Religion Understanding Jesus: Cultural Insights into the Words and Deeds of Christ By Joe Amaral FaithWords, $13.99, 191 pages Standing atop a historic site in the Holy Land in 2002, a Canadian pilgrim discovered Jesus wasn’t a Canadian, but rather a Jew who lived in a first century Jewish culture. Understanding Jesus: Cultural Insights into the Words and Deeds of Christ is the culmination of author Joe Amaral’s quest to discover the real Jesus and promote better understanding of the Jewish roots of Christianity. Amaral channels his enthusiasm into a blend of scripture passages, convincing interpretation (with more than a nod toward Rapture eschatology), and suggested personal applications. His book speaks well to the disconnect that often occurs when Jesus’ life and teachings are read and interpreted solely in the context of Western culture. For example, what did Jesus mean when he said faith as small as a mustard seed will move mountains? Why is it significant that Jesus waited “four days” to raise Lazarus from the dead? Amaral organizes his research around the life of Jesus, placing special emphasis on the significance of Jewish feasts and the four Messianic miracles Jesus performed. The insights from this author’s research are illuminating and can serve as a springboard for those serious about delving deeper. Reviewed by Diana Irvine Modern Science in the Bible: Amazing Scientific Truths Found in Ancient Texts By Ben Hobrink Howard Books, $23.99, 288 pages Modern Science in the Bible is pretty good, as long as you don’t read one chapter. Hobrink explores The Bible from the scientific perspective. Although it does rather well in most chapters, the chapter on evolution fares rather poorly. It is interesting that Mosaic Law is pretty good for hygiene, espousing some rather solid rules as far as modern science is concerned, placing it millennia ahead of its time. Even its suggestions for nutrition are something that you would hear from modern-day nutrition experts, and its explorations of the natural world do basically work. Overall, it shows
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that The Bible has some strong science going for it. However, it espouses a strictly non-scientific refutation of evolution. The problem is that it provides a purely logical explanation of how evolution is wrong, which is always the wrong approach. Rather than using evidence to build his case, Hobrink refutes evidence based on whether or not it fits the case he is trying to build. Because of that, the case ultimately falls flat. Overall, it’s not a bad book. It provides for some interesting reading, but ultimately this is a book only a creationist could love. Reviewed by Jamais Jochim An Enlightened Philosophy: Can an Atheist Believe Anything? By Geoff Crocker O Books, $13.95, 121 pages It is always interesting to see someone trying to build a bridge between beliefs. An Enlightened Philosophy: Can an Atheist Believe Anything? shows that there is a way for atheists and the religious to share the same beliefs. An Enlightened Philosophy shows that both paths have a lot to teach the other, and that there is a path to enlightenment for even the most non-religious. It’s best towards the end of the book, as it takes out the religious aspects of The Bible, showing that they apply to everyone. The problem is that it depends too much on dictionarydefinitions. Atheists are presented solely as those with no supernatural belief, and the religious are presented in their worst light. The problem is that religious beliefs are along a spectrum, not into specific groups, but Crocker has concentrated solely on the ends of that spectrum. This problem presents itself throughout the book, as terms are presented in the most black and white possibilities. There should have been more exploration in the first and last chapters, and it’s too bad that it wasn’t. Overall, it needs to lighten up, but it does provide the bridge it promises. Reviewed by Jamais Jochim