcel of his curiously suspect voting record and public stand towards the race question. It was as though, in the polarized 1950s, he had to keep the Southern Democrats happy in order to win their support for the campaign he saw coming his way. PROFILES IN COURAGE dismisses Adelbert Ames, Lemann's (admittedly flawed) hero, as a mere carpetbagger, not worthy of living in Mississippi, a `foreigner' and an Abolitionist. The strange thing is that, he lived so long (at age 98, he was the oldest surviving Civil War officer) his daughter Blanche was on hand to shame Kennedy into agreeing to change future editions of PROFILES. Then her years of disappointment began, for even though Senator, and then President Kennedy, had agreed to re-research Reconstruction, he never did, and when she kept bugging him he enlisted the help of her grandson, "Paper Lion" George Plimpton, to call his honorable kinswoman off his back. Of course all of these people had incredible privilege and wealth.

4 out of 5 stars A needed corrective to the Reconstruction story.......2007-02-24

Having lived in the South for the first 21 years of my life, I can attest to the staying power of the myths of Reconstruction and the succeeding era which I was taught to call Redemption.

The central motif of these myths is that of courageous, heroic whites finally standing up to a brutal Northern occupation, but turning to violence only when physically threatened.

Some prominent historians -- Eric Foner in particular -- have been forthright and comprehensive in setting out the true facts. In my readings, there have been two aspects still missing from such large-scale works. First of all, a visceral, detailed accounting of the intensity of white-on-black violence has been needed. Second, we have lacked a nuanced, detailed biography of Adelbert Ames, perhaps the best exemplar of the promise interracial cooperation held for the South.

In "Redemption", journalist Nicholas Lemann makes an attempt to remedy both these insufficiencies in a narrative aimed at the non-specialist reader. Instead of giving us a comprehensive study of how integrated southern state governments were driven from power, Lemann chooses instead to focus primarily on the single example of Mississippi, with some inclusion of parallel events in neighboring Louisiana. And the story of Reconstruction Mississippi cannot successfully be understood without considering the career of New Englander Adelbert Ames, a Union veteran who became first the state's senator and then governor during this period.

Lemann recounts instance upon instance of politically-inspired and deadly violence that steadily drove Republican voters, especially blacks, from the polls. While many leading white Democrats maintained deniability and claimed that such attacks were rare and always provoked by the other side, and while President Grant's commitment to federal protection decisively waned, Governor Ames cast off his naivete and tried to counter with what forces he could muster. But without timely federal intervention, this proved an impossible task. Ames was finally forced to face facts, and he resigned the governorship and left the state for good. The Solid South was born with violence as midwife.

Lemann's choices mean that he needs to do three things well. First, with respect to bringing home the intensity, pervasiveness, and comprehensive effects of the violence, Lemann is especially convincing, at least within Mississippi (and to a less significant extent Louisiana). Second, his incorporation of an Ames biography is in itself valuable and multi-faceted. But it doesn't serve as a full-fledged biography due to the author's chronological boundaries. We do learn of Ames' background and his significant relationships with others, most notably his wife and father-in-law; these are important in understanding Ames' behavior in Mississippi. But for Ames' life after Mississippi, Lemann takes only a cursory wrap-up approach.

Finally, we should expect Lemann to do a convincing job of integrating these two intersecting narratives. In this he is largely successful. But there are moments when his attention to the details of Ames' life, while welcome to this reader, may yet seem only remotely relevant to the larger story of the Redemption era.

In 1933 Adelbert Ames became the last Civil War officer to die. The myths of Redemption have lived on long after, and Lemann's book is a significant contribution to puncturing those myths and establishing the truth.

5 out of 5 stars Mississippi Burning.......2007-02-09

This is a story on how government failed, how the civil rights of freed slaves and blacks became a political playground of hate and deceit and how victory on the battlefield was lost to thugs & cowards. It clearly shows how history can be manipulated by the criminals who ushered in a sordid era of Jim Crow laws while others looked away.

Author Nicholas Lemann does a magnificent job in detailing the death of Reconstruction through white terrorism in Mississippi in the 1870s, which emboldened the white racists throughout the south to institute what became known as the "Mississippi Plan" of intimidation and murder to seize power in every government institution and to kick blacks back into servitude.

The heroes are the victims - the blacks and some white Republicans - who boldly stood alone while the mobs seized control in a revolution of aversion, and then afterwards wrote the articles and books, whose key lies are still being taught as factual history today.

You will be angered as Lemann explains as a reporter how Reconstruction was lost. But then look around, and realize that the subtitle, The Last Battle of the Civil War, may be incorrect. Unless this country confronts the harsh realities of the past, the last battle of the Civil War has yet to be fought, or won.

4 out of 5 stars America's Own Terrorists.......2007-02-04

In this short historical account, Nicholas Lemann tells the disturbing story of how ex-confederates in Mississippi brought about the end of Reconstruction in 1875 through an orchestrated campaign of savagery and deception.

The "Mississippi Plan" employed an ugly and brutal pattern: when freed slaves attempted to exercise their political rights--by convening political rallies, becoming candidates for office or simply trying to vote--southern whites responded with hellish violence, not merely fighting the freed slaves, but coldly murdering them in front of friends or family or, worse, hunting them down if they fled.

