Religious Books > Mary Alice Mulligan Religious Books

Advantages: Good suggestions and observations
Disadvantages: Limited audience

'Believing in Preaching: What Listeners Hear in Sermons' is the latest book in a four-part series on developing an understanding about how people listen to and respond to sermons and homilies. Supported by the Lilly Endowment, this project has involved many scholars at my seminary and elsewhere. 'Hearing the Sermon: Relationship/Content/Feeling', the second volume by Ronald J. Allen, professor of preaching and New Testament at my seminary, was published ...
...many authors, was published in summer 2004. This series is of homiletical (preaching) resources designed to aid those who preach understand more about the way their sermons are heard and understood. The scholar team brought together a diverse group of people from 28 area congregations to be part of the study. The purpose of this study, this volume and the others forthcoming, could be formed out of the statement in the preface to the first volume, ... Read review

Advantages: A good book for preachers and church-goers
Disadvantages: A narrow audience appeal

'Make the Word Come Alive' is the fourth volume in the Channels of Listening series, a Lilly Endowment funded study to learn how people listen to, understand and respond to sermons in different churches. The study involved a diverse collection of people, congregations and scholars at my seminary and elsewhere. The first three volumes have been published over the last year or so, and include 'Listening to Listeners', 'Hearing The Sermon: Relationship ...
...Hear In Sermons'. With this particular volume, the data collected is used to identify shared elements. 'The twelve chapters of this book lift up twelve qualities that many listeners find appealing in sermons.' The purpose is to advise preachers to help them provide more effective sermons. To be sure, there are far more than twelve elements to a good sermon. However, those listed here are the ones that most consistently were mentioned across the board ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting ideas and perspectives
Disadvantages: For a narrow audience

Mary Alice Mulligan and Rufus Burrow, Jr. (both professors at my old seminary, with whom I had studied in the past few years) collaborated on this book that from the very title presents a challenge to anyone who steps into a pulpit or assumes the role of minister or pastor - who do we think we are, and who are we called to be? To dare to speak in God's name is no small task, but the world calls out for a response to the evil that occurs every day. ...
...church, stating that there is little of what might be considered ethical and prophetic witness in the church today, no real voice and action that takes a stand against great oppression and violence against marginalised and oppressed people. They look at the sociological development and current difficulty both in communal society generally as well as the contemporary church. Part of this comes even from seminaries, where the three-fold call of ministers ... Read review

Advantages: Helps you set your life goals and follow it!
Disadvantages: It may bore you if you aren't focused

...psychologycal ideas and philosophic content. The ancestor of the bestseller - "The Secret" You attract what you think and more emotions you put into, quicker the result will appear. A great weapon for the pesimistic ones and those who've lost their beliefs. This book rearrange you on the right path. It's in onorable place in my library :) Abraham and Esther had made awesome works. Each and every component that makes up your life experience is drawn ...
...the thoughts you think and the story you tell about your life. Your money and fnancial assets; your body's state of wellness, clarity, fexibility, size, and shape; your work environment, how you are treated, work satisfaction, and rewards-indeed, the very happiness of your life experience in general- is all happening because of the story that you tell. If you will let your dominant intention be to revise and improve the content of the story you ... Read review

Advantages: Extremely well written, Counteracts Dawkins arguments concisely, Small book
Disadvantages: Some chapters extremely short, though this is not neceserilly a weakness.

The body of the text in this book talks about extremely complicated philosphical and theological concerning both the existence and nature of God that Richard Dawkins so casually and powerfully attempts to devalue. It is written to form the counter argument to Richard Dawkin's controversial book "The God Delusion" and does just that. Where some authors would be tempted to pile in every argument under the sun to do this, Cornwell is extremely particular, ...
...It is not written as an angry God attempting to shout down a non-believer either. In fact, the peace that is present in the volume of this book is extremely humbling and reminds Dawkins what the Christian doctrine of God and Angels are. Peace, Love, Goodwill. Not Anger, Hate, Suffering. ... Read review