Jordan Peterson’s “We Who Wrestle With God� is a psychologist’s exploration of the Pentatech. Peterson approaches the text with earnestness. He wants Jordan Peterson’s “We Who Wrestle With God� is a psychologist’s exploration of the Pentatech. Peterson approaches the text with earnestness. He wants the reader to take the texts seriously and to be changed as they encounter the ancient wisdom.
While there is no doubting Peterson’s brilliance, his biblical interpretation is ultimately stunted. His Jungian-stoic reading of the text flattens every text into a hero story. Whether it is Noah, Abraham, Moses, or David, Peterson often overlooks what the text points the reader to: the glory of God and his call to respond in faith.
Take, for instance Peterson’s reading of Jonah’s story. What is the moral of Jonah? “Take up your damn cross.� That punchy line isn’t an untrue takeaway of the story. But clearly the text has a more significant goal: demonstrating the boundless compassion of God. While Peterson reflects on God, his god remains impersonal and distant.
Peterson is clearly a man on a spiritual journey and his books are worth reading. But if you want solid biblical exegesis and a true spiritual mentor, I would encourage you to look elsewhere.
Kristen Perrin’s “How to Solve Your Own Murder� has a great set up: a matriarch dies, but has been working on solving her own murder for decades. The Kristen Perrin’s “How to Solve Your Own Murder� has a great set up: a matriarch dies, but has been working on solving her own murder for decades. The family scrambles to solve the mystery. The follow through isn’t nearly as strong as the conceit, though. Decent but unremarkable character development and plot left me wishing there was a bit more payoff. ...more
I listened to this as an audio book and liked it quite a bit more than I expected. It felt like a hybrid between a book and a podcast. The interplay bI listened to this as an audio book and liked it quite a bit more than I expected. It felt like a hybrid between a book and a podcast. The interplay between the expert (Perry) and the interested lay person (Oprah) worked well. While I do have some significant disagreements because of my Christian anthropology, many would benefit from reading this helpful primer on trauma.
This might be the last Lucy Foley novel for me. There are makings of a good story here, but it's a lot more style than substance. This might be the last Lucy Foley novel for me. There are makings of a good story here, but it's a lot more style than substance. ...more
Maria Konnekova’s “Mastermind� is a more entry level version of Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow.� She peppers the book with anecdotes Maria Konnekova’s “Mastermind� is a more entry level version of Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow.� She peppers the book with anecdotes from the fictitious life of Sherlock Holmes to complement the social research. I liked the idea a lot, but for some reason the execution left something lacking for me. In a weird way, the fictitious nature of Holmes works against her� almost hurting the credibility that it is possible to implement this into real life. ...more
An important book for any church leader. I really appreciated the multi-perspectival approach. At times it makes the reading a bit bumpy, but it's worAn important book for any church leader. I really appreciated the multi-perspectival approach. At times it makes the reading a bit bumpy, but it's worth it to get perspectives from a victim, a lawyer, someone in law enforcement, government services, and therapists....more
Hurtado’s “Honoring the Son� is yet another important contribution by this impactful historian. Hurtado argues that the evidence of the worship of JesHurtado’s “Honoring the Son� is yet another important contribution by this impactful historian. Hurtado argues that the evidence of the worship of Jesus as divine is pervasive in the early church and demonstrates how early the church’s doctrine of the divinity of Jesus was formed. ...more
Bonnie Garmus’s “Lessons in Chemistry� has been a huge hit- its rights sold in a massive bidding war from publishers and quickly getting turned into aBonnie Garmus’s “Lessons in Chemistry� has been a huge hit- its rights sold in a massive bidding war from publishers and quickly getting turned into an Apple TV series. The appeal is easy to see. Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant scientist in a male dominated 1950s backdrop is smart and courageous. The protagonists are easy to root for, the bad guys are bad, the plot is well paced, and the dialogue is sparkling. There’s a lot to like.
In the end, what disappointed me most was the two dimensionality of the antagonists� basically any man (outside Chris Evans) or any Christian. Garmus doesn’t trust his audience to navigate real conversations about male and female roles nor about religion, and so she hits you over the head with her feminism and atheism. Those dimensions are just not that interesting, at the end of the day. If Garmus would have trusted her audience, “Lessons in Chemistry� could have been truly remarkable. As it is, it’s not much more than a decent summer read. ...more
Larson weaves two stories together that both occurred in Chicago circa 1890: the World's Fair and the serial killer H.H. Holmes. He focuses his story Larson weaves two stories together that both occurred in Chicago circa 1890: the World's Fair and the serial killer H.H. Holmes. He focuses his story of the World's Fair around its architect, Daniel Hudson Burnham. Larson has a challenging task: he's trying to compare two men on the backdrop of an aspirational city at an aspirational time. In many ways Larson delivers: he gives us a good sense of the ambition of the city and its residents, the stakes of the game, and the tension of the times.
Larson has far more material to work with on Burnham and the World's Fair, but it's a less compelling story than Holmes's. It left me speeding through some of the more pedantic planning of the World's Fair to get to the more salacious story about Holmes. Larson is an excellent writer and makes the most of the odd ingredients. ...more
I appreciated Bradley's twist on the time travel genre, but found the progressive worldview too heavy handed, and the content too sexualized. I appreciated Bradley's twist on the time travel genre, but found the progressive worldview too heavy handed, and the content too sexualized. ...more
In 2014, Paul Tripp's life changed. Excruciating pain brought his life to a halt. It was discovered to be acute kidney failure. Tripp writes "SufferinIn 2014, Paul Tripp's life changed. Excruciating pain brought his life to a halt. It was discovered to be acute kidney failure. Tripp writes "Suffering," in the wake of (and continuation of) his own suffering. He writes not as a distant observer, but a fellow sufferer.
The first half of "Suffering" is focused on the traps of suffering (awareness, fear, envy, doubt, denial, and discouragement) with the latter half focused on God's comfort in suffering (grace, presence, sovereignty, purpose, people, and a heart at rest). The book is theologically rich and pastorally sensitive.
I think my favorite book on suffering is still Tim Keller's "Walking with God through Pain and Suffering," although Tripp's book is more accessible and likely one that I would point someone to in the midst of suffering. I encourage pastors and lay people alike to read "Suffering" for themselves and the sake of the many who are suffering around us.
More of my reviews and writing can be found at thebeehive.live. ...more
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