Renewal

This story is pretty loud and alive. I recommend it a lot.

I read the author's newest, Ghost in the Rainbow, first. I was bowled over. Deals with addictions, internal strife, and external failure as realistically as I've ever seen. Should be a requirement in any substance abuse program. I was compelled to then read Neighbors. Funny, endearing, and I just loved the characters. Finally I read Shiloh Renewal. I almost didn't because I thought it was a young adult book. Believe me, this is a very mature story. If you ever loved someone and lost them, you've got to read this book. This is the most incredible example of timeless compassion and love. I will recommend it to all my students (I'm a teacher) and all my adult friends. I hope there is another novel in this writer's near future. I'm hooked.

Joan Leslie Woodruff deserves to be read. "The Shiloh Renewal" is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Apparently someone decided that because the protagonist is a teenaged girl, the book must mostly appeal to younger readers. However, this 50+ adult man enjoyed it very much. The story looks at the boundaries between life and death, magic and realism, the past and the present. The focus is on healing, but it's not an easy process. A bonus in this particular modern story is that the reader also learns something about the civil war. As the main character recovers from a brain injury, we gain sensitivity about the plight of such people. Give it a try.

Finding rest renewal and delight in our busy lives. This is a wonderful little volume that now starts my day off in a very peaceful and contemplative way.

I took my time with this book. I savored each morning as I read only one of the "meditations" to start my day and then tried to remember and think about the meditation during the day some time. The Sabbath practices are doable in our every day lives and picking one or two will definitely add a new dimension to your day. And in light of the recent tragedies on our country, we could all use a little peace and Sabbath in our lives.

This easy-to-read book contains short chapters of a devotional nature, each ending with an "exercise" to help find or restore a sense of "Sabbath rest." Rather than a legalistic view to observing the Sabbath, he presents a convincing argument for applying the principles of rest into our daily lives. At times Muller seems a bit pluralistic, equating Buddhist teachings with Biblical teachings, but overall he writes in a clear, helpful style that inspires one to develop a "Sabbath sense" to one's daily week.

This book is marvelous! As a psychologist, I've read a lot of wellness-oriented books, but this one truly makes one stop and look at life and what's important. It's just the message we all need in these difficult times, when it's so tough to find the balance everyone needs. After reading it, I wanted to give it to my family, friends, coworkers and patients. Each chapter has valuable insights. Muller also reaches across religious and secular sources to craft a spiritual book that does not necessarily reflect the views of any particular faith, but embraces them all. This book is truly a gift for yourself or others.

A confused "Amazon Customer" is repeatedly inserting blurbs from other periodicals into the "customer review" section of this page, AND failing to give "star" ratings to these inserts -- thus steadily dragging down the star-rating of this book. Since the blurbs are positive and have been repeatedly entered, I assume this "Amazon Customer" wants people to be interested in the book. Well, by failing to give a star rating, you're doing exactly the opposite! So either stop inserting blurbs altogether, or start giving them star ratings. This book is too cool to be muddied up by your confusion.

Samuel Delaney has done the near imposible - he has written a book that is both titillating and informing. Dividing his cogent 21st Century social philosophy into two parts is at first disconcerting: Why are we reading (buying) a book that lets us in on the gossip of firsthand observation of Times Square New York, then in a page turn becomes a sophisticated academic treatise on our current social problems, in the City, and in a Country? Once past this mirage of a hurdle Delaney makes it patently clear why he chose this format. If we are introduced to a problem in a seductive manner, we pay closer attention to the bigger issues. This superb little book is illuminating in its exploration of where we are in our interpersonal relationships, our interplay with those around us (street, neighborhood, city, country), and our current drive to homogenize our world. Beautifully written, immensely readable, and a very important contribution to our social perceptions!

I always thought of Samuel Delaney as a writer of science fiction, my least favorite genre, so this is my first book by him. I was impressed and delighted. The worst thing I can say about it is that Mr. Delaney has a love of dependent clauses strung along inside comma-copious sentences that were sometimes hard to read. But he has awesome insights too, and compassion and wisdom lace every page. Makes me wish I was old enough to partake of that culture.

One of my top 2003 cookbook choices is The Chopra Center Cookbook, a smart and intelligent way of looking at food, what you eat, and how you feel.

As a TV Consumer Wellness Expert, www.terrawellington.com, I feel the inside lacks design creativity and visual interest, but the wellness and food information is fascinating and useful.

