Overview:
If you don’t read Matthew Paul Turner’s blog or follow him on Twitter, your Christianity is only half-complete. He’s one of the funniest Christian authors today, and probably ever. Funny and Christian just don’t go together all that often. A few months ago I had the opportunity to review MPT’s book Churched, and was really looking forward to reading Hear No Evil. Thankfully, “Thew” (as he attempted to refer to himself in college) didn’t let me down. Hear No Evil is the story of Matthew trying to get into the CCM industry despite his fundamentalist background, along with all of the bumps, confusion, and general insanity that happened along the way.

Originality:
Answering this one was tough for me. Matthew is a very unique writer, and everything that he writes is original simply by nature. However, I don’t really feel like Hear No Evil brought anything “new” to the table as far as his writing goes. It was an awesome book, don’t get me wrong, I just think Matthew could have done more as far as his own personal originality.

Overall Readablity:
Do you like to laugh while you read? Then you’ll love Hear No Evil. It’s a great comedy/satire book. It helps to know a little bit about Christian music going into the book, but Matthew’s style of writing is very engaging and makes you want to keep reading.

Outstanding Quotation:

My knowing the difference between a rocker and a Christian rocker is similar to the ability most people possess to distinguish a female from a drag queen. It’s usually obvious, like the plot of a romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey.

- p. 6

Observations:
Hear No Evil is yet another awesome effort from Matthew Paul Turner. He never ceases to reveal things about Christianity and the Christian life to you while still doing it in his own biting humor sort of way. It’s a bit like Mary Poppins: “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down…” You’ll learn things about yourself without even trying. That’s what makes MPT’s writing so powerful. He does a great job of pointing out the little quirks and some downright angering things of the “Christian” music industry- from our faux rockers to our hyper-conservative magazine editors. (Make sure you don’t miss the part near the end regarding CCM and Amy Grant…)

I also feel, on the other hand, that Hear No Evil is more of a sequel to MPT’s book Churched than it’s own book. It’s not marketed as such, but I think it should be. A lot of the humor is a lot funnier if you’ve read Churched. It’s a bit like Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2: the first was amazingly fantastic and one of a kind. The second one had perhaps lost a little bit of it’s “luster” over the first, but it was still great.

Own It:
I think you should- after you buy Churched. Read Churched first, then Hear No Evil. You’ll be laughing for weeks.

O Book Reviews Rating:
4/5 stars

Drumroll please…. I am hereby pleased to announce another EvanDoyle.com GIVEA-YAY! No, I didn’t misspell that. This giveaway is so exciting that I’ve turned it into a givea-yay. Here’s the lowdown:

1. How to enter: Simple. Just leave a comment on this post. Make sure to include your email address so I can get it touch with you if you win!
2. Extra entries: There are three ways to get an extra entry:
   a. Follow me on Twitter. My username is kidzmatter2me. Once you’ve done that, come back here and leave another comment!
   b. Tweet the following: “I’m entering to win a copy of @jesusneedsnewpr’s Hear No Evil from @kidzmatter2me. Enter yourself at http://bit.ly/brrnBn.” Once you’ve done that, come back here and leave another  comment.
   c. Post a link to this page on your Facebook account. Then leave another comment.
3. Rules: You must be at least 18 years old. (Sorry kids.) You must be a resident of the United States. (Sorry Canada.) You must not be a family member. (Sorry Mom.) You must really, really want a copy of Hear No Evil. (Sorry boring people.)

That’s it! Now get commenting, tweeting, Facebooking, and whatever else it is you young-ins do!

If you don’t win the giveaway, you can o-cquire your copy at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Random House

Extremely Boring Yet Legally Required Disclosure:
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Overview:
Crave. I love that word. The analogy the author of Crave, Chris Tomlinson, uses is that of a slightly chubby child with a big spoon and an even bigger tub of ice cream. And he can’t get it in his mouth fast enough. That’s how Chris wants you to see God at the end of this book: you can’t get more of Him fast enough. And I must say that he has done an amazing job of it. Chris uses stories, quotations, and original thoughts to draw you to the place where you want God on a giant spoon.

Originality:
Chris’ book is one of the most original I’ve read in a very, very long time. He uses a unique method of tying images to his big ideas to make some great points. His thoughts on suffering and joy are beautiful. In the originality department, he gets an A+.

