Christological Anthropology, by Marc Cortez

So, lets be clear up front, as you read many of the reviews of this book you will come to understand rather quickly that it is a "textbook" and not just a casual read. It is intended for students of the Bible and students of Theology, Anthropology and Sociology. So, just know up front that the writing is from a professor who is writing in an academic style and for academic students at large.

That said, while at times the book may appear difficult to read and hard to comprehend it is a text that has delved into the issue of "humankind" and how the Bible and specifically Jesus Christ intersect with Anthropology (the study of humankind). If you studied Anthropology in college you will most likely have studied a "Secular" viewpoint of the subject. You will have learned quite a bit about culture, ethnicity, relationships and history. They would have been good studies. But most would not study it from the subject of the Bible and how God relates to Anthropology.

This text delves into the subject using the background of scripture and Theology to form a base understanding of Anthropology. It is well conceived and addresses the subject in a very straight forward manner. Yes, it will be difficult to comprehend at times, but if you are truly interested in the subject it is well worth your effort.

Thank you Professor Cortez for giving us a good text to indulge in and learn from.

Empowering Young Christians, by Cary J. Green, PhD

I must admit that i had a bit of trouble getting into this book. But it was my own fault and not that of the writer. Here was my problem. I'm semi retired and thus have known and followed many of the principles in this book. As such they were kind of "no duh." But I needed to remember that this is for a new era of Christian Students who are going to be facing the world and all that it has to throw at them.

Second, I was put off by some of the terminology. The concept of your leadership requiring "soft skills" is a term that is surfacing in todays leadership culture. So, when it was stated that your "success requires leadership and soft skills," i was a bit turned off.

So, as I got into the book I was confronted by a comment in the second chapter, on page 55, "don't let a negative attidue influence how you respond to something you read or hear." WOW, that hit me between the eyes. I realized that I was letting my own inner prejudice of "words" and "terminology" influence what the book was truly trying to say.

SO LET ME BE CLEAR WHY THE BOOK IS WORTH READING: The truth of the matter is that God intends us to succeed so that "His Name" may be known throughout the world. He has given us the Holy Spirit to allow us to develop ourselves and our work and study habits so that we can be effective not just for our own personal success but so that we can be effective for the success of the Gospel!

So, I went back and started reading the book again after my epiphany that I was being a bit harsh and unfair to the writer.

NOW, I saw his desire to help young people today to develop Godly skills that are Biblically based so that they can influence our culture for the Gospel today. If I took an honest look at the work he was doing I realized his motives were good.

As a matter of face he states on page 40, "Knowing yourself also requires that you understand your motives." This section goes on to give a great lesson on knowing why you do the things you do and the need to be reflective on your life so that you can examine yourself and make improvements so that your motives are Godly motives and not selfish motives.

As you read through the book be sure to fill out the exercises that the book has, you will gain much insight on yourself and on God through those exercises.

Also realized that at the end of each Chapter there is a list of "Key Points" from that chapter. These would be good for you to read through a few times and understand. Make sure you have picked up these points fully from the chapter before you move on.

THEN after you have read, keep the book around and put a note in your smart phone to remind you monthly to go back and read through the "Key Points" of each chapter as a way to remind yourself of the lessons you have learned.

I pray that God will speak to your heart as you work through this text.