Dr. Deepak Chopra and his co-authors talk about how purposely varying food tastes for each meal affects our holistic health, and how our appetite is a key, regulating internal indicator.

I have interviewed Dr. Chopra before, in person, and can almost hear his voice in the introduction and first couple of educational chapters. The recipes are simple and easy to follow.

I found this book to great!
The recipes are good & nutritious (not bland or boring).
I can't believe this is Deepak Chopra's first cookbook.
I recommend it to all my friends.

If you are committed to building healthy eating habits in 2003 and beyond, then don't pass up this book! The Chopra Center Cookbook even offers 30 days of delicious meal planning! With this guide, it is easy to live a healthier lifestyle even if you're frantically running the rat race of life.

Also recommended: Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey; Grow Younger, Live Longer by Deepak Chopra and David Simon

I like Karla's presentation and she has some great ideas that really help. Others seems so complicated. But perhaps necessary for those of us who are hypersensitive.

My only concern was when I went to her web site and found that she had "called a halt to her metaphysical/spiritual career" and was studying sociology and behavioral sciences so she can do solid research on the metaphysical work she's been doing. She still has faith in metaphysical healing, but she wants to combine it with what is standardly accepted...? Don't trust my summary - read her announcements at EMOVERE.COM.

I'm just wondering what the outcome will be....

As a new massage therapist I understood energy but couldn't vocalize what was happening in the session. Now I have skills to release the energy and save my own self. Thank You!

This is a tape set I listen to over and over again. I always glean some new information when I listen. Karla McLaren has a way of imparting her 30+ years of study and wisdom in a clear, balanced, repsectful, fun, and genius way.

If you are a counselor or in a healing profession, I highly recommend this tape. It will guide you in taking care of yourself which in turn benefits your clients/patients tremendously. You then become the guide supporting their healing, not the "doer" as Karla suggests.

If you are a sensitive person and sometimes cannot tell what is yours and what is someone else's, this tape set is for you too. Karla helps you understand why this may be happening and how to maintain your own energetic boundaries.

Each tape, each section and each sentence is thought provoking. I will not tire from listenting and learning from this full, enriching tape set.

Norquist's guide to the "urban crisis" is both unusual and useful, not because it criticizes suburban sprawl (lots of people have done that) but because it rebuts the "Big Lie" that both sides of the debate often embrace: that sprawl and urban decay are the natural result of the free market, and that sprawl can be reduced only through bigger government and more regulation.

Norquist explains that sprawl is not the free-market American dream, but the (sometimes intended, sometimes unintended) result of Big Government gone amok: the government-built highways that subsidized migration from cities, the government schools that drive people away from cities, the government zoning regulations that shape new development into the conventional suburban mold.

All of the self-styled libertarians who swoon for the road lobby should read this book.

Having said that, I only gave this book four stars because it is written at a rather elementary level--great for teenagers, not so good as a scholarly resource. I would have liked more footnotes, more elaboration of key points (e.g. why government-run schools do so badly in urban areas)A.

This is a wonderful account of life in out urban areas and how they need to be maintained. Our government leaders could learn a lot from the author. He has lived the gospel he preaches. Make our elected official responsible for their actions and our money.

Mayor Norquist's book is one of many refutations of the inaccurate idea that the New Urbanism movement would better be called the New Suburbanism. Norquist is a Director of the Congress for the New Urbanism, the host for the seventh Congress, which will meet in Milwaukee in 1999, and a committed spokesman for New Urbanism. Those who heard him in July during Nightline's special about New Urbanism heard him say exactly what New Urbanists have been saying for more than ten years.

Amazon's list of related books should include books like Peter Katz's The New Urbanism, Towards an Architecture of Community and James Howard Kunstler's Geography of Nowhere and Home From Nowhere.

John Montague Massengale AIA CNU

I was diagnosed a month ago with MS and frankly the past month was not a fun one - it was filled with many of the emotions that are discussed in this book. When I ordered this book I thought it was going to read more like one of those self help books and I secretly dreded such a thing thinking it would be dry and boring - not so with this one! Its quite interesting to read - stories and situations are used in each chapter to illustrate what's going on so that its less of a lecture and more of an exchange of understanding. Its written in a conversational tone and actually reads more like a novel. Even the introduction, the author starts it out writing, "My cat was snoring. In recent months, I had had to learn so many new things that I almost could not believe there was anything left to disciver. But there it was. My cat, it seems, snores." Anyway, a good book that others will probably enjoy as well.

