Category: Religion

  • Hope for our times

    Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson ALMOST EVERYTHING: Notes on Hope. By Anne Lamott. Read by the author. Penguin Audio. 3½ hours; 3 CDs. $34. This little book from Anne Lamott is great medicine when things seem bleak and life is getting you down. I popped the audio version into my car’s CD player one day…

  • A Muslim’s view of Jesus

    Some people are outraged by Reza Aslan’s new book about Jesus. Some praise it. Lots of people seem to have opinions. Steve Wishnevsky has a suggestion: read it. Reviewed by Stephen Wishnevsky ZEALOT: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. By Reza Aslan. Random House. 336 pages. $27. This is a most entertaining new…

  • Challenging questions

    The Rev. Dr. Charles P. McGathy, aka Chuck, takes a look at a provocative book about the existence of Jesus as a historical person. By Charles McGathy DID JESUS EXIST?: THE HISTORICAL ARGUMENT FOR JESUS OF NAZARETH. By Bart D. Ehrman. HarperOne. 361 pages. $26.99. Bart D. Ehrman, the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of…

  • Suffering and comfort

    The Rev. Dr. Charles McGathy, “Chuck” to most who know him, takes a look at an audio book that tackles one of the most difficult books in the Bible – and some of the most difficult questions for struggling human beings. By Charles McGathy THE BOOK OF JOB: When Bad Things Happened to a Good…

  • Understanding, with compassion

    Chuck McGathy is the pastor of a small Cooperative Baptist congregation in Piedmont North Carolina. Earlier, he spent many years as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy. He’s used to ministering to people with different beliefs and experiences of religious faith. Here, he finds a book that is surprisingly insightful and useful in helping others…

  • Toward understanding religions

    By Charles McGathy No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (Updated Edition). By Reza Aslan. Random House. 338 pages. $17, paperback. Professor Reza Aslan is an internationally acclaimed scholar of religions. This book is an updated edition of his first book, which has been called by Blackwell, the noted British seller…

  • Revelations about Revelation

    Two years ago, I listened to an audio version of the New Testament, courtesy of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Having been associated with Baptist churches nearly all my life, I had, of course, read and heard many passages over and over. It was, however, very interesting and informative to “read” the New Testament in order…

  • A labor of love

    Anne Barnhill, a poet and novelist who often reviews books for this blog and in other forums, offers this note to readers: In more than 20 years of reviewing books, I have tried to maintain a certain objectivity.  I may review books of acquaintances, but I do not let those ties cloud my interpretation of…

  • Puritans: Authoritarians, reformers?

    Briar Patch Books presents a new reviewer, Chuck McGathy. The Rev. Dr. Charles McGathy, a retired Navy chaplain, is the pastor of the church where I am a member. Lately, he’s been leading thought-provoking seminars on the history of religion in America, based on the PBS series “God in America” as well as other sources.…

  • The power of faith unites a power couple

    Residents of the Piedmont Triad take note: The authors of this book will be coming to Winston-Salem Saturday, April 2, for a “conversation” sponsored by the BookMarks organization, with support from Centenary United Methodist Church.  Expect a lively exchange about politics from the view of two people in the know, as well as about marriage…