To justify their heinous conduct, the whites invented an emotionally laden cover story that, to this very day, resonates among the American public. In their view, the violence was necessary to forestall imminent "Negro uprisings," prevent rape and pillage by brutish and bestial blacks, and redeem the honor of the south from the depredation of northern carpetbaggers who seized control of the political system by duping or bribing the newly freed slaves.

The key to the Mississippi Plan was the public relations tactic of presenting the organized slaughter of blacks as random local incidents, a tactic that discouraged President Grant from sending federal troops to secure the rights of the newly enfranchised citizens. Absent this safeguard, the intimidation worked, and the Democrats won control of key offices, despite significant Republican majorities among registered or potential voters. With the outcome of the presidential election of 1876 in dispute, the nation embraced the "Compromise of 1877" in which the Democrats agreed to let Rutherford Hayes become president and the Republicans agreed to the removal of the remaining federal troops from the South. Reconstruction was over.

Much of this tale is told through the eyes of Adelbert Ames, a Northerner and celebrated Union Army general who was elected Governor of Mississippi by the multitude of new black voters. Sometimes the book reads like a biography of Ames. Only at the end does Lemann step back from the detailed account and provide the larger picture of how the "Mississippi Plan" became the blueprint for the entire Southern strategy to end Reconstruction and how the nation shamefully abandoned its commitment to true citizenship for blacks.

As I read "Redemption," a profound sense of disgust and outrage rose within me. So horrific, repulsive, and needless was the conduct of the Southern Democrats that, at times, I felt Lemann must have been omitting facts that would have balanced the story. But this is precisely Lemann's point: when Southerners today celebrate the honor and courage of Dixie, they are endorsing a fiction that was invented in 1875. There was no honor, only terror of helpless black victims.
Reunion (Redemption Series, Book 5)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Reunion
  • Kingsbury book
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  • Reunion
Reunion (Redemption Series, Book 5)
Karen Kingsbury , and Gary Smalley
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0842386882

Book Description

The Redemption series won Christian Retailing's 2005 Retailer's Choice Award for Best Series! In addition, Reunion was a 2005 Gold Medallion Award finalist!

This touching story allows us to see into the lives of the Baxter family as Erin and Sam attempt to adopt a child. As the family looks forward to a heartwarming reunion, they find out that Mr. and Mrs. Baxter have a secret that could change their lives forever.

Download Description

This touching story allows us to see into the lives of the Baxter family as Erin and Sam attempt to adopt a child. As the family looks forward to a heartwarming reunion they find out that Mr. and Mrs. Baxter have a secret that could change their lives forever."

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Reunion.......2007-06-27

This book as well as the whole Redemption Series is GREAT. I have purchase the next series on the Baxter Family as well as the Sunrise Series (still waiting for book 2). My husband, who never reads a book, started the Redemption Series on vacation and he can't put it down. You have to know my husband to understand how good the Series is.

5 out of 5 stars Kingsbury book.......2007-05-24

This is a terrific series! Karen captures your heart with her stories and keeps the focus on the Lord. Outstanding!!!

5 out of 5 stars Greatness again!.......2007-01-10

Loved it....lives up to what I have come to expect of Karen Kingsbury.

5 out of 5 stars Moved me to tears.......2006-07-10

Rarely does a book move me to tears but this one did. This book was well written. I though Elizabeth and her family demonstrated great courage during this time of adversity. Not all was sad in the book. I don't want to give too much away for those who haven't read the book yet but you will be pleased at some of the ways God is working miracles in the lives of some of the other Baxter clan. Even though this is the last one in the Redemption series it is not the last we will see of the Baxters. Looking forward to getting glimpse of thier lives in the new series which is centered around the long lost Baxter son Dayne Matthews who we are introduced to in this book.

5 out of 5 stars Reunion.......2006-07-01

Awesome read can't wait for the next series. Highly recommend this and I have serveral times already.
Redemption (Redemption Series, Book 1)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Have time befor you start!
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Redemption (Redemption Series, Book 1)
Karen Kingsbury , and Gary Smalley
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0842356223

Book Description

The Redemption series won Christian Retailing's 2005 Retailer's Choice Award for Best Series!

When Kari Baxter Jacobs finds out that her husband is involved in an adulterous relationship and wants a divorce, she decides she will love him and remain faithful to her marriage at all costs. This book shows how God can redeem seemingly hopeless relationships, and it illustrates one of Gary Smalley's key messages: Love is a decision.

Redemption is the first book in the five-book Redemption series that Gary and Karen will write about the Baxter family--their fears and desires, their strengths and weaknesses, their losses and victories. Each book will explore key relationship themes as well as the larger theme of redemption, both in characters' spiritual lives and in their relationships. Each book includes study questions for individual and small-group use as well as a "teaser" chapter of the next book in the series.

Download Description

When Laura Baxter Jacobs finds out that her husband is involved in an adulterous relationship and wants a divorce, she decides she will love him and remain faithful to her marriage at all costs. This book shows how God can redeem seemingly hopeless relationships, and it illustrates one of Gary Smalley's key messages: Love is a decision.

