All Posts Tagged With: "Christian Book Club Books"

What’s Up with the Christian Book Club

August 6th, 2009 • stephenlawes • 0 comments • Related • Filed Under

I was recently asked about how the Christian Book Club online was going. It is a good question. In April we began reading the Hobbit and then in each following month we read through the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I love these books and so I read through them in the first few weeks and I have been reading other books and waiting for August to start the newest series which is C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy.

While I was waiting I was working on the site as it relates to the search engines. For this site to eventually become what I am hoping it will be, it is going to have to get some consistent ranking on Google. From my experience with my other blogs, this site should have made its way up to the first page of Google by now. It has been there from time to time, but it keeps slipping back to page six or eight. From a search engine traffic perspective this is very frustrating. To try and figure out the problem, I have withheld posting any articles to see if I could get the site just to stabilize somewhere. That hasn’t seemed to work all that well, as the site still moves from page to page wildly. The lack of posting has also affected the traffic that we had been getting from Yahoo.

So, I am going to start posting regularly again to this site to see if we can win the search engine battle. I will go back and write about the Lord of the Ring Series and then stay current with the Space Trilogy. I love to read these books and the idea of a Christian Book Club online where we can discuss and comment on a wide range of Christian literature still appeals to me. I am hoping over the next season to find a couple of hundred people around the world who feel the same way. I would also like to encourage any of you who read this site to submit your articles to the site. I look forward to reading and sharing with you in the future!

The Screwtape Letters – Part 2

March 19th, 2009 • stephenlawes • 2 comments • Related • Filed Under

On the Christian Book Club in March we have been reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. To me, this is one of those books that you can read over and over again. Each time I read it, I feel like I am able to take something different away from the book. One of the chapters that really caught my attention (there were many of them) was Chapter 15 where the discussion turns to living in the future or living in the present. Screwtape says this on page 76; “In a word, the future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time–for the past is frozen and no longer flows, and the present is all lit up with eternal rays. Hence the encouragement we have given all those schemes of thought such as Creative Evolution, Scientific Humanism, or Communism, which fix men’s affections on the future, on the very core of temporality. Hence nearly all vices are rooted in the future. Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.”

That thought process really seemed to connect with me and the situation we find ourselves in today. Everyone seems so focused on the future, that in order to achieve what they think they want, they will do whatever they think it takes. In the process that have completely sacrificed the present, and they are really no longer living at all.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading the Screwtape Letters on Christian Book Club. As always, I look forward to your comments.

In April our Christian Book Club selection is “The Hobbit” by JRR Tolkien. I am going to put a link to the book in case you need to purchase a copy. After we read the Hobbit we are going to continue the story by reading the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I look forward to your comments and insight in the weeks ahead.

002219: The Hobbit The Hobbit
By J.R.R. Tolkien / Houghton-mifflin

If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of the humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) – if you do not already know all about these things – much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period.
For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred peace and quiet to excitement. But his account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Bilbo Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare.

Welcome to the Christian Book Club

February 28th, 2008 • stephenlawes • 0 comments • Related • Filed Under

The Christian Book Club is a place for people who enjoy reading to get together online and share their thoughts and questions. On the first of each month a new book and a new round of discussion is started. The book being read is divided into four sections and at the beginning of each week a new discussion ensues. All you need to do is come to the site whenever you can during that week and add your own comments and also respond to the comments of others. The Christian Book Club operates at its best when you participate with your comments. We will read old classics, new offerings, and even from time to time some books that are kicking up a little controversy. A book being selected for club reading is not necessarily an endorsement of the book. You are free to agree and disagree with the authors. The hope is to be able to read from a wide range of Christian thought.

Christian Book Club Books

To find out what books we are reading currently and in the months ahead go to the Christian Book Club Books page. If you don’t already have the book you can order it right there by clicking on the icon of the book. You will then be directed to either the Amazon.com or CBD.com sites where you can make arrangements to get your copy.

Questions or Suggestions

If you have any questions about how the club works or you would like to make suggestions about books you would like to see the club read, go to the Contact page and fill out the information on the form. We will answer your questions and appreciate your suggestions.

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