This book is a total validation of the feelings and fears I experienced after the onset of my genetic illness. No one else understood, but JoAnn LeMaistre did, and finding that I was not alone in my experience and learning that there was a process I had to endure made things easier. I was so moved that I found JoAnn and joined one of her support groups! This is a must-read for people newly diagnosed AND their families. An illness never affects just one person - it affects that person's entire family in every aspect of their lives.

JoAnn LeMaistre,Ph.D., the author of this book, is a clinical psychologist who specializes her practice in dealing with patients who have a chronic medical illness or disability. She herself lives with MS, and bases the foundation of this book from both a personal and professional standpoint. She breaks the book down into chapters regarding Crisis, Isolation, Anger, Reconstruction, Intermittent Depression, Renewal, Helping, and concludes with an overview of each. She begins with an introduction about herself and how her disease invaded her life, and touches base briefly with each chapter's focus. At the beginning of each chapter, she introduces us to an indivdual who is struggling with a particular illness and focuses specifically on how they deal with a that chapter's topic....i.e. Isolation, anger, depression. She offers commentary at the end of each chapter, as well, by discussing how that person handled the issue at hand, recommendations of more positive ways to deal with the issue, etc.

This book is not only written to help others living with chronic illness, but also their helpers....the caregivers. The chapter entitled "Helper" is very informative for those who help to care for the chronically ill. She stresses the importance of self-care for the helpers. She again uses the different stages of emotion (crisis, isolation, anger...) to address the needs and concerns they have. My Mom, who is my primary "helper" read this chapter and felt very validated, as did I. If you come away with nothing else from this book, you'll come away feeling validated, which can be a rare experience. I felt very "understood," incomparison with the frequency of misunderstandings by the well world. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a "let's-have-a-pity party-together" kind of book, rather she validates the emotions those of us living with chronic illness's, often struggle to express. She also motivates the reader to find ways of "renewal." That is, finding ways around, and through, your limitations that still enable you to contribute to life..finding valued aspects of yourself, discovering simple joys in spite of your circumstances, finding creative ways to express yourself, etc. She encourages others, as she does herself, to look for positive avenues to vent frustrations and discouragements.

I have read several books on the topic of living life with a chronic illness. Overall, this book provided me with more suport than most others. Perhaps it's all about timing....we all deal with our illnesses and disabilites at different paces. Maybe she specifically touched base on area's that were of particular interest to me. As with any book of this nature, there are aspects that hit home and others that may not. Whatever the reason, I would certainly recommend this book if you feel lost in emotion about your illness. She helps to give a little order to the "roller coaster ride" we so often endure. I think I received this book well because she offers it as a journey we travel together. I felt I wasn't alone in my struggle. This is a book I would also recommend to family members and friends, who desire a better understanding of the emotional aspects, their loved ones endure, in living with a chronic illness and/or disability. Very informative for them.

Also of interest are listings, in the back of the book, of many different organizations that provide information and support to patients and families who have to cope with chronic pain and/or illness, and disability.

Rethinking The Church explores the nature of the church with a view to making the necessary changes that will ensure that the church remains relevant to our culture. The author proceeds from the foundation that much of what we do and see in today's churches is derived from 17th to 19th century culture, and as such has lost much of its relevance to our postmodern society. We need to critically examine our churches to discern to the world today and what is simply tradition holding over from days gone by.

White draws heavily on the writings of Rick Warren, Bill Hybels and George Barna: so heavily, in fact, that it often seems he has little to say that is truly original. If you have read The Purpose Driven Church and are familiar with Hybels' writings, you will find a lot of repetition in this book. Still, at only 128 pages it is an easy read and still worth your while. If you have not read books on this topic before, this makes an excellent introduction.

This book does a good job of showing the importance and, to some extent, the methodology of taking a critical look at the church to evaluate if it truly is an effective tool for God's work. I appreciated that on the whole the author treats the traditional church with respect, seeing the beauty of traditional parts of the worship service and traditional music. At the same time I appreciated his harshness on the necessity of being willing to make changes where changes are necessary.

