{Book Review} Christianish by Mark Steele

A Good Book, But Not That Original

In “Christianish: What If We're Not Really Following Jesus at All?” author Mark Steele asks us to examine our lives and see if we are really living a life that imitates Christ or if we are merely living a life that is “Christianish”. To be honest this concept is nothing new and there a handful of books out there that address the same topic. What makes Steele’s effort at this topic different than others is his presentation and style. This style can be seen as either positive or negative depending on the reader. The language is simple and lacks complex theological terms. There are not many Bible verses referenced. Chapters typically begin with a funny or interesting story out of the author’s own life. Few if any other authors or books are referenced, which I suppose is to lend that to the fact that, what is being written is all of the author’s original ideas, but it also fails to add support for the authors points/ideas. And the book references modern culture often to give an up to date feel.

This would be a good book for someone who does not enjoy or like “Religious” or “Preachy” books about Christianity. It is very accessible to the lay person and it is also very easy to understand. On the other hand this book is not for one who is looking for something deep or theologically rich. The book embraces pop culture without endorsing it and I can’t say that I say I found anything I disagreed with theologically either, however I just felt that the lack of Bible verses to support points or references to other books makes me feel that this is more the just the author’s idea of “Christianity” rather than the orthodox view. Not that this is a bad thing, I just like more support in my books so I can better understand where the author is coming from in his text.

So while the book may not be a great choice for a seminary student or mature Christian it would be a great book for a pre-teen through young undergraduate or even someone who just doesn’t like preachy overtly “Christian” books. Also I feel there are many other books out on the market that take a much more comprehensive and in depth approach to this topic, but may not appeal to the audience that this book was intended for. Keep that in mind when considering the book for yourself or others.

{Music Review} Danyew [EP] by Phil Danyew

Good not Great

There is no doubt in my mind that Phil Danyew is a very talented songwriter, instrumentalist and overall musician. But I listened to this EP several times and not once did my ears perk up. The musical style of the artist is similar to much of the over-produced audio effects laden music we heard during the late 90’s and early 00’s. For me it didn’t do anything. Now don’t get me wrong the quality of the production itself is great, but I start to listen to the music and shortly after it just blends into background music. I really don’t enjoy saying this, because even when I read the lyrics to the songs on the CD insert they come off as really great God centered poetry, but set to his music they don’t resonate with me. Now I realize that this is just my opinion, I respect that musical tastes are very subjective, but Danyew just kind of left me flat, perhaps you will enjoy it more than me?