Adsum, that is so helpful. I have toyed with the idea of book reviews and have written some over the years but never really felt equipped for it and have questioned my reasons for doing so. Occasionally on Goodreads I add a few words of commendation but mostly I just allow my star-rating to convey whether I enjoyed the book or not. If I was to do any attenuated reviews I think I'd use 3 questions to which I'd give a star-rating: Did I find it enjoyable? Was it helpful? Might others also benefit from it? On that final question I think the answer would almost always be, It depends! On their tastes, on their life situation and many other considerations.
In relation to your scheme, I wonder if a third question might be helpful to add into the mix (I realise it breaks the connection to Calvin by doing so): What does this tell me about creation? To be sure that will inevitably lead me to think about both the Creator and then Mankind as part of his creation but it might be helpful to allow creation's distinctive witness its own place before taking those steps, so that it may be enjoyed not simply as a road but as a path (as Wendell Berry might say).
I'm going to give your contact to the person who organizes book reviews for Christianity Today!
Oooh I'm excited to read your book reviews again, I've missed them!
Yes, absolutely with how the observations re creation are then realised through the questions about God and Man.
You’ve created an amazing chart! I didn’t realize until now that you can apply Obedience-based Bible Study in reading books too 😊
I appreciate this writing. I've never been great at writing reviews, so I look forward to seeing you put your stuff into practice.
Fantastic tier system! Inspired!
Adsum, that is so helpful. I have toyed with the idea of book reviews and have written some over the years but never really felt equipped for it and have questioned my reasons for doing so. Occasionally on Goodreads I add a few words of commendation but mostly I just allow my star-rating to convey whether I enjoyed the book or not. If I was to do any attenuated reviews I think I'd use 3 questions to which I'd give a star-rating: Did I find it enjoyable? Was it helpful? Might others also benefit from it? On that final question I think the answer would almost always be, It depends! On their tastes, on their life situation and many other considerations.
In relation to your scheme, I wonder if a third question might be helpful to add into the mix (I realise it breaks the connection to Calvin by doing so): What does this tell me about creation? To be sure that will inevitably lead me to think about both the Creator and then Mankind as part of his creation but it might be helpful to allow creation's distinctive witness its own place before taking those steps, so that it may be enjoyed not simply as a road but as a path (as Wendell Berry might say).
Thanks for writing this piece. I'll probably return to it for my own reading and review writing.