Redemption is the first book in the five-book Redemption series that Gary and Karen will write about the Baxter family--their fears and desires, their strengths and weaknesses, their losses and victories. Each book will explore key relationship themes as well as the larger theme of redemption, both in characters' spiritual lives and in their relationships. Each book includes study questions for individual and small-group use as well as a ""teaser"" chapter of the next book in the series."

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Have time befor you start!.......2007-09-09

I love Karen kingsbury's writings and this is no exception! I actually started backwards with one of the Baxter Family series books. When I realized there was a background on all the people I fell in love with, I had to start over and see what I had missed.
I'm so glad I did, because I just couldn't put it down. I say have time, because I could not involve myself with anything until I had finished, "just one more chapter." Before I knew it, I was done with the book.
You won't regret the time you spend!

5 out of 5 stars Redemption.......2007-08-23

This is the first book I ever read by Karen Kingsbury this summer. It was so good that I have read this series and the Firstborn series. I am now reading the third series about the Baxter family. There is not any event in this family's life that can't happen in any family today. I am now giving this book as gifts.

5 out of 5 stars Love this..........2007-08-23

The whole series and then the next 2 after this one are excellent. I want to know and be friends with or even be related to the Baxter Family. I will be so sad when the books are over. Very encouraging and I recommend to everyone.

3 out of 5 stars Good book, but..........2007-05-30

I enjoy Kingsbury's novels and generally find her to be one of the better Christian fiction writers because she tackles difficult issues that acknowledge that the day-to-day life of the Christian is not always a bed of roses. However, I had a couple of problems with REDEMPTION. First, I have to agree with a previous reviewer that the blatant advertising for a particular marriage counseling resource was a bit much. I don't know how much Gary Smalley actually contributed to the writing of this novel but he should have restrained himself instead of including a shameless plug. I know, I know, he's trying to help couples in trouble and that's good, but the actual name, address and other info could have been listed at the end of the book instead of being part of the actual story. My second problem was the resolution of the issues in the Jacobs marriage. Way, way to pat and at the end of the day, pretty unrealistic. I saw that coming from the opening chapters and it was an all too convenient way to resolve things.

5 out of 5 stars Get hooked on the Baxters!.......2007-04-13

Karen Kingsbury is such a gifted writer. She can make you laugh, cry, and empathize with her characters. When you begin the Redemption Series, you are becoming part of a wonderful family. Karen introduces us to the Baxters, and through this series and continuing on with her Firstborn Series, and now Sunrise Series, we watch them struggle, thrive, grow, love and most importantly, rely on God to get them through good times as well as bad. I have read every book Karen has ever written, and still can't wait for her to start the next one. This series is a wonderful way to introduce someone into Christian Fiction....read it and pass it along.
Rejoice (Redemption Series, Book 4)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Fantastic Reading
  • greatness again
  • Rejoice (Redemption #4)
  • Rejoice
  • Faith emerging from tragedy--outstanding book!
Rejoice (Redemption Series, Book 4)
Karen Kingsbury , and Gary Smalley
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Domestic LifeDomestic Life | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Smalley, GarySmalley, Gary | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Reunion (Redemption Series, Book 5) Reunion (Redemption Series, Book 5)
  2. Return (Redemption Series, Book 3) Return (Redemption Series, Book 3)
  3. Remember (Redemption Series, Book 2) Remember (Redemption Series, Book 2)
  4. Redemption (Redemption) Redemption (Redemption)
  5. Fame (Firstborn Series #1) Fame (Firstborn Series #1)

ASIN: 0842386874

Book Description

The Redemption series won Christian Retailing's 2005 Retailer's Choice Award for Best Series! In addition, Rejoice was a 2005 Gold Medallion Award finalist!

This latest release in the Redemption series reunites readers with the continuing saga of the Baxter family. Brooke Baxter has achieved everything this world has to offer--a prestigious career, a beautiful home, and two wonderful children. Her recent return to her faith is an encouragement to her family. But if she faces tremendous loss, can her fledgling faith and her rocky marriage survive?

Download Description

This latest release in the Redemption series reunites readers with the continuing saga of the Baxter family. Brooke Baxter has achieved everything this world has to offer--a prestigious career, a beautiful home, and two wonderful children. Her recent return to her faith is an encouragement to her family. But if she faces tremendous loss, can her fledgling faith and her rocky marriage survive?

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic Reading.......2007-05-12

This book (along with the total series) are fantastic. Very incouraging reading, helps with renewing your own faith in life, love and God. I would recommend this book (and series, along with any Kingsbury series) to anyone, male or female. Its an AAA+++ in my book!

5 out of 5 stars greatness again.......2007-01-10

Loved it....lives up to what I have come to expect of Karen Kingsbury.

5 out of 5 stars Rejoice (Redemption #4).......2006-07-31

I am fastly becoming an Karen Kingsbury fan. I am addicted to the Baxter Family. I feel like I know them personally and can relate to the trails and tribulations that they go through, and how they trust and lean on God to get them through.

I have already started the Firstborn series and waiting on book 3 to come out.

