Christian Book Reviews


The Good and Beautiful Life



The Good and Beautiful Life

The Good and Beautiful Life: Putting on the Character of Christ By James Bryan Smith Intervarsity Press / 2010 / 264 pages According to Dr. Smith, we have bought into false notions of happiness and success.  It is these false notions that lead us down the pathways into vices such as lying, anger, lust and judging. […]

The Way of Discernment



The Way of Discernment

The Way of Discernment by Elizabeth Liebert Westminster, John Knox / 2008 / 170 pages The Way of Discernment invites the reader into a series of experiments leading to discernment as a way of life and as a way of making decisions in the light of faith and a corresponding desire to follow God’s call. […]

Falling Upward



Falling Upward

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life By Fr. Richard Rohr Jossey-Bass / 2011 / 240 pages I’m sure I may have noticed a few little hidden smirks when I mentioned to my Bible Study group that I was going to do a book review of Father Richard Rohr’s  “Falling Upward” for our […]

Everywhere Holy



Everywhere Holy

Everywhere Holy By Kara Lawlor Thomas Nelson Publications / 2019 / 224 pages Sitting with this book in my lap as I try to write a book review – a task I haven’t undertaken since Grade 12 – I am enjoying these unexpected balmy November days. I’m looking at the still pink hydrangea from my […]

Community and Growth



Community and Growth

Community and Growth By: Jean Vanier Paulist Press / 1991 / Paperback / 331 pages Darton Longman and Todd / 2006 / Hardcover / 352 pages Jean Vanier has authored some 30 books that reflect the many causes and concerns that have come together to shape his life.  Educated in England, France and Canada, Vanier […]

Let Your Life Speak



Let Your Life Speak

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation By Parker J. Palmer Jossey-Bass / 2000 / 117 pages Parker Palmer is an author, educator, and activist who writes about teaching, life in community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is the founder and senior partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, based […]

Divine Renovation



Divine Renovation

Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish By James Mallon Novalis Publishing/2014/286 pages Fr. James Mallon is pastor and priest at the Roman Catholic Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He speaks frequently on the topic of church renewal and has hosted internationally acclaimed DVD series on Catholicism and Dogmatic Theology. St. […]

Celebration of Discipline



Celebration of Discipline

Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth By Richard J. Foster Harper Books / 1998 / 228 pages / Revised Edition We read in the New Testament about the “Gifts of the Spirit” and the “Fruit of the Spirit.” But, what do people mean when they use the term, “the Spiritual Disciplines?”  What is […]

The Holy Longing



The Holy Longing

By Ronald Rolheiser DoubleDay/1999/257 pages Ronald Rolheiser’s The Holy Longing is a modern classic.  It has been read and endorsed by clergy and lay people across the Christian world.  Essential reading for those seeking to understand and deepen their practice of Christian spirituality, this book explains the complexion of one’s personal spirituality and how to […]

Surprised by Scripture



Surprised by Scripture

Surprised by Scripture: Engaging Contemporary Issues By: N.T. Wright Harper-Collins / 2014 / 320 pages N.T. Wright is a widely-read British Bible scholar and retired Anglican bishop. According to Time Magazine, Wright is one of the most formidable figures in the world of Christian thought. He served as Bishop of Durham between 2003 and 2010.  […]