Bill Martin

Astounding!

Revisado: 05-08-21

I’ve read only a little of Edwards’ work. This dissertation draws me in and makes me want to read more deeply, not only for its subject, but also its consequences for biblical theology and cultural anthropology.

I’m not going to attempt to unpack these ideas or try to review the work in this short note, except to confess that following Edwards in the scope and terrain of his philosophically conditioned, biblically saturated mind will both stretch and edify the reader. Further, I am astounded by implications of his argument to the core cultural challenges of our own day, challenges of purpose, meaning, and identity which are shaking our liberal, postmodern society. I owe this book a deeper read before attempting to say more.

I’ll also note that Sean Runnette’s narration is excellent. As a veteran broadcaster, I can be hard on narrators. Sean paces himself perfectly and elucidates the text from the first sentence to the last. That’s certainly no easy feat for a Jonathan Edwards book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Great For What It Is

Revisado: 01-14-21

These lectures are exceptionally well-organized and packed with content. They track along with the book and serve as a good companion to the read.

For anyone looking to get a full, canonically-connected introduction and overview of the prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible from a Christian perspective, I can’t think of a better source. J. Daniel Hays’s presentation is clear, thorough, and compelling.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Worth Every Minute

Revisado: 12-30-17

At 36-plus hours, this is no casual listen. I can only echo other five-star reviews as to the excellence of the subject and the story. The reason for this short endorsement is that I rarely give five stars without reservation to a narrator. As a lifetime radio personality, I have pretty high standards for anyone who sits or stands behind a microphone. Scott Brick is perhaps the BEST I have ever heard, especially for this genre.

His narration is that rare combination of professional exactitude and personal warmth, handling vocabulary, technical terms, French names, extended quotes and more with precision (I don't think he dropped a syllable!) and yet setting a storytelling tone that keeps the reader leaning in and feeling the story, not just passively listening. I'm convinced Scott had to get up and leave the room to find a Kleenex at the end of Ch. 42, because he felt what he was reading as much as the listener does. Yet his empathy is never overwrought. Brilliant rendering of a superbly written story.

Another note: I tried to practice immersion reading, keeping up in the Kindle version and making notes along the way. Since I probably won't repeat this 36-hour experience, it's good to have the notes and the visual experience to go back to. Ron Chernow has produced a work that will stand the test of time, I think, and set the legacy straight for this overlooked, under-appreciated Founding Father.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

New Standard Text for This Period

Revisado: 10-22-16

I'm probably duplicating other reviews (haven't read them), but I would give Madigan's 2015 "New History" 4.5 stars. I'm amazed at how concisely the author has organized such vast material, yet without density which would normally rob a text like this of narrative interest. Conversely, "Medieval Christianity" flows as a well-told story.

Madigan's unique contribution to Medieval history is to capture for his readers not just important geopolitical movements, rulers, theologians, cultural and social paradigms, but also everyday spirituality, dynamic tensions and the overlooked contributions of Medieval women. This approach brings the reader closer to a past rarely understood or appreciated. In my estimation, he balances sectarian concerns (Catholic/Protestant) and provides richly informative material for students of history, sacred and secular.

Two personal examples are the discussion of Christianization in the Middle Ages (conversion and discipleship in contemporary equivalence) and the fascinating, uneven development (and periodic devolution) of preaching throughout. Either subject could easily furnish a prompt for a master's thesis. Though both examples are religious, other discussions of subjects like marriage, art and culture, and church-state relations will benefit readers with other interests. Moreover, as one reviewer noted most people aren't aware of how much Medieval church history is equivalent to more general conceptions of the MIddle Ages.

The half-star deduction goes to my own convictions against the in-vogue revisionist reading of the development of the canon of Scripture and orthodoxy, contours of which Madigan assumes in the early chapters, and my similar dislike of post-structuralist hermeneutics by which the stories of marginalized people groups are not only told, but privileged. I believe Dr. Madigan is fair in discussing Christian relations with Islam and Judaism, but I don't believe the story is quite balanced. For a counterbalance, read Rodney Stark's "God's Battalions." (But don't read Stark exclusively.)

Finally, the audible version is excellent, with one adjustment. The narrator is relaxed, articulate and very comfortable with the technicalities of this subject, including theological terms and names without forcing native pronunciations! But the narration flows best at 1.25 speed.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 15 personas

Informed, Impacting

Revisado: 01-14-16

(From my Goodreads review - Audible note below)

This was a great read as a companion to Roland Bainton's classic Luther biography. The author is a British historian and specialist in the history of printing. In "Brand Luther," his particular lens on the subject is that of an informed observer of the phenomenon of the printing revolution launched by the Reformation, singularly Luther. His stance is dispassionate and his scope limited. . .almost. The narrative "Brand Luther" ranges widely over the Reformation's causes and effects, theological struggles and personalities, focusing on Luther as hero (though not in a partisan way). This is a boon for readers! Luther is so big the author can't help but betray admiration, which makes for good storytelling. Still, Pettegree is a pro, so the reader will see Luther critiqued as well as admired, the Catholic church not painted as villain, and Luther's friends and foes portrayed in dramatic relief against the background of 16th century Germany. Looming in that background--that which the book seeks to lift into the spotlight--is the nascent printing industry.