5 out of 5 stars Rejoice.......2006-07-01

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors and I've read her whole Redemption Series and have since lent them to 3 other people who also have enjoyed them. I highly recommend them!

5 out of 5 stars Faith emerging from tragedy--outstanding book!.......2006-01-28

Rejoice is the 4th in the Redemption Series. It focuses on another of the Baxters' daughters, Brooke. Brooke and her husband are physicians with a strong marriage and deep faith. A tragic accident involving their toddler daughter shakes the entire family. I try not to go too much into the plot when reviewing a book, so as not to ruin the story for someone who has yet to read it. I will say though that the struggle between Brooke and her husband (because she blames him) is so realistic when something happens to a child. The Baxter family shows support, love, and hope, as they try to hold together as a unit. To me the main theme in this book--or call it a lesson to be learned--is that there is no greater act of worship than to trust God in all circumstances. If you've read the 3 books before this one, you already feel like you know the Baxter family. This is a thought provoking, inspiring book that you will not put down...get ready for some late night reading! I do recommed that you buy all 5 of the Redemption Series books so you will not miss a beat. In order they are: Redemption, Remember, Return, Rejoice, and Reunion. Even after that, there is a spinoff called the "Firstborn Series" starting with Fame and then Forgiven, that you'll want to pursue. Happy reading--these books are an experience, not just a diversion.
Return (Redemption Series, Book 3)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • I couldn't put it down!!!
  • greatness again....
  • one of my favorite books ever!
  • Modern day prodigal son story
  • Perfect title and theme. Perfect novel...
Return (Redemption Series, Book 3)
Karen Kingsbury , and Gary Smalley
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
FictionFiction | Literature & Fiction | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Smalley, GarySmalley, Gary | ( S ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
TerrorismTerrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
September 11September 11 | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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  1. Rejoice (Redemption Series, Book 4) Rejoice (Redemption Series, Book 4)
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  3. Remember (Redemption Series, Book 2) Remember (Redemption Series, Book 2)
  4. Redemption (Redemption) Redemption (Redemption)
  5. Fame (Firstborn Series #1) Fame (Firstborn Series #1)

ASIN: 0842382895

Book Description

The Redemption series won Christian Retailing's 2005 Retailer's Choice Award for Best Series!

This touching novel reunites readers with the Baxter family and focuses on the only Baxter son, Luke. He is determined to leave his faith and his past behind and embrace a new, free-thinking future. But what he doesn't realize is that his past holds a secret even he doesn't know. When Luke finds out, his comfortable new life is turned upside down, and he must turn back to his roots.

Download Description

This touching novel reunites readers with the Baxter family and focuses on the only Baxter son, Luke. He is determined to leave his faith and his past behind and embrace a new, free-thinking future. But what he doesn't realize is that his past holds a secret even he doesn't know. When Luke finds out, his comfortable new life is turned upside down, and he must turn back to his roots."

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!!!.......2007-07-09

This is my 4th Karen Kingsbury book and I cannot get enough. This book was so good I was done reading it in 2 days and I probably would have finished it sooner if not for my kids. Super read, can't wait to get the next one!!!

5 out of 5 stars greatness again...........2007-01-10

Loved it....lives up to what I have come to expect of Karen Kingsbury.

4 out of 5 stars one of my favorite books ever!.......2006-10-24

Return is the 3rd book in Karen Kingsbury's Redemtion series. This book is mainly focused on Luke, the Baxter's only son, straying from God after some traumatic events, including 9/11. He rejected his Faith, his family, and the girl he loved. Instead he turned to a life leading to destruction, and he messed with a false religion--freethinking. "Freethinking meant he could avoid his family if he wanted to. According to freethinking, whatever thought he went with was the right one." "Luke's life was strange and dark and empty and alone." This book is a heart-wrenching story of a family's love and devotion to one another through thick and thin. It makes you feel like you are living life right alongside the Baxter family. Karen Kingsbury does an amazing job of getting the reader involved in the book--you won't be able to set it down!

5 out of 5 stars Modern day prodigal son story.......2006-01-28

Return is the 3rd in the Redemption Series, following Redemption and Remember. Return focuses on the Baxters' son Luke. He becomes "disenchanted" with God and turns 180 degrees from the values of his family. As always, the interactions between the Baxter family members not only make an engaging story, but also teach the reader the importance of trusing God. This is my favorite series of all time, and I do read constantly! It evokes strong emotions in the reader, because there is bound to be someone's behavior or some life situation that really hits home. It is a book you'll never forget! Buy the entire Redemtion Series at once so that you won't have to pause between books. Here they are in order: Redemption, Remember, Return, Rejoice, and Reunion. And even after that there is a spinoff series that promises to be just as rewarding: the Firstborn Series, also involving the Baxter family but with some new characters and situations--outstanding!

5 out of 5 stars Perfect title and theme. Perfect novel..........2005-09-09

I can't believe how true to life the issues are that the author's characters' deal with in her novels. No pain is sidestepped. No pat answers are offered. True healing and forgiveness are experienced. Consequences of sin are suffered. This is real life with a whole lot of hope. The resolutions made sense and weren't easy fixes. I got choked up nearly as often with this book as I did Remember. Also, I read the entire novel in two days (around working my full time job.) Wonderful read. I especially loved the contrast between liberal thinking and true faith. Highly recommended.
Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A 14 hour Speaker Meeting!
  • A little annoying
  • Broken gave me hope.
  • Broken
  • An inspiration
Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption
William Cope Moyers , and Katherine Ketcham
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
JournalistsJournalists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
MemoirsMemoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Substance AbuseSubstance Abuse | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0670037893
Release Date: 2006-09-21

Book Description

From rock bottom to recovery—the son of veteran broadcaster Bill Moyers chronicles his life- shattering battle with addiction and the hard-won fight for recovery

William Cope Moyers has come a long, long way. In 1994, he lay on the floor of an Atlanta crack house. His father had put together a search party. His worried family waited at home where Moyers had left them when he embarked on yet another binge. From that lowly, drug-hazed night, Moyers went on to become an executive at the Hazelden Foundation and travels far and wide to talk about addiction and treatment.

Broken tells the story of what happened between then and now—from growing up the privileged son of Bill Moyers to his descent into alcoholism and drug addiction, his numerous stabs at getting clean, his many relapses, and how he managed to survive. Harrowing and wrenching, Broken paints a picture of a man with every advantage who nonetheless found himself spiraling into a dark and life-threatening abyss. But unlike other memoirs of its kind, Broken emerges into the clear light of Moyers's recovery as he dedicates his life to changing the politics of addiction. Beautifully written with a deep underlying spirituality, this is a missive of hope for the scores of Americans struggling with addiction—and an honest and inspiring account that proves the spiritual insight that we are strongest at the broken places.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A 14 hour Speaker Meeting!.......2007-08-02

I listened to the book on CD, and it was riveting on many levels. However, I believe the gaps of critical information detracted from the work as a whole. Let's remember, memoirs are not documentaries. They have come to be the equivalent of creative non-fiction, as in the vagaries of the phrase "based on a true story or true events." Watch for the escape hatch language!

How come we had to wait until the end of the book to learn that Allison (exotica from Bermuda) makes jewelry and is taking painting classes? IOW, since Cope picked her out of an AA meeting (or she picked him), what exactly was their status and class difference, if any. We learn precious little about her, other than an inference that she must have attended lots of Al-Anon meetings in addition to her own AA groups to stick with him through all that muck and mire.

Also, how is it that a person with fragile sobriety (3 relapses) of such short duration (1 year) lands an executive position with a high profile recovery program (Hazelden) he could not successfully complete? Could it be his last name? (Thanks, Dad!)And shame on Hazelden too, if the facts are as Moyers relates: he knew nothing about policy, but they gave him an interview anyway. Has that happened to you in your chosen field lately?

Admittedly, listening to the CDs makes one susceptible to the tone of the reader. I think Moyers should have read it himself, as I am sure his grandiosity would have been very helpful on this task.

Lastly, about the NY Penal Law. In 1980, the burglary he describes in the book is not a Class A felonly, unless he left out the part about killing someone, which obviously did not happen. And if he pled guilty to Disorderly Conduct, that was a mere Violation (not even a misdemeanor). Otherwise, we have fact-checking problems. A journalist would have been more sensitive to these legal details.

I am certainly glad Moyers is in recovery, his cancer was not malignant, and the family is healthy and wealthy. But how much of his success was truly earned is up to serious debate.

3 out of 5 stars A little annoying.......2007-05-30

While I am happy that Mr. Moyers finally beat his addiction and has done much to raise public awareness about addiction and recovery, I found his story to have a very strong undercurrent, even at the end, of "Poor me, poor me, my famous father, wah-wah-wah." He never seemed to really let go of blaming his father in some ways for his addiction. He even throws in at the end that his melanoma was his parents' fault because they didn't put sunscreen on him as a child.

I was reminded sometimes of "A Million Little Pieces" while reading this. Both authors seem to be almost bragging about their drug use at times and their brushing shoulders with shady characters. And Mr. Moyers is constantly pointing out how he was SO different from all the addicts he got high with, with his "polo shirt and neatly combed hair." Or how he would sweep in like some kind of White Knight into the ghetto and give a prostitute addict money and toothpaste, never wanting sex, just to be shown where the drugs were.

Interesting story, but I was annoyed with his attitude much of the time!

5 out of 5 stars Broken gave me hope........2007-05-14

Broken educated me about the addict, what living as an addict must really be like. As the parent of an addict, I read Broken with horror and frustration, but finished it with hope. Moyers' position on treatment and addiction as the misunderstood disease made me want to become an adovocate for helping change attitudes and stances about the disease of addiction in the medical and insurance arenas.

5 out of 5 stars Broken.......2007-05-13

I found the book to be insightful, well put together meaning I could pick up the book at anytime and not forget where I left off, just a wonderful read very well done. It will always be one of my favorites.

