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Showing posts from January 19, 2014

A Summary of American Presbyterianism

                                          By: Thomas Booher Seeking a Better Country Hart and Muether’s Seeking A Better Country was written for the 300 th anniversary of Presbyterianism in America. The book traces American Presbyterianism from its inception, and rather than writing a revisionist history to celebrate and glamorize the men who were integral to the formation and growth of Presbyterianism, the author’s wrote for accuracy and to critique, not wishing to allow Presbyterians to distort the reality of their heritage, but rather to see it with its warts and bruises intact. The authors believe that all denominations of American Presbyterianism can and should trace their roots to the first presbytery in America in 1706, the Presbytery of Philadelphia, and their intent is to show the ebb and flow of American Presbyterianism, ultimately revealing how far Presbyterians have drifted from their original convictions and their struggle to maintain a Presbyterian i

Outcasts Book Review

By: Thomas F. Booher Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Outcasts is the second book in Jill Williamson's Safe Lands series, and I have found the writing to be largely the same as the first book (for my remarks on that, go here , here , and here ). The back cover (of this advanced copy at least) will tell you what you need to know for the story. A family/tribe from Glenrock has been taken by force to the Safe Lands, where everyone has a disease that is slowly killing them, called the thin plague. The children are being held, and the women through artificial means are forced to bear children in the hopes that they are healthy and can repopulate the land.  The story revolves largely around three siblings, Levi, Mason, and Omar, who each have different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses that make it challenging for them to do what they must do. Levi is married, but the other two are dealing with romantic feelings which plays out quite well. Omar is a user, and I very