[.ca] God Wrote a Book (ISBN 1581344465)

the best book ever:
i read this book. it is clear and informative. there are no problems with it at all it is the best book i have ever read except for james's other books i really want to change, and lord change my atitude.

Light, but good.:
This a book for non believers, or those who question the authority and validity of the bible. It is very basic but Pastor James frank talk can be very persuasive. I now give this book to my friends that doubt the bible,

Enthusiastic and Revitalizing.:
I was skeptical when I picked up this book, thinking it would be a beat-you-over-the-head diatribe about the evils of not reading the Bible. I was happily surprised to find the opposite. James MacDonald writes as if he was sitting across from you in the local Starbucks, talking about one of the most amazing things he's ever experienced in his life. His enthusiasm for the Bible is apparent in every page of his book, but it is far from being feel-good fluff: this book gives a solid foundational understanding of what the Bible is, where it came from, and why it should be an important part of each person's life. Even more, he gives practical advice about how to start reading and benefiting from it. But best of all, he presents the gospel message and encourages the reader to make a personal relationship with Jesus Christ the starting point of their study of the Bible. The primary audience for this book is people with little or no prior experience with the Bible, both people looking for answers and those with little interest in the Bible or Christianity. It seeks to convince them of the validity of the Bible as the very words of God and thus, something that all people should take seriously. But I read this book as a life-long Christian and received great benefit from it as well. Considering the Bible from a new angle was revitalizing to my appreciation of it and has renewed my respect for this amazing gift. I would highly recommend this book to Christians and non-Christians alike. The conversational style of writing makes this book suitable to read on one's own--it doesn't require a study group or a session with a pastor to understand and start applying the message. Read it--MacDonald's enthusiasm for the Bible is catching and will hopefully lead you to dive into the Scriptures in a life-changing way.

Informative and inspiring!:
Although this book is probably most helpful for newcomers to the Bible, I found it quite interesting. I've been reading the Bible for about 10 years now. Pastor James, teaching pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows Illinois, does a good job of giving evidence for believing the Bible. He includes archeological evidence, and talks about the issue of number of manuscripts, etc. Some books that cover this material are much more lengthy and harder to read and understand. Anyone who is interested learning more about the subject would do well to read at least parts of "The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell. MacDonald also has a chapter on "Where Does the Bible Come From", where he touches on the canon, and how inferior writings were left out, and inspired writings were included. Pastor James make a point in that chapter that I really must disagree with. He makes the important point that the words of the Bible are not to be added to, or subtracted from. Which is good, but then he criticizes Bibles with Study Notes, and says that we should read THE BIBLE, and not what someone says about the Bible. Well, obviously, the Bible text itself is the important part, and I haven't seen a single Bible (and I own quite a few!) where the notes are indistinguishable from the Bible text itself, as Pastor James states. I do think Bibles with study notes are a HUGE help to many Bible-readers. I also really appreciate cross-references, which help me see that Jesus birth, death, and resurrection was foretold in so many parts of the Old Testament! The author also lets us know his distaste for all the special versions of the Bible out there - The Student Bible, The Seniors Devotional Bible, The Knowing Jesus Bible, The Life Promises Bible, the Beginner's Bible - those are ones that I personally have seen, not the ones that the author mentions. He thinks all these editions are just a marketing ploy, but I must respectfully disagree. The Bible text in these is the same (except for the children's Bibles - surely Pastor James doesn't really think that young children should wait til they can read the NASB to be able to get into God's Word!). I think that the author could've done a little better job about telling people WHAT to read in the Bible, after he gets them motivated with this book! He does recommend reading the gospel of John first, then 1,2,3 John, then another gospel. I think his recommendations would be better in a separate chart or an appendix or something, instead of having it as just another paragraph in the chapter. This may seem like a lot of criticism for a book I rated 4 stars! I really do think it's a great book to read - and to give to loved ones you care about who haven't yet begun the great adventure of reading God's Word and LIVING it! You might want to check out my other reviews of Christian books.