Below are resource reviews from mkc 2011:
Books, DVDs & Software Reviews
Respectable Sins - Jerry Bridges
This book identifies the subtle sins that our society considers respectable, that is, not the usual list of overt sins. Bridges writes in a very challenging but gentle way. While he doesn't pull any punches over the sins that can weigh down our growth, he also doesn't preach down to us, as if he has already defeated every sin. Before looking at individual sins, Bridges offers suggested directions to deal with sins and temptations to sin. This book is like taking a spoonful of medicine: I don't like it at the time, but I know it will do me good.Temptations Men Face - Tom L. Eisenman
I know that as a man I face (and will continue to face) temptation - so it is something I should think about and prepare for. When I came across this book in university I thought it was a good book to read and it has actually become more relevant as I have grown older - working, married, had kids.This book has made me more aware of the danger zones for temptation, what situations to avoid, what things to be aware of. It is a book that is immensely practical, talking about ways in which men are most likely to fall, so that we can see them and avoid these things before they happen to us. It made me a more cautious Christian man - which is exactly what it is trying to do.
Counterfeit Gods - Tim Keller
"If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life, and identity, then it is an idol." (p. xix)In Counterfeit Gods Keller examines some of the obvious idols (love, money, success & power … but helps you to see them more clearly than you had before. Keller's great gift is his ability to analyse and critique our culture. Keller closes each chapter by bringing you back to the Gospel of grace. When he holds our idols up to the light of the Gospel they are seen for what they are. This may not be the easiest book to read… but it is certainly well worth the effort you put in. Keller has a warm and engaging style, a firm grasp on the Gospel and a clear desire to see Christians living lives free from idols and fully devoted to Jesus.
Beyond Greed - Brian Rosner
Greed is not the most fashionable concept these days. It ranks with guilt and sin as words that many modern people have virtually stopped using.According to Brian Rosner, greed is also a massive blind spot for Christians, which is surprising given how much the Bible has to say about it. He writes:
"The most disturbing thing about the fact that greed is idolatry is that hardly anybody owns up to being a worshipper. Imagine the response of disbelief in the local church if it were revealed that the vast majority of its members were secretly worshipping other gods. Yet if our analysis of the religion of money is right, the unthinkable may not be so far from the truth."
Beyond Greed helps open our eyes to the problems, and proposes a liberating lifestyle that trades-in greed and materialism for something of far greater worth and satisfaction.
Still Deadly: Ancient cures for the 7 sins - Andrew Cameron and Brian Rosner
Evil attracts us. The world would have us believe that the proud, envious, angry, greedy, gluttonous, lustful and lazy person is far more appealing than the godly one. Each of these 'deadly sins' represents a malfunction. The desire for it has eaten away relationships and skewed reality. Looking at these vices reveals where our desires have gone haywire. Each writer comments on these vices and offers us a fresh perspective on the shadowy areas of our lives today.This book offers an exciting glimpse of what it would look like to love each other and God in humility, patience, contentment, gentleness, usefulness, generosity and faithfulness.