5 out of 5 stars An inspiration.......2007-04-18

Even though there were many relapses William Cope Moyers did what he had to do to stay clean and sober. It is a great success story of recuperation, love and patience.
I am particularly surprised by his wife, who I believe gave him all the support needed. She really understood that it is a decease, not just an addiction.
Congratulations! You are truly an inspiration to all!
Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A Must Read.
  • Great Book
  • Provocative!!
  • Forty Million Dollar Slaves
  • Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete by William C. Rhoden
Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete
William C. Rhoden
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American StudiesAfrican-American Studies | Special Groups | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
History of SportsHistory of Sports | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books
Sociology of SportsSociology of Sports | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0609601202
Release Date: 2006-07-11

Book Description

From Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe, African American athletes have been at the center of modern culture, their on-the-field heroics admired and stratospheric earnings envied. But for all their money, fame, and achievement, says New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden, black athletes still find themselves on the periphery of true power in the multibillion-dollar industry their talent built.

Provocative and controversial, Rhoden’s $40 Million Slaves weaves a compelling narrative of black athletes in the United States, from the plantation to their beginnings in nineteenth-century boxing rings and at the first Kentucky Derby to the history-making accomplishments of notable figures such as Jesse Owens, Althea Gibson, and Willie Mays. Rhoden makes the cogent argument that black athletes’ “evolution” has merely been a journey from literal plantations—where sports were introduced as diversions to quell revolutionary stirrings—to today’s figurative ones, in the form of collegiate and professional sports programs. Weaving in his own experiences growing up on Chicago’s South Side, playing college football for an all-black university, and his decades as a sportswriter, Rhoden contends that black athletes’ exercise of true power is as limited today as when masters forced their slaves to race and fight. The primary difference is, today’s shackles are often of their own making.

Every advance made by black athletes, Rhoden explains, has been met with a knee-jerk backlash—one example being Major League Baseball’s integration of the sport, which stripped the black-controlled Negro League of its talent and left it to founder. He details the “conveyor belt” that brings kids from inner cities and small towns to big-time programs, where they’re cut off from their roots and exploited by team owners, sports agents, and the media. He also sets his sights on athletes like Michael Jordan, who he says have abdicated their responsibility to the community with an apathy that borders on treason.

Sweeping and meticulously detailed, $40 Million Slaves is an eye-opening exploration of a metaphor we only thought we knew.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Must Read........2007-09-30

I thought the book was great. Its a good historical tool in terms of Afican-Americans in sports. People who do not like the book obviously never read it from start to finish.
Rhoden does a great job in showing the correlation between the negro athlete of slavery times to the African-American athlete of today. One black man who is making 10 million dollars for himself is making 20 million or more for a white business men. A handful of black millionaires doesn't negate the fact that there are millions of black people in the world that are being exploited for other peoples gain. A must read.

5 out of 5 stars Great Book.......2007-09-21

This is an excellent truthful book. From reading some of the reviews, it's obvious the racist and racism are in the house. Envious, jealous and feeling entitled to say this book is horrible only because Mr. Roden calls it like he sees it(and many of us see it as well)to those negative posters, GET OVER IT!!...again an excellent book..

5 out of 5 stars Provocative!!.......2007-08-28

Mr. Rhoden I applaud you for this book. It is really on time and long overdue. Some of what you have written in this book concerning the Black
Athlete I have been saying for years but no one wanted to hear it. All Blacks not just athletes, should read this book. Thank you again for calling it like it is.

5 out of 5 stars Forty Million Dollar Slaves.......2007-07-29

This book enunciates the problems in graduation from the inner city
into the big leagues. Historically, by the late 1890s, black athletes
excelled at an ever increasing rate. Despite the progress made,
the profile of the black athlete stands at the periphery of power
in the sports establishment. This has lead to the loss of an overall
mission, although the psychological armor remains in the achievements
of the black athletes over the years. The author states that the
plantation slaves performed great physical labor. Prior to the 1970s,
segregation was a significant limiting factor. Sojourner Truth
worked on behalf of the black women of the time. Today, there are
multiple tiers of blacks in America. The book provides some very
important historical background; however, the next step is to
turn the capital acquired from the sports into personal wealth .
In addition, an athlete's physical stamina remains until the
mid-30s or early 40s. What does an athlete do when his/her career
has peaked athletically? The book could discuss this aspect in more
depth. For instance, black athletes could graduate into their
own businesses or attend college/further study to branch out into
other careers/ventures. Another important issue regards how the
black athlete invests money for the future.

Overall, the book provides an important perspective relevant to the
black history of athletes in the various sports. As such, it is
a valuable addition to American History in the sports arena.

5 out of 5 stars Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete by William C. Rhoden.......2007-05-10

This is an excellent resource.
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Moving account of a culture and a spiritual quest
  • A great read.........
  • Snake-Handling in the Southern Appalachia
  • well written journalism about some extra-ordinary practices
  • An amazing piece of journalism on a freaked-out topic
Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake-Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia
Dennis Covington
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
RitualRitual | Other Practices | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
DevotionalsDevotionals | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0140254587

Amazon.com

Salvation on Sand Mountain is a story of snake handling and strychnine drinking, of faith healing and speaking in tongues. It is also the story of one man's search for his roots--and, in the end, of his spiritual renewal. Writer Dennis Covington came to this ecstatic form of Christianity as a reporter covering a sensational murder case; Glen Summerford, pastor of the Church of Jesus with Signs Following, had been accused of attempting to kill his wife with rattlesnakes. There, in a courtroom filled with journalists and gawking spectators, Covington felt the pull of a spirituality that was to dominate his life for the next several years. Attending Summerford's church out of curiosity, he soon forged close friendships with some of the worshippers, began attending snake-handling services throughout the South, and eventually took up snakes himself.

