Non-fiction

‘Green Like God,’ book review

April 10, 2010

The new book Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet, by Southern Baptist leader Jonathan Merritt, is likely to ruffle more feathers and garner both more praise and more criticism than any book by any other Southern Baptist author in 2010. That’s because Merritt holds the unusual position of being Southern Baptist [...]

Leadership library give away

By Marty Duren

March 30, 2010

Up for grabs is a group of ten (10) leadership books to keep or give to leaders around you. Most of these are used having been picked up at various sales or thrift shops over the last few months (not everyone actually reads them, you know) or books that were given to me for attending [...]

‘When Helping Hurts,’ book review

By Marty Duren

March 16, 2010

I’m not sure what the literary equivalent of disruptive technology is, but When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Ourselves by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert would certainly fit the description. Perhaps cognitive realignment could be suggested. In the wake of the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile combined with ongoing [...]

Interview with ‘Travety in Haiti’ author, Dr. Tim Schwartz-Part 3

By Marty Duren

February 26, 2010

This is the last part of my interview with Travesty in Haiti: A true account of Christian missions, orphanages, fraud, food aid and drug trafficking author, Dr. Tim Schwartz. (You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.) I am extremely grateful to Dr. Schwartz for his time and his thorough responses. If you [...]

Interview with ‘Travesty in Haiti’ author, Dr. Tim Schwartz-Part 2

By Marty Duren

February 24, 2010

This is the second part of the interview with Travesty in Haiti: A true account of Christian missions, orphanages, fraud, food aid and drug trafficking author, Dr. Tim Schwartz. (Read the first part here.) MD: Is there a solution to what seems to be the logistics issues that came to the fore after the earthquake? [...]

Interview with ‘Travesty in Haiti’ author, Dr. Tim Schwartz-Part 1

By Marty Duren

February 23, 2010

Last week I published a review of Travesty in Haiti: A true account of Christian missions, orphanages, fraud, food aid and drug trafficking by Dr. Timothy T. Schwartz. (Read that review here.) The book was so eye-opening that I immediately started trying to track down the author for an interview. Although Dr. Schwartz has been [...]

‘Travesty in Haiti,’ book review

By Marty Duren

February 16, 2010

When I returned from Haiti on February 8, the first thing I started doing was looking for books that could help make sense of some of the things I had seen that obviously predated the earthquake: the extreme poverty, regularly being asked for money or things, and nightmarish logistical situations that seemingly prevented needs from [...]

Loretta Napoleoni and the global economics of terrorism

By Marty Duren

January 29, 2010

Loretta Napoleoni gave the following talk at TED last summer. Napoleoni, a macroeconomist whose introduction to terrorism and money came through interviewing the Italian Red Brigades, demonstrates the intricate linkage of world finance and terrorist moneymaking. She also suggests the primary activity of terror networks is not politics or violence, but the raising of capital, [...]

Radiation oncologist claims proof of the afterlife

By Marty Duren

January 26, 2010

January 25, 2010—Near-death experiences have long been a fascinating phenomenon, prompting more questions than answers. According to a Gallup poll, between 8 to 12 million Americans—around five percent—say they have had a near-death experience. Despite these substantial numbers, most scientists are at a loss to explain these events. Dr. Jeffrey Long, a radiation oncologist, has [...]

‘Game Change,’ excerpts part 3

By Marty Duren

January 21, 2010

[A necessary disclaimer: I did not vote for either Obama or McCain in November. My preference was not to choose between the lesser of two evils and I would not cast a vote for either of them in a future face-off. The first two posts in this group (Parts One and Two) focused on the [...]