Rethinking the Church by James Emery White is the book to read when it comes to understanding why your church is not growing. The primary strength of this book is that it asks the right questions - it leads the reader to ask the right questions about his or her church. The secondary strength of this book is that it does not prescribe one set answer, one model of doing church, as the only possible answer for the absence of growth in one's church growth.

Based on his experience of starting a church that reaches lost people, White delineates questions that need to be asked by every church. Even though the book was written in 1997, I found the questions to be accurate today. The questions White leads the reader to ask in the areas of Purpose/Vision, Evangelism, Discipleship, Ministry, Worship, Leadership Structure, and Community seem to me to be timeless questions. The value of answering these questions honestly and applying the answers thoroughly cannot be overstated.

When reading this book, the discerning reader will understand the style of worship used in White's church. The beauty of it all is that White does not try to force the worship style of his church upon the reader's church. However, he does stress the importance of using a worship style that is relevant to the lost people in your community.

I would recommend this book to everyone in church leadership. It will help you to understand the context in which you minister, and, hopefully, how to minister better in that context.

Dr. James Emery White has written a special book for the church, church planters, and church strategists. White is no mere theorist, but a man of action. The principles espoused in this have been put into practice in the real world at Mecklenburg Community Church. In 7 years, he has moved from the dream of a seeker-targeted church to seeing over 3000 in attendance each weekend. Dr. White does not play around the fringes of easy believism, but challenges his members to go deep in their commitment and their faith. Having personally experienced a Mecklenburg Community Church worship service, I have been challenged to implement this philosophical foundation coupled with practical use of state of the art technologies to grow our church. With countless Mecklenburg members committed to going deep in their faith, James White has turned a vision into a reality and a book into a manual for church growth success.

Presidential memoirs need to be judged under a different literary standard than other works of non-fiction, laden as they are with a tradition of wordiness, self-aggrandizement and exculpatory statements. This memoir is definitely better than Carter's (unintelligible), Ford's (would you buy it?), Johnson's (defensive), Bush's (which is only an edited letters collection) and Reagan's (totally ghosted).

And there are some passages in here that are vintage, vintage Nixon. E.g. the long panegyric for his sainted mother, the (fully deserved) tribute to the long-suffering wife and - piece de la resistance - the chapter on "Temperance." And RN's bitterest recollection, that when he resigned the press had the temerity to wheel out Alger Hiss to comment on the occasion.

There are also bits that make you wonder. E.g. his protest that Ferdinand Marcos probably did "the right thing" for his country by declaring martial law - even though RN had nothing to do with it.

Nixon buffs - lovers, haters, and the just plain curious - will do well to read this.

"Life is a roller coaster, exhilarating on the way up and breathtaking on the way down." -Richard Nixon, In the Arena

Richard Nixon spent most of his eighty-one years "in the arena," serving his country as Congressman, Senator, Vice President, President, and, finally, elder statesman and foreign policy mandarin. He was one of the most controversial figures in American public life; "Tricky Dick," the man you loved to hate. He started his career as a hero to conservatives, a dedicated anti-Communist, the vanquisher of Helen Gahagan Douglas and Alger Hiss. Later he enraged many those same supporters by imposing wage and price controls and opening China to the West. He was the leader of the Silent Majority, the ender of the Vietnam war. He was also crippled by disgrace; the only President forced to resign his office.

In the Arena is not a conventional memoir. Nixon already covered the essentials in his 1978 volume, "RN." Rather, this is more of an introduction to the man himself; a personal, intimate, conversational book about how he felt and thought, and what he believed. It is a reminiscence about the major points in his life, both high and low-the subtitle of the book is "A Memoir of Victory, Defeat, and Renewal"-and a commentary on some of the events that have occurred since his earlier autobiography. This is by no means the definitive book on Nixon, but it does provide intriguing insights into the mind of a most intriguing man.

Some of the more interesting revelations in the book are Nixon's personal dealings with and reactions to the famous men he knew and met in his life. Herbert Hoover, MacArthur, Churchill, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Kennedy, Eisenhower, and many others. He had their respect, if not their friendship, and he was able to deal with them as an equal, both before and after his presidency. He relates engaging impressions and revealing insights of these Titans of history. Gorbachev, he reveals, was better educated and more charismatic than Brezhnev so he came off as being a benign presence, but, in truth, he was no less ruthless. "[B]eneath the velvet glove he always wears, there is a steel fist." Mao told Nixon that he preferred "rightists" like him because "those on the right can do what those on the left can only talk about." Chou En-Lai was a ruthless negotiator with an all-encompassing understanding of international affairs. MacArthur was the most fascinating speaker he ever met, able to deliver, off the cuff, hours of brilliant, hypnotic rhetoric. The only leader Nixon ever met who could equal him was Lee Kwan Yew of Singapore.