With subject matter this lurid, Salvation on Sand Mountain could have been a Southern-fried curiosity and little more. Covington goes far deeper. Tracing the snake handlers' roots in regional history, in the deep spiritual alienation of mountain people from the secular modern world they have so recently joined, Covington is more than just sympathetic to the snake handlers; in a profound way, he considers himself one of them. His reasoning is sometimes flawed--when he attempts to find snake handlers in his own family's past, for instance, the result is belabored and unconvincing--but there's no doubt that Covington's heart is in the right place. He's also not without his own brand of sly gallows humor, as in this conversation with the elderly Gracie McAllister: "She'd swore she'd never handle rattlesnakes in July again. She'd been bit the previous two Julys. 'I decided I'd just handle fire and drink strychnine that night,' she said. Good idea, I thought. It always pays to be on the safe side."

Covington eventually breaks with the snake handlers, but comes away from the experience a changed man. "Knowing where you come from is one thing, but it's suicide to stay there," he writes. An American Book Award winner and finalist for the National Book Award, Salvation on Sand Mountain is a nuanced, compassionate portrait of an unforgettable spiritual journey. --Mary Park

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Moving account of a culture and a spiritual quest.......2007-07-21

This remarkable book tells of the author's interest in the serpent-handling Holiness believers of the south, his own spiritual journey and a search for his roots. Covington attended his first snake handling service in 1992 at the Church of Jesus With Signs Following in Scottsboro, Alabama. His interest ultimately led him to churches in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

The engaging text includes descriptions of the people, their faith, church services and sermons as well as ruminations on the south and in particular the culture of Appalachia. The author's personal quest for faith and belonging is the glue that holds the narrative together and make it so special.

Along the way Covington attends Brush Arbor services, delves into the history of the Holiness movement and discovers that Methodism gave rise to Pentecostalism which in turn gave birth to Holiness. He also discovers that his great great grandfather was an itinerant preacher in Northeast Alabama, an area where snake handling would start a generation after his death.

His engagingly descriptive prose includes the observation that the music "was like a cross between Salvation Army and acid rock." Describing a service in Jolo, he remarks that the organ playing of Lydia Elkins Hollins was like "cloth ripping" and that her voice was as raw and tortured as Janis Joplin's.

Finally, Covington handled snakes himself on Sand Mountain at the Old Rock House Holiness Church near the tiny hamlet of Macedonia south of Section, Alabama. His appraisal of the numinous experience of serpent-handling is riveting and lucid and includes observations of a change in consciousess and how the handler finds victory in the loss of self.

His involvement with the movement ended in December 1993 at a wedding at a church in Georgia. He preached about the role of women in the church and this did not go down well with the local preacher. Covington remarks that the real root of the problem was a dispute about the nature of God.

The narrative encompasses recollections of his childhood in East Lake, Birmingham, discussions of the various species of poisonous snakes, the lore of the snake-handlers, observations on the Appalachian landscape and speculations on the ecstatic religious experience.

Other interestings books on the Signs Following phenomenon include Serpent-Handling Believers by Thomas Burton, an in-depth study of handlers and their religious culture, and The Serpent Handlers: Three Families and Their Faith by Fred Brown and Jeanne McDonald, where the Signs Followers are allowed to speak for themselves.

Salvation On Sand Mountain contains black & white photographs of prominent preachers and church families, sermons, healings and handling. It is a most moving book in a style that grips the reader from the absorbing preface to the end. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the American South and in religious phenomena in general.

5 out of 5 stars A great read................2007-07-19

I read this book about 10 years ago. I immediately felt like I needed to check out a snake handling church on my own, mainly due to my morbid curiosity. For someone who doesn't consider myself to be a big reader, I couldn't put this book down. It was lively and entertaining, and vivid enough to allow the reader the ability to visualize what goes on inside the church's walls. BTW, I did attend a snake handling service in Kingston, GA after I read this book and was not disappointed.

5 out of 5 stars Snake-Handling in the Southern Appalachia.......2007-05-19

A friend of mine recommended this book to me. I really enjoyed it. The author was able to give a real personal edge to it by not only writting about it but by becoming involved in the church itself.

4 out of 5 stars well written journalism about some extra-ordinary practices.......2006-12-20

Dennis Covington writes with verve of the unusual religious liturgies of a small group of people from Appalachia; handling poisonous snakes and drinking poison play a large role in a typical service. He initially is sent as a journalist to cover a story involving snake handling, and eventually goes native; he later finds that he actually is a native--his ancestors were snake handlers. Covington gently and gracefully tells the story of one of the stranger evolutions of Scots-Irish American culture. Readers who enjoyed Sen. James Webb's excellent history of the Scots-Irish will likely enjoy this as well. I found myself enjoying Covington a little more as he had none of the aggressively defensive nature of Webb's otherwise fine book. Finally, I might suggest that interested readers turn to a contemporary and protege of Sir Walter Scott, James Hogg, who wrote the quirky "Confessions of a Justified Sinner." This original and truly odd novel from 1824 tells a fantastic story of a poor lowland Scot with strong, but unschooled, religious fervor, as he torments a narrator from the established church. I couldn't help but draw some connections between the snake handlers and Hogg's protagonist.