As a graduate of a Reformed seminary, I had little awareness of several facets of Luther's business-savvy personality and relationships with local (Wittenberg) printers, especially Rhau-Grunenberg. Luther had high standards of professionalism and an innate sense of timing his publications for greatest impact on either his academic interlocutors or his popular audience. For many of Luther's writings, Rhau-Grunenberg was Luther's only option. To see how he handled this situation, its impact on his management of the Reformation and the way he responded to persons--variously, with Christlike humility and/or business coolness--is to view a stunning portrait of Luther the human, a picture that reveals previously hidden virtues and flaws. There are galleries of such Luther portraits here.

Reasonably informed readers will find "Brand Luther" to be of value beyond its claim of a narrow scope and specialized historical investigation. I rated the book 5 stars for both its informative impact and its narrative interest. Luther scholars may have more to say. As for me, I highly recommend this book to any student of Luther or the Reformation.

NOTE FOR AUDIBLE READERS: I could have rated the narration higher. Paul Hecht has great pipes, and he handles all the German names and places with accuracy and skill. The one thing lacking, for me, is getting away from a "narrated" read to simply telling the story with emotive awareness and sensitivity to line and narrative arc. Still VERY listenable!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

Professor's Bias Does Not Detract

Revisado: 02-26-15

Though I've enjoyed quite a few TGC courses, this is the first time I have listened through a lecture series packaged as a "book" on Audible. The unity of the course was probably enhanced by the platform. which formatted the individual lectures as chapters. The only downside was having no access to the course notes. (The Teaching Company does not normally provide them a la carte.) This course surveys the Supreme Court as a living institution from its beginnings until the beginning of the 21st century. (The course is copyrighted 2003.) Dr. Peter Irons is an unquestionably qualified guide to the subject, having both written and taught on the Supreme Court from the perspective of a lawyer who belongs to its bar.

Speaking of perspective, Irons admits his filter at the beginning of the course and several times where his narrative pertains to issues that reveal his bias. His career in civil liberties law has clearly shaped his thinking. And although I would differ with Dr. Irons politically and ideologically on several points, I did not feel his stance took away from the quality or content of the course in the slightest. The unique point of view of a scholar (who knows how to be dispassionate and objective) who also has spent his career in the field of practice, passionately arguing for his convictions, opens an aware listener's mind to a deeper, richer experience of the subject. I disagree with reviews that downgrade the course because of Irons's bias.

The content of the course focuses on key members of the court and key cases which support the theme: individual liberty in tension with the power of the state. For me, it was an entry into a facet of civil government and American history long obscured by educational emphasis on the legislative and executive branches. As a member of a church that maintains "courts," I found the overlapping applications fertile and fascinating.

One more item worth mentioning: an advantage of this audio presentation is the several examples of actual Supreme Court proceedings--short samples of the voices of individual justices or oral arguments. I found that fascinating. One could only wish more recent pieces were added in an updated version.

I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in law, history, civil rights or political studies.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 60 personas

More Than Introduction

Revisado: 11-27-13

I surveyed Reformation history under one of McGrath's doctoral students, so I was nominally familiar with his narrative construction and outline of this pivotal period of Western culture. Still, McGrath managed to cram so much excellent information in this relatively small volume, I felt like the read was worth a credit in a graduate seminar. Sympathetic to the Protestant cause, McGrath is ever the scholar, elucidating not only the development of Protestant convictions, but also historical causes--theological, personal and political--as far as they may be confidently distilled from the evidence. Where confidence is lacking, appropriate skepticism is acknowledged, arresting romantic legends that fact might liberate a more truthful account of sixteenth century "reformations."

Still, Reformation Thought does not obscure the massive ideas covered and recovered by Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, etc. The "solas" are not given short shrift. Justification by faith alone is clearly stated and explained, as are the Protestant doctrines of scripture, church, sacraments and predestination, even if the latter is insufficiently untangled. Helpfully, McGrath's introduction takes the reader past the sixteenth century to survey the historical trajectory of Reformation thought as it diffused in Europe and influenced the New World.

Tony Craine's narration was unforced, well-paced and clear, if lacking only in style. Personally, I would have preferred a British narrator, perhaps the author himself. Overall, Reformation Thought is a thorough and inviting work for both students of history and generally interested readers.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

Great Performance Nonetheless

Revisado: 11-27-13

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Recommended by a literature professor-friend, this abridged edition of The Faerie Queene was the first Audible book I purchased and the reason I joined Audible.com. I was aware the story had been significantly truncated. As other reviewers noted, however, even the chosen sections were chopped, so it was hard to follow with a printed text. Still, for anyone who has four hours to spare and has never appreciated Spenser's classic, this is a great introduction for one compelling reason: the narration.

John Moffatt's read is lucid, well-paced and empathetic, the best one could hope for in rendering a historically distant story for a modern audience. Of course, I "studied" FQ in high school. then promptly flushed it from my consciousness. It was C.S. Lewis whose appreciation of and influence from Spenser sparked the desire to know this personally unappreciated work. So, even this abridged edition served to illuminate not only its author's original work, but also Milton's Paradise Lost, Lewis's stories and a whole bunch of English literature in-between.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas