Book and Movie Reviews

Muscle and a Shovel | The Christian Chronicle Muscle and a Shovel is a raw and gritty true story about a pair of young newly-weds who move to the city… Read More

Our very own cofounder, David Young, was recently on The Eric Metaxas Show!  Leaders are talking about A Grand Illusion, you can join the conversation. Friends, In case you don’t know, Eric Metaxas… Read More

I was recently able to catch up with Renew Gathering speaker Mark Moore. We talked about life transitions, creating a legacy, personal discipline, and a new book he has written… Read More

“Just let the Bible be whatever it is.”…But just what is the Bible?  What is the Bible? This is a vitally important question. Rob Bell is a famous American author,… Read More

Like many of you, I enjoy a good book. Apart from occasional espionage novels, nearly all of my reading is Christian literature, theology, history, and science. Yet now and again,… Read More

From the book: “I want to show that the gospel and our faith response must not be reduced to the cross, or even to the cross and resurrection. The gospel… Read More

Peter Williams is one impressive person. He isn’t just Principal of Tyndale House, Cambridge and Editor of theTyndale Bulletin. He is also Chair of the International Greek New Testament Project and… Read More

The simplest questions can open the door to amazing conversations. I asked Mike about his tattoo partly out of curiosity but primarily from an instinct of self-preservation. He was helping his… Read More

Preaching Sticky Sermons, by Brandon Kelley and Joe Hoagland (Rainer Publishing, 2016), is an excellent book. The authors are graduates of Cincinnati Christian University (an institution affiliated with the Christian… Read More

A Review (anonymous) of Mary Magdalene (2018) How Mary is portrayed Mary is shown as a fisherman—she is not portrayed as a prostitute (in the end of the movie they explain… Read More

A friend recently suggested I watch the film Paul: Apostle of Christ. I am glad I did. Here is my take, for what it’s worth. General Acting: superb. Not sappy, as with some… Read More

In April someone asked me if I’d seen Black Panther. I had heard of it, but admitted I wasn’t particularly interested in yet another superhero movie. “I’ll probably watch it once it… Read More

Former Muslim shows Islam from the inside. by David Duncan Many well-written books on Islam have appeared in the years since 9/11. So have many not-so-great books, written from a… Read More

Jones discusses divorce and remarriage with objectivity By Bob Young In Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage: Seen Through the Character of God and the Mind of Jesus, Jerry Jones — a longtime… Read More

November 22, 2017 In Daniel Hill’s new book released this year, White Awake: An honest look at what it means to be white , he explores and shares about his own “awakening” and… Read More

When I was a teenager, I remember how my heart was moved by Billy Graham’s Peace with God. The simple way in which Graham is able to express profound truths has enabled him to connect with… Read More

Bart D. Ehrman, Forged: Writing in the Name of God—Why The Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2011), 307 pages. The review is by… Read More

With the recent launch of The Shack movie, we are reminded of a whole mix of theological questions raised by the novel, and the problems of projecting the divine onto… Read More

My friend Elizabeth Laing Thompson has just released a new book, When God Says “Wait”: Navigating Life’s Detours and Delays Without Losing Your Faith, Your Friends, or Your Mind. We… Read More

Part of my ministry as a teacher is to put excellent biblical material into the hands of Bible students — including those who teach. So I’m proud to recommend by friend… Read More

To hear my review of Reza Aslan’s Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth (2013), click on the arrow. The review is 58 minutes in length. Listen, or just read… Read More

For a podcast (42 mins) on the 2016 film Risen, click on the arrow below. Great lines: “The gods are angry” [Lucius]. — “One of them is [Clavius].” “Did he… Read More

Help for Christians who are helping their gay friends. A resource that every Christian needs in their library! Are you studying the Bible with someone who is gay? Where should… Read More

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To listen to a biblical exploration of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice, click on the link. I hope you’ll enjoy my short podcast (14 minutes). Note: If you haven’t read… Read More

For a response to Darren Aronofsky’s 2014 film Noah, listen to the following podcast (14 minutes). Click here to download.  

For some thoughts about Veronica Roth’s Divergent (2011; film version 2014), please listen to my podcast (17 minutes). Click here to download. Christian should be engaging culture Divergent is the… Read More

To listen to Joey Harris’ The Matrix Podcast ( minutes), click on the play button: To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select “save link as” or “save target… Read More

A review of Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005) Rob Bell (b.1970), preacher at Mars Hill Bible Church, has become a highly influential speaker and writer… Read More

As a Christian sister, I am very interested in Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. What is your opinion about this book? I was just wondering. Tolle’s popular A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose has… Read More

What do you think about Ray vander Laan’s teachings (“Follow the Rabbi”)? I am sure that Rabbinic Judaism has something to tell us about Jesus’ ministry. But to be honest,… Read More

I wanted to ask for your opinion on the relevant “warning” on the new movie out called The Golden Compass. I personally have not seen it, but am planning to view… Read More

Here is my review of the book and movie The Life of Pi (11 minutes). To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select “save link as” or “save… Read More

Here are a podcast and notes on The Hunger Games (15 minutes). To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select “save link as” or “save target as” and… Read More

This lesson is a critique of Ron Moseley’s Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church (40 minutes). Introduction To download the podcast, right click on “download”… Read More

To hear a review of Roger Hertzler’s book on The doctrine of non-accumulation (30 minutes), click on the play button: To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select… Read More

Here are a podcast and notes on The Alchemist (10 minutes). To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select “save link as” or “save target as” and you… Read More

Listen to Heaven is for Real–Or Is It? (18 minutes). To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select “save link as” or “save target as” and you can… Read More

To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select “save link as” or “save target as” and you can download the podcast and listen to it later. Download Podcast… Read More

If you’re interested in my thoughts on The Secret (11 minutes), listen to the podcast. To listen now, click on arrow above. To download the podcast, right click on “download”… Read More

Listen to my review of Wm. Paul Young’s The Shack (10 minutes). To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select “save link as” or “save target as” and… Read More

The Book of Eli – Review by Joey Harris (20 minutes), click on the play button below: Click here for the notes to this podcast. To download the podcast, right click on… Read More

Here are a podcast and notes on Avatar (12 minutes). To download the podcast, right click on “download” and select “save link as” or “save target as” and you can… Read More