God: A Biography

Rating:
Summary: An amazing work
Review: In "God: A Biography," Jack Miles attempts to flesh out, both physically, emotionally and spiritually, the God of the Old Testament. This book is not a typical biography, in that it is not a chronological tellign of God's growth as a person and the major events in his life. Rather, the book is a series of interpretations (and perhaps assumptions) of God's actions and interactions with the Israelites and all of His followers, and as such it succeeds brilliantly. The structure of the book was vital to its success: Miles titles each chapter under a broad element or theme of God's character, and throughout the chapter goes into more minute detail about what God did that brought the author to that decision. The interpretation of God here is near absolute; Miles selects incredibly applicable sections of the Bible from which to come to his hypotheses, and through his lucid and accessible writing one is able to understand God and his metamorphosis from Creator and Friend to recluse and silent observer. This book is a thunderous addition to Christian literature and should be read by all who would like more in-depth idea of God's influence and identity.

Rating:
Summary: New wine in new wineskins.
Review: Setting: The dawn of Judao-Christian history.Characters: God, God's creation and you.Enter Moses the aged story teller of the Pentateuch. As he peers into the darkness, the Divine Being emerges and encounters the human animal for the first time. In what appears to be an unfolding of God's personality, salvation history begins its course. God comes into his being and runs an eternal lab of experiments as he finds himself. As God continues to become more comfortable with the divine nature, humans grow into and become more comfortable with their creaturliness. Jack Miles fills in the gaps of salvation history by using literary liberty. He says what is left unsaid in Holy Scripture and the death of God is resurrected through actions and stories. Miles injects the salvation stories with, sometimes, too human questions. He includes all the questions Abraham to Zephaniah should have asked but didn't. These questions enliven the book with humor and even sadness. All parts of our human experience, happiness, sadness, encounters with the divine and salvation, are explored in this masterpiece. Jack Miles pours new wine into new wineskins.

Rating:
Summary: Who judges whom?
Review: This book should be required reading in the public schools. Jack Miles presents a god who is far from perfect and far from all knowing. For far too long man has lived under the belief that a god would someday judge him, if there was a god, it would be man who should be the judge, god could rest in the knowledge that mankind is far more merciful than himself.