Overall Readablity:
Reading Crave is unbelievably easy. He does a good job of breaking up the text with stories, quotes, Scripture, and personal opinion. As with many books for the Christian market, it does assume some background in Christian-ese. And he quotes John Piper, who I find it increasingly hard to take seriously the more I follow @fakejohnpiper on Twitter. So that makes me chuckle at inappropriate moments. Other than that, very readable.

Quotes, recommendations, and more, after the jump!

(more…)

Overview:
Free Book. Sadly, it doesn’t mean free as in no cost, but free as in totally and completely focused on freedom. Not American freedom, but Christian freedom. Freedom to live life to the fullest as we’re empowered by Christ. It’s a crazy powerful message. It’s a message I am head-over-heels in love with. The author, Brian Tome, does a great job communicating this throughout his book. Let’s look a little more at how he does it.

Originality:
The discussion over whether Free Book is original or not really depends on what kind of original you mean. Is it original in the sense that the things within its pages have never been said before? No. Its basic principles and ideas are straight from the pages of Scripture. Is it original in the sense that the things within its pages haven’t been said enough? Absolutely. We as the church tend to get so caught up in the “dos and don’ts” that we forget the freedom that Christ has brought us. That’s Brian’s whole point. We need more voices like his to speak out and stand for freedom.

Overall Readablity:
There isn’t a lot to be concerned about here, but the book is definitely written to a college-educated audience. It’s not hard to read by any means in the terms of vocabulary used- it’s actually rather easy. There are just a few analogies that Brian employs at times that require some back knowledge of either major religious figures, Bible stories, or philosophers, but nothing that changes your ability to grasp the meaning of the book. It was a very enjoyable read.

Outstanding Quotation:

If you’re focused on maintaining balance–trying to satisfy all the people in every area of your life and just skating by with a little energy here and there–you probably aren’t moving, and you probably aren’t experiencing the blessings that come from a life lived in freedom.

- p. 148

Observations:
Brian isn’t afraid to be brutally honest with you in this book. He shares with you about mistakes he’s made, mistakes a lot of people make, and just generally stupid things people have done. He doesn’t try to beat around the bush. He’s especially clear about this in the third chapter, when he really gets down to defining freedom. He talks about the American definition of freedom, meaning absolute freedom from restrictions. However, he slaps that idea upside the head with his definition: “Freedom requires a decision to follow someone, because freedom is not about your isolation and independence.” Throughout the book he shares personal stories of times when he hasn’t lived life in total freedom. He’s not afraid to show you his true colors.

On the other hand, I think that at times he can take his brutal honesty too far, even to the point of “cliche” Christian honesty. One of the very first of these cliche traps he falls into is on the very first page: pastors who curse to be “cool.” I can’t fully know his intention for it, but seeing as it’s the only time in the entire book that terminology like that is used, it just feels a bit like it’s there more for bragging rights than because it actually makes a point. He also makes repeated reference to drinking beer with his buddies. While I’m not going to get the whole alcohol debate started here, it again feels like it’s more of a “look at me I’m a drinking Christian” show than actually serving to further his point.

All in all though, I think Brian has done a great job with Free Book. He’s spoken a message too many are too scared to proclaim. Freedom.

Own It:
It’s found a permanent place on my shelf, and I think it should on yours too.

O Book Reviews Rating:
3.5/5 stars

O-cquire your copy at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Extremely Boring Yet Legally Required Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Overview:
You Are God’s Plan A {and There’s No Plan B} has a simple purpose. It’s designed to be a reminder of God’s “Plan A”- you and me. The author, Dwight Robertson, states that God’s Plan A is for us to be laborers for him- disciples in action. He repeatedly comments that God never called for professional ministers, but instead for laborers to influence the world right where they are. He believes the fate of the world depends on it.

Originality:
Dwight definitely presents some great content in Plan A. He desires to see God’s Kingdom established on earth today, and writes with that passion in mind. Some of the thoughts are thoughts I had heard, read, or thought myself before, but he puts them in a different light and presentation that makes them new and fresh again.

