Drews wrote this book in German and it was translated to English with sometimes difficult sentence construction, but the ideas are good and essentially clear. The ideas are not at all outdated. I've read the recent Christ-myth books, such as The Jesus Puzzle, The Christ Conspiracy, The Jesus Mysteries, The Jesus Myth, and Deconstructing Jesus. This book and The Jesus Mysteries are my favorites because instead of only refuting the historical Jesus and discarding the whole of the Jesus story, they ask what is the meaning and value of the myth, in terms of religious experiencing and insight into the relation of self and world.

The conclusion of this book is that given the choice between Jesus as myth and the historical Jesus, the right path for religion as religion is to choose Jesus as myth. If all we have is the historical Jesus of liberal Protestantism, then we no longer have religion, just mundane morality divested of both myth and the supernatural. But if we retain Jesus as myth, then we retain the religious redemption that is possible. He asserts that the Catholic Church could become legitimate by abandoning the historical Jesus and emphasizing the mythic Jesus as redeemer. Despite his elevation of redemption as the true essence of religion, Drews does not define redemption. (I'd define redemption as reconciliation between the self as moral agent and that from which it emanates.) Drews does not explicitly define this reconciliation and explain specifically how the Jesus myth assists this reconciliation.

He explains a main motive for creating the assertion of the historical Jesus. The early Jewish Christian leaders used a strategy of trying to limit authority to themselves and shut out competitors such as Paul and his Gentile/mythic Christianity by creating historical requirements that would serve to exclude others and restrict authority to themselves. Drews shows that this is the same strategy the Church fathers used: assert that the only spiritual authority is that of the person who spent time with the historical Jesus. If Jesus is allowed to be purely mythic, religious authority is potentially spread evenly among all people, but if Jesus is historical as well as mythic, the profitable and advantageous possibility of excluding other authorities arises.

Drews emphasizes the sacred meal as central to early Christian worship and compares it to the central role of soma (= "body") in Vedic religion, thus this book is useful for the entheogenic theory of religion.

You must take a carefull look on this book originally writted at the turn of the century (1910). How actual are the views of this eminent German philosopher.

To my surprise, The Christ Myth is not at all a rant of Christianity and Christian theology, but rather simply a comparsion between Christian beliefs, similar pagan belies, and the essential meaning behind the motiff of the suffering god image that has persisted religious faith in a number of different ways from Mithras, Odin, and on to the sacraficial vegetation god worshipped by modern pagans. That is at least the first part of the book, the second part takes a look at the Jesus figure himself, apart from his pagan influences, and relates how the character of Jesus came about, meaning what went into him, what sources were used, and the eventual product character that is today the centerpiece of Christianity. But all throughout this, the book is still not work of religious forgery of deception, but rather a book about literature and poetry, and how these two elements forged the image of Jesus Christ.

Interesting, well-paced examination of the dog show world, spotlighting the best-known show in the US. I liked the author's focus on several "top dogs" from the 2001 show -- I really got involved in their stories, and appreciated the updates at the end (love Henry the Field Spaniel!).

The book is basic enough to explain the intricacies of showing to novices, yet manages to still be interesting to those involved in showing. I recommend this book highly -- hope this author writes more on the subject!

This book leads you from start to finish on the road to Westminster. Along the way you learn what it takes in time, money and fortitude to even be invited to enter you precious 'furkid'. Deborah writes with a wonderful sense of humor and knowledge of the show dog world.

We are waiting with liver 'baited breath' for her next doggie book!

Deborah Wood's *Top Dogs* is a great read for anyone who has ever been intrigued by the mystique of Westminster...experienced dog person or interested channel surfer...I came to love the dogs, owners and handlers whose journey to Westminster Wood chronicles, because she deftly captures the soul of each one.

Wood obviously LOVES and knows dogs and respects the tradition of Westminster...but her keen, and often iconoclastic, humor also gives us a knowing and warm wink at the eccentric, passionate world of dog shows.

She's the one you want to go to the Garden with...she's funny, wise and generous.

