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Book Review
New Devotional Guide Encourages People to
Get Closer to God
NEWARK, N.J. - The desert can be a place
or a state of mind, says Charles Elephant. In his new book,
Echoes of Heaven: God's Love is Better Than Life Itself, he
explains what religion is and what the deserts - both literal
and figurative - mean, as well as what the "green pastures"
represent to those who seek a closer relationship with God.
"[The desert] is the literal
place where God chose to reveal himself to messengers and
prophets. It is also a state of being, for you may have every
material thing you desire in the world, yet inside your soul
you may not feel happy or content or at peace," the author
explains. "In that situation your soul is in the desert,
and you need to find something that can make your soul satisfied
again. That is when you seek God's guidance."
Ultimately, says Elephant, religion is a
relationship between an individual and God. "Those who
were sent by God to bring his guidance did their work, and
we need to do our work, too," he says. What, then, are
the "green pastures," and what state of being do
they reveal?
"They represent the state that
exists when our soul is content and at peace," Elephant
says. "That [state] can only be achieved through a good
relationship with God - by believing, trusting, obeying and
living according to his guidance. If you have peace within
you, it does not matter where you are physically or what you
are going through-every place, every situation is a green
pasture."
Through his encouraging words and insight
into the Scriptures, Elephant urges readers to nurture their
individual relationships with God.
"If we do what is good and walk
in the right, we bring good unto ourselves," he says.
"God will be pleased with good actions and bless us.
God is interested in having a good relationship with us; this
is the true religion."
"Today, Christianity is under attack.
It is obvious that there are many questions left unanswered,
and some gaps of information need to be filled," he says.
" But should Christians worry about Da Vinci Code and
whether it is true of false? Before we reach a conclusion,
it is a good idea to analyze our religion to see whether we
are right or wrong. What should we know about Jesus the Christ?"
An enlightening guide to connecting with one's spiritual self,
Echoes of Heaven is full of heartfelt wisdom from a man whose
strength of spirit is evident on every page.
By Editors:
Promotional Services Department
Tel: 888-728-8467
Fax: 812-961-3133
Email: pressreleases@authorhouse.com
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Echoes of Heaven:
Progressive or Archaic?
By Spinetinglers Committee
When reading a religious book, I always ask
myself this question: Is the book progressive or is the book
archaic? Unfortunately, I find a lot of religious books to
be the latter. I am tired of the whole world taking the Bible
literally as I think this is a very dangerous thing. You cannot
base your outlook on a book that was written two thousand
years ago by quintessentially a bunch of men. You may argue
that it is God's word that is written in the Bible, and to
a certain extent it is. However, a lot of it is merely man's
interpretation of God's word - and this, as I said before,
is a very dangerous thing. It's what gets women stoned for
having children out of wedlock and when taken to the extreme,
it can result in fascism.
Having said this, I like to think that I
have an open mind and do not dismiss the religious view outright.
I believe that if someone is so passionate (Charles Elephant's
passion is extremely evident in this book) about his beliefs,
and he has taken the trouble to put his passion down on paper,
then I am obliged to read and see for myself if their interpretation
of God's word is acceptable in modern society.
Echoes of Heaven is a well-written book and
does present some interesting theories. Charles Elephant does
not, for the most part, seem to be judging other people. Rather,
it seems he would like to see the rest of the world rely on
spiritual guidance as he has come to do. Yet, he does not
seem to condemn those who have not taken the steps that he
has. This is progressive. Also, he seems to embrace all other
religions instead of claiming that his own religion is superior.
Again, I would conclude that this is progressive.
Elephant also talks about the furore over
The Da Vinci Code and refers to how some people have stated
that if Jesus had a family, this somehow lessens his divinity.
Elephant states that he does not agree with this. Yet again,
I have to admit that this is progressive. However, there are
few statements that I object to. He quotes Proverbs in detailing
the qualities that a prudent wife should have. An example
of one of these qualities is: "She keeps herself busy
making wool and linen cloth." This example does not stand
up in the modern world. In another passage, he talks about
the qualities that he would expect from a wife; one of them
is that she should be obedient. I think the term "obedient"
should not be used. A healthy marriage or a loving partnership
in the modern world does not ask for obedience by either spouse.
I would hesitate to use such a word with even a child. These
sentiments I find archaic.
In conclusion, I believe Charles Elephant
is a good man struggling to be the best that he can be, and
this is an admirable quality - one that all of us should aspire
to. Echoes of Heaven is a thought-provoking and interesting
book. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in
religious theory and theology. However, I probably would not
recommend it to militant feminists as some of the text might
upset them just a little. In failure
Book Review By:
Spinetinglers Committee
22 Vestry Road
Ballygowan
BT23 6HJ
www.spinetinglers.co.uk
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