Sunday, February 6, 2011

Book Review- The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster

     I am very interested in Christian apologetics. Since I am majoring in Biology, I like to have a balance in my life between the evolutionist theories and the creationist theories, that I adhere to, being a Christian. This is why I chose to read "The Jesus Inquest" by Charles Foster. This book is by no means an easy read. 

     Charles Foster is a brilliant man with an impressive academic background and his position as a lawyer causes him to have the the ability to be very convincing. But, he does not choose to try and influence the reader in either direction. He is seemingly very unbiased, a very difficult thing to be, when you are discussing your innermost beliefs and then arguing against them. There is a lot of information contained within this book and I found myself learning more and more with each page. There have been so many Christian apologetics books released recently due to the interest in Dan Brown and his books and movies. This book presents a very clear and all encompassing view of Jesus and his death and subsequent resurrection in an academic way, which is what I particularly liked about it.

     Some individuals might be insulted by Charles Foster- but I think it is important to have men like him that aren't afraid to challenge your mind- since that is the way that faith grows strongest. It is important to stick with the book, since you might be insulted right off the bat, but it is a worthwhile investment to learn some of the arguments that you might be confronted with as a Christian. Lately it seems as though the entire world is fighting against Christianity, so we have to arm ourselves with the word of God, and it is important to thoroughly understand the word, which is where Christian apologetics comes in. This is definitely one of my books that has highlighted pages and notes written in the margins. :)

Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Paleo Diet

Paleolithic nutrition is based on the premise that modern humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors and that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture, and therefore that an ideal diet for human health and well-being is one that resembles this ancestral diet.

So my husband and I embarked on the Paleo diet after running into some Cross Fitters at church. If you are unfamiliar with Cross Fit- it is a sort of workout routine that has evolved into a new sport. Sprinting, weight lifting, all done for time. Cross Fit is an excellent workout but the gyms are very expensive. Fortunately many gyms offer WOD (workout of the day) on their websites daily and you can do the best you can at home. The Paleo diet corresponds directly with Cross Fit. The most fit people I have ever met in my life have been Cross Fitters. So, why not give this Paleo diet a try?

It is remarkably simple. No grains, no dairy. You want to stay away from processed unnatural foods. Grass fed meat, veggies, sweet potato instead of white potato, along those lines. I've lost 5 lbs in the past 2 weeks with very minimal effort. We actually threw in 3 cheat days (unplanned) and still lost weight. Feeling good, looking good. I think I might start posting recipes to help me remember my favorites and to help out anyone else who might be interested in also going Paleo. It definitely is a lifestyle, but if you take your time, particularly at the grocery store, then it is worth it!!