The Open Table – Book Reviews
Jesus was known –some would say notoriously so—for His “open table” eating style. In the Gospels, Jesus loved to share life at the table with others and never refused an offer to eat with someone. Most of Jesus’ great discussions with His disciples and others happened around the table. In honor of that model, The Open Table is a forum where all are welcome to join in the conversation about the books suggested and more. It’s a place where book reviews will be served up, but also where other thoughts, observations, and life happenings can be discussed and ideas savored. Your participation is encouraged. All contributions will be valued and nourished. Good manners are expected of course at The Table. Welcome to The Open Table. I hope we can meet here often. Great times are ahead! –thyrkas
Hidden Christmas
Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy Keller Review by Teri Hyrkas It seems to be true that the best place to hide something is out in the open, in a very public venue. This is the case with Christmas, says Timothy Keller in...
Loving Without Giving In
Loving Without Giving In: Christian Responses to Terrorism and Tyranny By Ron Mock Cascadia Publishing House, 2004 ISBN: 978-1931038249 Review by Douglas Balzer Some books address critical issues. Loving Without Giving In addresses the...
Ragamuffin –Film Review by Ashley Linne
“He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love,” I remember singing, practically shouting, along with the congregation as we sang “Awesome God.” It was our anthem on Sunday mornings, at Vacation Bible School, and at Wednesday night youth group. I don’t...
Just Mercy
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption By Bryan Stevenson --Review by Paula Jones I am a product of the Deep South where I’ve learned that insanity is sometimes heat-induced, that “Bless your heart,” can be both a prayer and an insult, that the worst thing you...
The Civil War as Theological Crisis
The Civil War as a Theological Crisis by Mark A. Knoll Review by Teri Hyrkas "The Americans combine the notions of religion and liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive of one without the other." This famous saying of...
Patron Saints for Postmoderns
Patron Saints for Postmoderns: Ten from the Past Who Speak to our Future by Chris R. Armstrong Review by Teri Hyrkas In times past, babies born into a Catholic family would, at their baptism, be christened with the name of a hero of the Catholic church. This godly...
Willful Blindness
Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril By Margaret Heffernan Review by Douglas Balzer Willful Blindness engages the complexity of one of the most pervasive issues we face as human beings: not recognizing what is right in front of us and visible....
Perfect Square
Perfect Square by Michael Hall Review by Ashley Linne My schedule is pretty crazy. I bet yours is, too. I’m a doctor of ministry student and also a mom of a preschooler, so there are days I spend hours upon hours in books. If that’s a result of a busy schedule,...
The Great Good Thing
The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ by Andrew Klavan "I was forty-nine years old and about to be baptized a Christian. No one could have been more surprised than I was. I never thought I was the type. I had been born and raised a Jew and lived...
When Breath Becomes Air
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Paul Kalanithi's memoir When Breath Becomes Air (2016, Random House), tells the devastating story of a brilliant young doctor who was diagnosed with cancer just as he was finishing his training to be a neurosurgeon. When,...