5 out of 5 stars An amazing piece of journalism on a freaked-out topic.......2005-10-07

What a cool book. I mean...wow.
All over the Deep South there are snake handling churches--groups that get together in weird little shacks, play loud electric rock and roll, and drape poisonous snakes around their necks and arms; they use the snakes to wipe the sweat from their foreheads, and walk along them like balancing beams. There's a verse in the Bible about how people with enough faith shall be able to trod on serpents without any harm, and these people take it literally. They also drink poison and put their hands on hot stoves, and usually, their faith or the power of their minds or something actually keeps them from being hurt.
This book is a wild look at an insane and fascinating religious sect, and the author writes about it well. During his investigations, he finds out his grandfather was an early snakehandler, and the author decides to try snakehandling himself. As a result, the story doesn't stay objective, but it stays more than plenty interesting.
This is among the most gripping and interesting pieces of nonfiction I've ever read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Also, if you stole a hiker's backpack from alongside a highway near Jasper, Georgia in 2001, please send me back the copy of "Salvation on Sand Mountain" that was in its top pouch. Thank you.
Redemption
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • amazing
  • Wonderful, Marvelous, made me cry kinda book....................
  • Yet another great novel by Mrs. Thomas
  • A Redeeming Tale
  • I was moved tears..............
Redemption
Jacquelin Thomas
Manufacturer: NAL Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0451217640

Book Description

The new novel from the masterful national bestselling author of Defining Moments.

Jacquelin Thomas has embraced the power of love and forgiveness in her award-winning novels. Now she explores the rewards of Redemption as a woman's desperate choices threaten to destroy her.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars amazing .......2007-09-29

i love this authors work i have read a lot of her stories and this one is just as good all the other reviewers have told where she gotten this story from so it is a very good bibilcal story

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Marvelous, made me cry kinda book...........................2007-09-25

Yes after reading book in one day it stayed with me for days i never read anything like this before.I passed it around to all my friends we all was in tears.......

4 out of 5 stars Yet another great novel by Mrs. Thomas.......2007-08-28

Mrs. Thomas did an excellent job in taking a story from the Bible and bringing it to life in the modern day. I have yet to read the story of Hosea and Gomer, but feel like I have already through Warren and Marin's journey. Warren was a man of such godly character, yet became challenged by the flesh when his marriage to Marin began to fall apart. To be able to stick with her through the unimaginable was nothing but the grace of God. It's a shame that Marin kept her unhappiness bottled up so tight that the turmoil it reaped blinded her from seeing how blessed she really was...until the end.

Redemption is an enjoyable read that will minister to your heart and soul.

Alicia Hill Jones, author of Blessings of Purpose

5 out of 5 stars A Redeeming Tale.......2007-08-19

Another refreshing novel, to quench the soul. Jacquelin Thomas' novels always move me. It's amazing how much of an answer I find for myself within her novels. This was definitely a tear-jerker. I wept for Marin, I wept for Warner and their children throughout this novel. It truly was an uphill battle for Marin and she lost alot, but in the end I do believe she was redeemed. Throughout all the trials and tribulation she put Warner through, I believe she did love him and never meant to hurt him. I however, think she just didn't love herself enough to totally accept that despite her faults and short-comings Warner loved her unconditionally as did God. But in the end, I believe she finally came to learn to lean on God and hear His voice and heed His word. I think she finally realized that God loved her despite her sins, and I think she finally understood the true meaning of unconditional love, by the letter she wrote to her husband on his birthday. It was such a moving letter. She was willing to love him enough to let him go, because she knew that despite how much he loved her, he was still hurting and struggling with all the horrible things she had done. Warner was definitely a man of God, not many, if any would have stood by their wife or taken her back after all the evil things she had done to him. Despite all the humiliation and gossip he held to God's Word and would only listen to Him. And as you can see a few times he fell short and had to fall to his knees and pray and ask God's forgiveness for his weaknesses, it just went to show that even being a man of the cloth he was just a man, and sometimes fell short, too. This was just a deeply inspiring story.

5 out of 5 stars I was moved tears.....................2007-08-01

OMG!!!!! I just completed Redemption and was moved to tears. My husband thought something was wrong with me when he noticed tears running down my face. I had to explain the book to him showing him how very moved I was by the characters. The final chapters of this very thought provoking book were amazing. JT is such a talented author. And every book shes written has affected me in someway. The book not only captures your attention but also moves your spirit. I was completely caught up in this story line. Marin was such a unique character with so many demons. And Warner's unconditional love was a prime example of Gods love for us. I was truly amazed at how well developed his character was and how supportive he was of Marin. Warner developed a platonic friendship with Chenile's friend that most people only dream of. And that too was unconditional and very mature. I can truly appreciate such a bond. This was about two love stories that didnt cancel out the other. Both women knew they loved Warner but only one truly deserved his love ultimately. God is GOOD!

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