Overall Readablity:
You need not have any concerns here about readability. Plan A is extremely enjoyable and has a low entry point into the way it is written. The author does assume some familiarity with “Christian-ese”, but as this is a book written by a Christian for Christians, that is naturally to be expected. The book uses many stories to communicate its points which works very well, even more so than I’ve seen in many other texts.

Outstanding Quotation:

In reality then, your story is powerful because it’s an expression of his story. People can argue with logic and information … But no one can argue with your story!

- p. 93

Observations:
While it is a short read at around 150 pages, Dwight manages to cram a lot of good content into those few pages. I especially connect with his emphasis on us as laborers of Christ- not to glorify ourselves and make ourselves more famous, but to make God more famous. I loved the book, as evidenced by the amount of underlining I did. (For me, more underlines=better book.)

Own It:
I think so. It’s a good read for you, and it’s great to lend out to others as well. This is one that should find a place on your shelf.

O Book Reviews Rating:
4/5 stars

Full Disclosure:
This book was provided to me (and the entire student body) at no cost by Indiana Wesleyan University and Kingdom Building Ministries.

Note: The version of Plan A I read was a copy self-published by Kingdom Building Ministries in 2006. The book is being re-released in March 2010 by David C. Cook.

This is the first in a series of book reviews I’m going to start doing. Hopefully. I’m calling them O Book Reviews. Why? Because all of the points I analyze start with the letter O. I’m a dork, I know. Hope you enjoy.

Overview:
Churched is a semi-memoir/semi-humor/semi-theological book by Matthew Paul Turner. (That sentence had more semis than a truck stop…) Matthew tells the story of his experiences growing up in a fundamental Baptist church, from “Baptist haircuts” to Barbie burnings. Through all of this, Matthew still manages to grow up and become someone who’s madly in love with Jesus. (But not John Piper.)

Originality:
Matthew’s book is unlike any other I’ve ever read, but in a good way. He approaches his experiences with fundamentalism with a lighthearted yet serious attitude. The book isn’t designed to give Christendom “5 Steps to Overcoming Fundamentalism”, but to address the situation and let you chew on it. While he’s using personal stories, he makes you feel like you experienced the story right along with him. It’s got a memoir-ish feel, yet you know you’re learning from it. Another great original work from Matthew Paul Turner.

Overall Readablity:
Churched is extremely easy to read. I read all the way through in about 4 or 5 days. While it may be a quick read, it’s an enjoyable, profitable read too. Matthew adds lots of great detail without using obscure wordage. It’s a great break from the extreme depth of many books in the Christian publishing world.

Outstanding Quotation:

“People said odd things about God. They said he was in control, but then when a teenager was killed in a car accident or a young mother died of cancer, they said that he allowed those deaths to occur so other people would come to know Jesus. That only made me fear God more, not have faith in him.” -p. 151, emphasis added

Observations:
I’ve grown up in what I would call a semi-fundamentalist background. Yes, my pastor graduated from “Fyles Sanderson”, as Matthew calls it in the book. Yes, I’ve read the Sword of the Lord newspaper. Yes, my pastor’s sermons are rated in decibels. Yes, we have a bus ministry. But we’ve managed to keep a bit more sane than the church Matthew describes in his book. We’re free to dress as we please, cut our hair as we please, and play with Barbie dolls. And yes, we can even listen to “satanic” Christian rock music. So I’m able to relate to many of the stories Matthew shares in his book, and laugh and be pained right along with him. Anyone who’s spent any time with Baptists will relate to Matthew’s stories.

However, I’m not entirely as ready as Matthew to discard fundamentalism entirely. In the form he describes, yes, for the most part I am. Yet I also see the value that it does have in some respects. I disagree with his assertion that “fundamentalism has little to do with Jesus.” (p. 213) Do I think it needs to change? Absolutely. It can’t continue like this. It doesn’t reflect Christ’s character. But I also know some “fundamentalists” who are the most loving, compassionate people I know.

Overall, I loved Matthew’s book. It was great, and he makes great points about Christianity in the end portion of his book. There’s something here for everyone to learn from.

Own it?:
Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Everyone should have this book on their shelf. When we begin to get too caught up in the “rules” of Christianity, Churched serves as a reality check reminding us to come back to what Jesus is all about: love.

O Book Reviews Rating:
4.5/5 Os

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