The Return

Review: Boundless: What Global Expressions of Faith Teach Us about Following Jesus Bryan Bishop Baker Books 2015 A very interesting book.   And one that challenges you to think about what following Jesus is really about.   Bishop describes his experiences in this book, as well as being open about some of the issues that challenge him. Yes, the present tense since he admits to still working through some things. He traveled to places where the predominant religious practices did not include Western style Christianity.   He found followers of Jesus in communities from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Native American cultures.   Their practices generally tended to include their native culture and practices much more than what most Western Christians would find comfortable, and that’s when this book gets interesting.    The word Boundless implies a broader range of acceptable practice while staying true to the teachings of Jesus.   Contextu...

Review: The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames Kai Bird Broadway Books 2014 This book weaves a biography of Robert Ames and the complex world of Middle Eastern policy making into an intricate tapestry that nearly defies description.   This is no lightweight read, but well worth the effort it takes to finish it.    Ames life story tells of a man dedicated to his work and to the hope of peace in the Middle East.   The Middle East the reader meets in this book include the Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrian, Jordanian, Iraqi, Iranians, Saudi, Yemeni, Americans, and United Nations members.   There could be several other groups added to the list, but what is there already is sufficient to make the point.   Ames more than many others knew the street level workings present among all those players and also had access to the policy makers, a very unique position.   His desire was to provide information to those in power that wou...

Review: Freedom of Speech: Mightier Than the Sword David K. Shipler Alfred A. Knopf 2015 Shipler is no novice to reporting or writing, and he holds a Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction from 1987.   In this book he takes a look at freedom of speech in books, secrets, stereotypes, politics, and plays, the parts that he choose as division for his focus areas.   It’s my opinion that each section can stand alone, but in combination round out the discussion effectively.    He attempts to present opposing views as he moves through the sections, but clearly tends to the left of center.   That’s OK. This is freedom of speech we’re talking about here.   We don’t need to agree eye to eye to have the discussion.   His idea is to promote the discussion and his closing chapters illustrate that well.   Civility, financial support, and truth suffer in the debates related to the offerings a theater chooses to present.   His introduction...