Nixon also writes about Watergate, although, predictably, he makes no stunning confessions or apologies. He admits his responsibility for the cover-up, but denies having any role in the crime itself. He also continues to emphasize the political aspects of the scandal. He paraphrases Talleyrand: "Watergate was worse than a crime-it was a blunder." He reveals that even he did not know about all that was going on. He did not give the matter sufficient attention because he was preoccupied with his China initiatives and his efforts to end the war in Vietnam. He admits regret for considering options that were clearly illegal. Ironically, his order to kill the investigation, the famous "smoking gun" which ultimately led to his resignation, was disregarded. He also discusses his agonizing over accepting the pardon offered by President Ford. "Next to the resignation, accepting the pardon was the most painful decision of my political career." Ultimately, though, he concluded that the continuing obsession by the people with Watergate was crippling the nation. That and his own "desperate financial situation" left him with little choice.

Nixon also writes passionately about his role in the Vietnam War. "A day did not pass during my years in the White House that I did not hate the war in Vietnam." Nixon's mother, of course, was a Quaker and his upbringing had to influence the way he felt about such things. He especially loathed the tremendous human suffering caused by war. Still, he felt that the nation's course was a necessary one and that our goals in Indochina were "worthy and honorable." "I would have done anything to achieve them by peaceful means. But no such options were available." He believed that it was "imperative both morally and strategically" to help free the countries of Indochina, but that did not "lessen the burden [he] felt from leading our nation in war." As always, Nixon remained committed to the ideal of "real peace", that is, an end to war. We cannot achieve what he calls "perfect peace"-an end to conflict-because conflict is the natural state of affairs in the world. However, real peace is obtainable, if only we can take the profit out of war. He believes that this is possible because the destructiveness of nuclear weapons has made world war prohibitively expensive, and because increasing world prosperity has drastically reduced the desire of nations to increase their wealth by acquiring more territory and resources.

This is an excellent book. Well written and compact. No wasted words in this story.

It's vintage Nixon and he's at his best. It's full of fascinating stories and hard, tough insights into power politics. His core belief is that your life needs to be dedicated to some cause greater than yourself. It's an idea well worth pondering.

Probably the biggest weakness is the masterful spin on any of his problems. It's almost as if he's running a political campaign. Every controversial issue is turned into a positive reflection on his career. You know he's got to be lying at least a little bit, but you just can't figure out where. Oh well.

The Pentecostal/Charismatic phenomenon has turned out to be the most influential, far-reaching movement in Christianity in the 20th century. What once was considered a backwoods, wrong-side-of-the-tracks brand of religion has thrust itself into the mainstream, touching every Christian tradition from Roman Catholicism to mainline Protestantism to Orthodoxy, and everything in between. This book chronicles the rise of Pentecostalism, from its foundations in the late 19th-century holiness churches, through the Azusa Street revival, the formation of Pentecostal denominations, the unfortunate split between African-Americans and white Pentecostals, the postwar popularity of traveling healing evangelists, the permutation of Pentecostalism into the neo-Pentecostal or Charismatic movement as the Holy Spirit entered mainline churches, the explosion of TV evangelism, to the end of the 20th century where Pentecostalism is a true worldwide phenomenon. This is anything but a dry historical document; it seems as alive and vibrant in many places as the movement it covers. It deals with theological issues such as the controversy among the "second-blessing" and "third-blessing" advocates, the even more controversial "Oneness" doctrine, and other beliefs that both characterized and often divided Pentecostalism. Another controversy the book addresses is the Shepherding or Discipleship movement. Also controversial is the prosperity gospel of today's TV evangelists, although the book fails to acknowledge that it is, indeed, controversial (as fair and even-handed as this book is, I don't really expect them to say the health-and-wealth message is heretical, even though, in my opinion, it is).