This work helped bring understanding of the Westminster Confession to an all new level for me early on as I was discovering the awesome truths of the Reformed view of Christianity. This is an excellent work for a new Christian as well as the devoted theologian who might be looking for ways to explain the truths of Scripture in a layman's terminology. This work sheds much needed light on some of the deeper truths of Scripture that people have wrestled with for centuries, especially as explained by the Westminster divines. I wholeheartedly recommend it, along with the books associated with it that help folks understand the Shorter Catechism.

I completely agree with 'A Reader' from Torrance, CA's assessment of Williamson's work here(Williamson's study manuals on the Shorter Catechism and the Heidelberg Confession are excellent as well). His writing and reasoning are clear, and he is adept at showing the breadth of application the WCF has.

Describes the Chrisitian faith. You will also find this treatment execellent in coverage and application to contemporary living. Examples of divergent doctrine, problems with other philosophy and cultural standards are presented. The arguments and Q&A after each section makes it practical for knowing and living a Christian life. This is not feel-good theology, but how intelligent and responsible people can seek to understand the breadth of scripture in a concise book.

This dictionary has been very beneficial for study. In addition, it will give you insight on all forms of worship and how you can incorprate it into your service.

If you are a student of liturgical studies, or if you just have an interest in the development of Christian liturgics, there are few volumes at this price that will prove so helpful! In this single volume one can find such a broad array of topics so as to make it indispensable. From "Advent," "Alleluia" and "Architectural Setting" to "Ethiopian Worship," "Ordination" and "Unitarian Worship," this book is amazing in the issues it covers. You will be glad to have it on your shelf! The photographs and diagrams are an additional bonus.

I have a large number of books on Reformed Theology including a number of books which seek to use the Westminster Confession and Catechisms as a springboard to explain the intricacies of Calvinism, but this work is something special. The clarity of thought here is miles beyond anything else I've found. The format is simple: A question from the catechism, the relevant scripture passages identified and summarized in a single sentence, then a series of brief questions and answers on the passage. The Larger Catechism of the Westminster Confession has unfortunately been rather neglected, both in churches and in the written word (Ridgely's two volume commentary is the only other I can think of, and it's much to complex for most readers) but this volume makes all the theological complexities crystal clear. A must read.

Answer: To read J. G. Vos's extremely clear commentary on the (overlooked and underread) Westminster Larger Catechism. For those who would like a one-volume, handy, theological volume to study, this would be a good one (another good one is A. A. Hodge's Commentary on the Confession). If you are someone studying for licensure or ordinations exam, or someone trying to better understand the overview of the Bible (also read his father's 'Biblical Theology for an overview), or studying for Sunday school class, or someone studying for devotion, this book is for you! It is quite indispensable as a commentary on the catechism and now after years of being out of print, P&R has seen fit to bless us! I hope that this volume will help us to return to our confessional roots as a people of God who are part of a great and long heritage of saints! 'Take up and read!'

A serious bible scholar does responsible criticism and interpretation of the cryptic biblical material, rather than just looking for the end of the world, Dr. Beck is looking at the text to see what it offers for us. As a student of Dr. Beck, I again say that he is (as he has long been) at least a decade ahead of those around him in so many ways - his understanding of Jewish-Christian relationships, biblical material, and church practices.

I have found this book absolutely fascinating. Whichever side of the Presbyterian / Congregational debate on church government that you may take, you will find new angles, new insights and new information to broaden your understanding of this critical phase of Church History. Even if you don't agree with all of R.S. Paul's conclusions, you will greatly profit from reading the detailed, day-to-day tussles of these godly, scholarly and completely earnest men of God in the Westminster Assembly. This work was obviously a labour of love - I highly recommend it for all interested in this period.

This book of collected prayers in the Reformed tradition is one which will prove inspirational to all who read it. The editors have searched the past 500 years to bring meaningful and fresh-sounding prayers of great people to us today. Many of the prayers of old, as well as those of more modern day, speak directly to us late 20th Century Reformed Christians.

Gyles Brandreth's new book is a marvellously well-crafted and naturally comic account of the author's five years as MP for the City of Chester. It chronicles the last parliament of Conservative Power under the premiereship of John Major. It makes compelling reading and has completely distracted me from my academic work.

This book outlines all the pitfalls and realities seldom thought of when a new to dog breeding person embarks on this course. Everything from kennel building and the changes that will occur in your life is covered in a fun to read format. Definitely a must read for anyone considering breeding dogs for any purpose.