Book Review: Unleashed by Erwin Raphael McManus

Unleashed by Erwin Raphael McManus is written in a straightforward, easy to read style, but its content is hard to swallow. McManus challenges that the church today is drinking a watered down Jesus. He creates a dichotomy between the civilized Christian and the barbaric Christian, calling us to the way of the barbaric. While this may sound dramatic or crude, it is characterized by a life of love, obedience, and sacrifice to Christ with an unashamed abandon. The focus is on commitment, being sold-out to Christ, rather than just going through the motions and doing the expected Christian thing.

My main criticism is that there is a lot of theory and not a lot of practical application for those wanting to make a change. For those readers who feel called to move from civilized Christianity to barbaric Christianity, there is no help for what to do.

Unleashed forces you to the point to make a decision. It desires to move you from the point of belief to the call to action, living our lives with everything for Christ. If you desire to stay where you are in your walk with Christ, don’t pick up this book. If you’re ready to be challenged and move deeper in your faith, then grab a copy of this book and get ready for your world to be turned upside down.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.

Book Review: Max on Life by Max Lucado

Max on Life by Max Lucado is not a book you sit down and read in one sitting, but more of a resource on some of the most asked questions the famous author received about the Christian life. He organizes the 200 questions he answers with biblical truths in the following seven categories:

-Hope
-Hurt
-Help
-Him/Her
-Home
-Haves/Have-Nots
-Hereafter

In addition to answering questions in these categories, there is a brief section about information for aspiring writers, notes, and a topical index for quickly finding the answers to you questions.

While the questions were not answered in depth, they did scratch the surface of the issue and point the reader in the right direction. Obviously, in answering 200 questions, you cannot address every aspect of the question, but some of the answers were a little brief for such deep questions. While I wasn’t blown away by any new information, I believe this would be a great beginning point for a lot of questions. This would be a great resource for a quick biblical perspective when faced with tough questions to keep on your bookshelf. I would recommend Max on Life as a great resource to have, but not all conclusive for life’s issues.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.