What Are You Reading Currently, 2.0

[FlamingZword]

Just finished reading One perfect Op (An insider's account of the navy SEAL Special warfare teams) by Dennis Chalker

[Scott Pitta]

Northwest Passage by Ellis Scism.

Still working on the Morse biography.

[votivesoul]

Still reading Zealot by Reza Aslan. Finished 2 Corinthians and Galatians, but haven't started in on Ephesians as of yet, in the NKJV.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Elaine Pagels Book Of Revelation: 'Visions, Prophecy And Politics', and Gnostic Paul

[Scott Pitta]

Phenomenon of Pentecost by Frank Ewart.

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

Still reading Zealot by Reza Aslan. Finished 2 Corinthians and Galatians, but haven't started in on Ephesians as of yet, in the NKJV.

Forgot to mention I'm also still reading Reimagining Church by Frank Viola.

Almost done with Ezekiel in the NLT. Haven't visited the Psalms in the ESV very much as of late, but still going back every now and again.

[votivesoul]

I have an idea:

Let's add to the what are we reading list a second list called what you should be reading, giving an example of a book you've read that you believe others here at the forum, or just people in general, ought to make the time and effort to read. Perhaps a summary or review of the book can be offered, or at least a link to amazon or other online retailer.

I will go first. Since in this thread I've already sang the praises of Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebig Montefiore, I will pick a different recommendation.

I was recently conversing with a fellow poster here at AFF and the book On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Colonel Dr. Dave Grossman came up.

Here is a link:

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psych.../dp/0316040932

It's not an easy read, due to its contents, especially the quotes and stories Dr. Grossman uses from real veterans who had to come face to face with actually killing someone during war. Certainly for mature readers, thematically speaking. It's not graphic, or gory, and the language is quite clean, with only perhaps a couple of exceptions, and those, if memory serve, are direct quotes taken from his research and interviews.

What the book does is it helps shed light on the process involved in training people to kill, and what is required to successfully overcome the natural aversion to killing someone. A very important and eye-opening chapter deals with the idea of how the further away someone is when they kill someone, the less personal it becomes, to the point of causing nearly zero psychological damage. Conversely, the closer one is (and he goes all the way up to knife fighting and hand to hand combat) the much more personal and psychologically damaging the act of killing becomes, barring those soldiers who were or are by nature, sociopaths or psychopaths.

The book also speaks directly to a discussion that is occurring here on AFF, in that it helps explain some of the underlying causes of combat-based PTSD, including an examination into the training methods soldiers of the United States military receive in Basic and otherwise, before they ever step foot in a war. Some of the data here I can attest to anecdotally from a friend who enlisted and served, and from a brother in the Lord who corroborated the anecdote told to me by my friend.

If anyone has questions or would like some more information, please just ask.

[seguidordejesus]

Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity
by Frederica Mathewes-Green

The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

I have an idea:

Let's add to the what are we reading list a second list called what you should be reading, giving an example of a book you've read that you believe others here at the forum, or just people in general, ought to make the time and effort to read. Perhaps a summary or review of the book can be offered, or at least a link to amazon or other online retailer.

I will go first. Since in this thread I've already sang the praises of Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebig Montefiore, I will pick a different recommendation.

I was recently conversing with a fellow poster here at AFF and the book On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Colonel Dr. Dave Grossman came up.

Here is a link:

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Psych.../dp/0316040932

It's not an easy read, due to its contents, especially the quotes and stories Dr. Grossman uses from real veterans who had to come face to face with actually killing someone during war. Certainly for mature readers, thematically speaking. It's not graphic, or gory, and the language is quite clean, with only perhaps a couple of exceptions, and those, if memory serve, are direct quotes taken from his research and interviews.

What the book does is it helps shed light on the process involved in training people to kill, and what is required to successfully overcome the natural aversion to killing someone. A very important and eye-opening chapter deals with the idea of how the further away someone is when they kill someone, the less personal it becomes, to the point of causing nearly zero psychological damage. Conversely, the closer one is (and he goes all the way up to knife fighting and hand to hand combat) the much more personal and psychologically damaging the act of killing becomes, barring those soldiers who were or are by nature, sociopaths or psychopaths.

The book also speaks directly to a discussion that is occurring here on AFF, in that it helps explain some of the underlying causes of combat-based PTSD, including an examination into the training methods soldiers of the United States military receive in Basic and otherwise, before they ever step foot in a war. Some of the data here I can attest to anecdotally from a friend who enlisted and served, and from a brother in the Lord who corroborated the anecdote told to me by my friend.

If anyone has questions or would like some more information, please just ask.

Grossman is grossly misleading.


https://thetruthaboutsocnetlies.word.../fool-me-once/

"LTC Grossman is a well known trainer of police on a number of topics. One would expect that police would expect the highest level of integrity from those that train peace officers.

– This claim of being a Pulitzer Proze nominee calls Mr. Grossman’s personal integrity into question. All someone did was pay $50 and fill out a form. He’ll likely claim that he “didn’t know” as did Johah Greenburg in the MSNBC link above, but Mr Grossman is an academic and a former West Point professor. As noted in the Pulitzer webpage FAQ, Pulitzer entrants have been told the difference between “entrants” and “nominees” since 1980.

– This is not the first time that Mr Grossman has “quibbled” about his credentials. LTC Grossman claims to be an “airborne Ranger” (also clearly claimed in the statement to the NY Legistlature link), however, there is no evidence even from the LTC himself that he ever served in any of the three Ranger Battalions. He may be the only graduate of the 8 week Ranger course that doesn’t know the difference between an “Airborne Ranger” and a “Ranger School graduate”. LTC Grossman also teaches about his self described science of “killology” yet has never served in combat or killed anyone.

– Mr Grossman apparently has had business associations with a similar group of people selling services to police and the government that seem to have similar integrity or actions that a layman can easily see as against the law. John Giduck published a book in which he has first hand conversations about being in Russia with the Beslan siege supposedly ongoing but actually was in Colorado at the time those conversations would have taken place. John “Andy” Anderson, co founder of Archangel Group with John Giduck and who had made false claims to have been a high speed Department of Energy employee, also had conversations recorded by a journalist in which Mr. Andy Anderson appears to have provided defense advice in the Sudan in violation of ITAR statutes. Joseph “Joe” Bail who serves as the Police Commissioner for Chester, PA and apparently received a $20,000 honorarium from Archangel Group that appears to be a violation of the PA State Ethics Act. All three of these people are involved with Archangel Group which publishes Terror At Beslan which Mr. Grossman has sold and marketed at his seminars for years.

I’ll leave it to the reader to determine the whys of someone that sells books and training for a living to likely fudge the difference between paying $50 and filling out a form to being an actual Pulitzer Prize nominee. My opinion is if, like John Giduck, Mr. Grossman is knowing lying about his background to sell you books and seminars, what else is he lying about? See the links below to learn more about the circle around that mutually promote and defend each other.

I still laugh about how cops pay a guy that never killed anyone for advice about killing. How dumb is that? You may as well be sitting in a Grossman lecture about menstrual cramps."

[votivesoul]

Finished Ephesians in the NKJV today. On to Philippians.

As far as recommendations go, I recommend Michael Card's Biblical Imagination Series: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Here is some info from Card's website:

http://www.michaelcard.com/biblicalimagination
http://www.michaelcard.com/biseries