Anthony T. Selvaggio

I was tempted to give this one a star less for its brevity, but I must remind myself often it is my fault for not checking the length and depth of a book before buying it. Granted, living in a non-English speaking country makes it marginally more difficult to do that, but while it may be an excuse for impulse book buying, it is not an excuse for antilibrary building or an adversarial tone in reviewing.

All in all, it is an enjoyable, succint review of Gospel themes in Exodus, focused on Moses’ ministry. It only touches Moses’ life after Exodus, but does that competently. It has the feel of preaching, which is to be expected from a preacher (and US lawyer), sometimes descending into colloquial language and homely illustrations, often offering non sequiturs that would have gone down better in preaching (or better yet, conversation) than in the printed page; most notably the one on ‘household baptisms’, one of the lamest arguments for sprinkling babies but one of the most common in even the most gifted baby-sprinkling preachers, and as we sorely need good preachers and writers, that is a fault we can hardly dwell on much.

On the one hand, the sound Jesus in the Old Testament theology makes it fundamental for people like me who are still getting used to this approach to exegesis that Jesus practiced with his disciples in the road to Emmaus, and recommends the rest of ‘The Gospel according to the Old Testament’ series; on the other, if one can find and face a more substantial approach elsewhere, one may conceivably pass the rest of the series.… (altro)

7 Toxic Ideas Polluting Your Mind
Anthony Selveggio
What does it mean to live a Christian lifestyle? Is it based on behaviors you can pinpoint and things you can see? Or does a truly Christian approach to the world begin far earlier . . . and subtler . . . than that?
There are two conflicting worldviews: the Christian and the non-Christian. These worldviews are in constant opposition, but since they take place in the mind, many people don't realize that they exist at all.
Unfortunately, Christians often live their lives unaware that they are adopting non-Christian ideas and being influenced by the enemy's worldview. Worldliness is too often equated with conforming to a set of external behaviors, rather than the battle of the mind that it truly is. And when Christians are too concerned and distracted by behavior on the outside, it is all too easy for worldliness to slip into our minds and take hold.
This book examines seven examples of particularly toxic non-Christian ideas that cripple the modern Christian mind. It also offers assistance on how to combat these ideas, to the glory of God. Each idea is explored clearly and understandably, and discussion questions are included to help you pinpoint these toxic ideas in your own thinking-and remove them.
Take a look at these seven ideas and see which of them have entered your thinking . . . and be encouraged to remove the pollution with a truly Christian worldview.

This was a good read. It was about how the current technology and ideology have impacted the world and how it can impact the Church in America especially. There are positives to all technology and that is not forgotten by Mr. Selveggio. He goes through how these 7 ideas have impacted us and how to sort through them. He was able to bring out positives when possible and offer a proper view of these ideas. It was a good read and easy to see how the Church can get carried away or become trapped by these ideas like individualism when we avoid topics that we disagree with rather than enter into relationships without compromising our beliefs.
I would like to thank Net Galley and P & R Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.… (altro)

The title is intended, I assume, merely to be catchy. The subtitle, however, gives an accurate description of the contents of the book: “Timeless Wisdom for Your Words, Work, Wealth, and Relationships.” The book is divided into six major sections of two chapters each. The topics covered are one’s speech, work, wealth, friends, marriage, and children.

In the first chapter Selvaggio places the reader in a Christological context by detailing four connections that Proverbs has to Christ: Jesus lived wisdom, Jesus is wisdom, Jesus is the way of wisdom, and Jesus supplies wisdom. The rest of the book contains sound advice culled primarily, but not exclusively, from the book of Proverbs with numerous verses cited and expounded. When you consider the topics the author chooses to develop, you realize that they really are the major issues that Proverbs deals with repeatedly. He is not riding hobby horses. He has stuck to the main themes of Proverbs. Considering these topics also brings you to the realization that these are the main issues in life. Where else do we struggle if not in the areas of our speech, work, wealth, friends, marriage and children?! Hence, like the book of Proverbs itself, this is an immensely practical and challenging book.… (altro)