One criticism I have of this book is that is gives very scant, almost non-existant coverage of significant movements such as the Vineyard. Even though there is more emphasis on healing, prophecy, and words of knowledge than there is on speaking in tongues, and Vineyard leaders eschew the Charismatic label, they still belong firmly in the Charismatic movement. Founder John Wimber is mentioned a few times in passing, but as influential as the Vineyard has, I think a little historical coverage there is in order, including Wimber's "Signs and Wonders" course at Fuller Theological Seminary, which had great impact on many. Totally ignored is the modern apostolic/prophetic stream led by such figures as Rick Joyner, Francis Frangipane, and Paul Cain. The popularity of the contemporary "praise and worship" music can also be traced directly to the Charismatic movement, as this is one phenomenon that has spread even to non-Charismatic churches, yet that also gets barely a mention. This lack of comprehensiveness blunted my enthusiasm for this book.

I owe a lot to the Charismatic movement, and the Pentecostal movement that spawned it. If not for the filling of the Holy Spirit in my own life, I doubt that I would be as fervent a Christian today. It is strange that, as theologically correct as I attempt to be, this movement that influenced me so much is based on what I regard as a doctrinal fallacy, namely that tongues is always the "evidence" of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. As much as I've tried to distance myself from the Charismatic movement in the past year or so because of some of the excesses and bad theology, I still have to admit that I am Charismatic to the core and always will be. That's one reason I found this book so interesting. It's part of my "roots", so to speak, and even if everyone doesn't share my experience, I still think that modern-day believers of every stripe will find this book quite enlightening.

Vinson Synan has compiled a concise, readable, and valuable volume tracing the one hundred-year history of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement. The book is a partisan overview of the key events and most significant personalities that contributed to this century-long religious phenomenon. Synan provides outstanding coverage of the enormous contributions of African Americans, and Hispanics, as well as females within the movement. Among other subjects, many pages are devoted to Pentecostalism's holiness roots, charismatic renewal among both Roman Catholics and the mainline Protestant denominations, along with a chapter devoted to faith healers and televangelists.

The book does contain weaknesses. Despite Gary McGee's excellent chapter on global expansion, Synan fails to include a full global prospective, which is actually the most impressive aspect of Pentecostalism. Though I appreciate much of the work of David Barrett in the final chapter, I found his statistical evaluation too inclusive and some of his futuristic predictions a bit bizarre.

This 492-page hardcover work contains an abundance of photographs, vignettes, and a colorful pullout timeline of key events. In addition to Synan, there are nine exceptional guest authors who contribute to the book. This is a well-done presentation that should be on the shelf of every enthusiast of Pentecostal and Charismatic history.

History comes to life in a book that makes for compelling reading and a valuable reference tool. In addition to key data and timelines, it refers readers to a wealth of related background material. Though Vinson Synan wrote six chapters, it features nine other contributors. Yet the story flows with the coherence of a single author, enlivened by vignettes on such key figures as Kathryn Kuhlman, Carlos Annacondia, Oral Roberts and Bishop Charles Mason. The Century of the Holy Spirit builds a strong case for the authenticity of the Spirit-filled life. Examples: * The Bible college students in Topeka, Kan., who received the gift of tongues in 1901 spoke in 21 languages they had never studied. * During the budding of the Azusa Street revival, the future wife of leader William Seymour spoke in Hebrew and played the piano without benefit of lessons. * Church of God in Christ (COGIC) founder Mason parted ways with another leader over the issue of speaking in tongues. Today, COGIC is the nation's largest Pentecostal denomination. The other church has less than one percent as many members. Further strengthening this profile, Synan delves into Pentecostalism's historic roots. Among them are John Wesley's notes on the "Second Blessing" and important movements of the 19th century that paved the way for the latest outpouring. He also traces the rise of cessationist theories that maintain a grip nearly two millennia later - including at the Moody Bible Institute. Ironically, the book details Dale Moody receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and later teaching it at his Chicago-based ministry. Yet the truth is not glossed over. Conflict rages within these pages, from the disputes at Azusa Street to the tragic excesses of the shepherding/discipleship movement. Still, a crucial question remains: How long will the theological war between evangelicals and Spirit-filled believers continue? A century after its budding in the U.S., 500 million adherents worldwide vouch for the validity of this movement. So does the blood of 8 million martyrs. Perhaps books like this will help both sides recognize that our common enemy is Satan, not brothers and sisters in Christ.

--This review appeared in the July 2001 issue of Charisma magazine.