Interdisciplinary Book Reviews

  THE DEMON-HAUNTED WORLD Science as a Candle in the Dark By   Carl Sagan   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Carl Sagan injects readers with two treatments followed by booster shots throughout the 25 chapters of The Demon-Haunted World . In the end, enlightened readers will see science, not as a mere candle, but as a brilliant search light in the murky world of opinions, conspiracies, and myths. The first repeated treatment is a healthy dose of skepticism aimed at beliefs that led so many of our ancestors astray or worse, led to horrendous unnecessary deaths. The second treatment is the inspiring and hope-filled vial of scientific discovery catalyzed by curiosity and wonderment and guided by the light of the scientific method. For the most part, Sagan moves us quickly from one topic to another but there were times when I wished he’d cut some of the UFO stories. I get it. People are gullible and believe all sorts of things about aliens. Of course there’s...

  The Meaning  of Jesus:      Two Visions By Marcus J. Borg & N. T. Wright Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton In The Meaning of Jesus , two religious scholars take turns presenting different perspectives on the same salient events or topics about Jesus and his ministry. I’ll offer a brief summary of the eight parts followed by some comments. 1. How do we know about Jesus? Borg , a Jesus scholar, explains the source material that is available about the historical Jesus then takes readers through an easy-to-read introduction to methodology—how he uses the sources. Wright offers the traditional or conservative, albeit scholarly, perspective on understanding Jesus through the lenses of faith and history. 2. What did Jesus do and teach? Wright provides the sociohistorical context for Jesus mission. He stresses the importance of the fact that Jesus was a Palestinian Jew. He notes a few points about Jewish monotheism and Jewish eschatology—"history ...

This is a list of books about counseling and psychotherapy that in some way consider or accommodate Christian beliefs and values. Many are general works but a few are topic-focused such as books about forgiveness or sexuality In many cases, you will find a link to a book review or book summary, and the availability of the book on Amazon and Google. Some books may be included for those who have the Kindle Unlimited program. Others may be available through Audible as well. Counseling & Psychotherapy with Pentecostal & Charismatic Christians        Culture & Research | Assessment & Practice R EVIEWS & SUMMARIES B UY on  AMAZON B UY on  GOOGLE BOOKS ***** Counseling & Psychotherapy:    A Christian Perspective    R EVIEWS & SUMMARIES    B UY on AMAZON   B UY on  GOOGLE BOOKS Evidence-Based Practices for Christian Counseling and Psychotherapy     R EVIEWS & SUMMARIES ...

  I read a number of books reporting research with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians as a part of my own investigations and when writing Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians (2021). This book list with links to reviews or book summaries is the product of that research. I am using the concept, studies , to refer to scientific investigations that report quantitative or qualitative data. Some references refer to theorizing by scholars.  I do not include religious studies or theological sources because that is not my area of expertise, although I did read several of these works in preparing the aforementioned counselling book. Key Topics: Anthropology, Counselling, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Sociology, Integrating Christianity and Counseling or Psychotherapy   Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians by Geoffrey W. Sutton. A summary of research studies about beliefs, pract...