Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America: An Evangelical’s Lament by Randall Balmer (Basic Books, $19.50, 242 pp.) In 1925, Dayton’s town fathers saw an opportunity to bring national attention to their little burg in east Tennessee. They met with John Scopes, a supply teacher, to obtain his co-operation in challenging the state law introduced by [...]
The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World By John O'Sullivan (Regnery, 334 pages $34.95) Be not afraid! - John Paul II, 1978 You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning. - Margaret Thatcher, 1980 I urge you to beware the temptation of pride - the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all [...]
August 2007 The Bishop of Rwanda By John Rucyahana with James Riordan (Thomas Nelson Inc.,231 pages, $24.99 ) Although the subtitle to the book indicates that the main theme is "finding forgiveness amidst a pile of bones," The Bishop of Rwanda devotes most of its pages to details about the lead-up to, and events of, the 1994 genocide that exterminated more than [...]
Stop the Presses! The Inside Story of the New Media Revolution By Joseph Farah (WND Books 273 pages, $37.95) There was a time, in the bad old days, when the people of North America were subjected to very limited sources of news. Influential publications like the N.Y. Times, and massive electronic networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, had a veritable [...]
State vs. Church: What Christians Can Do to Save Canada from Liberal Tyranny Written and published by Timothy Bloedow ($25, $20 pb, 189 pgs) “One of the most dangerous – and fundamentally false – views held by Canada’s establishment leaders today,” says Timothy Bloedow, is “that the options before us are a civil government that is influenced by religion or a secular [...]
Sweet Deception: Why Splenda, Nutrasweet and the FDA May Be Hazardous to Your Health Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Kendra Degen Pearsall Nelson Books, 2006 287 pages, $24.99 (US) The Seven Pillars of Health Don Colbert, MD Siloam 295 pages, $21.50 The Body Sense Natural Diet: Six Weeks to a Slimmer, Healthier You Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe John Wiley and Sons Canada, Ltd. [...]
House of Miracles By Grace Petrasek Interim Publishing Company, Toronto, 2006 96 pages $5.95 There is nothing more inspiring than true stories that illustrate the hand of divine providence in the lives of ordinary people. As a teacher, I often read to my students such stories from the lives of Catholic saints, including Don Bosco, Padre Pio or Francis of Assisi, etc. [...]
The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On by Dawn Eden (W Publishing Group, $17.50, 224 pages) Dawn Eden, “a Jewish-born rock journalist turned salty Christian blog queen,” has written “a book for marriage-minded single women who (have) had enough of the Sex and the City lifestyle.” While giving up her promiscuity has been an arduous aspect of her [...]
Sacrificed? Truth or Politics by Larry D. Spencer (Kayteebella Productions, $17.99, 172 pages) Truth and politics – are they mutually exclusive? After reading Larry Spencer’s new book Sacrificed? Truth or Politics, the answer, unfortunately, seems to be yes. And that’s the main reason every concerned Canadian should read this well-written volume. The book is more than a simple retelling of the details surrounding [...]
Godless: The Church of Liberalism by Ann Coulter (Crown Forum, $36.95, 308 pages) Review by Kathy Shaidle The Interim Those who object to U.S. conservative columnist Anne Coulter’s torture-all-prisoners punditry are like pre-teen boys griping that Gone With the Wind has “too much kissing.” That is, Coulter-haters suffer from genre dysphasia. The bestselling author is neither a journalist nor a scholar, so [...]
The Truth Is Out There: Christian Faith and the Classics of TV Science Fiction by Thomas Bertonneau and Kim Paffenroth (Brazos Press, $23.99 pb, 272 pages) Thomas Bertonneau and Kim Paffenroth are both well-respected American academics and committed Christians. Readers should not be put off by the 50s “flying saucer” image on the cover. This very erudite book looks at the possible [...]
Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life By Eugene O’Kelly and Corinne O’Kelly with Andrew Postman McGraw-Hill, 2006, 179 pages; $25.95 Chasing Daylight opens with the startling words, “I was blessed. I was told I had three months to live.” Yet, this personal account of a vigorous, active man’s last 100 days is an uplifting book about embracing life to [...]
Birth Control: Is Canada Out Of Step With Rome? By Msgr. Vincent N. Foy (Life Ethics Information Centre, 128 pages, $9.95) Reviewed by Doug McManaman The Interim For 18 years, I’ve been teaching young people what exactly is the moral difference between contraception and the legitimate use of natural family planning and I’ve had no difficulties getting them to understand the reasonableness [...]
Terri Schiavo - A Life That Matters by Mary and Robert Schindler et al (Warner Books, $32.95 272 pages). She's a human being," I cried out. "Nobody seems to notice." For well over a decade, these two sentences described the plight of Mary Schindler and her family. Medical experts had declared their daughter, Terri Schindler-Schiavo, to be in a persistently vegetative state. [...]
Some months ago, I was in a Catholic bookshop looking for a certain book. By chance, I spotted a book entitled, Saint Gianna Molla. At the bottom of the cover, it said, “Wife, mother, doctor” under the picture of a beautiful young lady holding two babies in her arms. As I had never heard of Saint Gianna Molla, I purchased the book [...]