Kevin Harvey

This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

Hopefully you know by now that I'm no stranger when it comes to enjoying diverse books. I'm pretty current when it comes to new MG and YA books, I enjoy a good fantasy as much as the next person, and my bookshelves hold way more science than Amish fiction. What you may not know is that my music library is also pretty open to a wide variety of music genres. When I put my iPad on random shuffle, these are the first five songs that come up: "Find Me" by Christina Grimmie, "Waiting for Superman" by Daughtry, "Grenade" by Bruno Mars, "Do-Re-Mi" from "The Sound of Music," and "Do You Think About Me" by Carrie Underwood.

I say this to explain that I am not a shut-in when it comes to popular culture. However, I think there's a limit to what is acceptable for me. There reaches a point where media goes too far, where it so blatantly supports un-Christian morals that I just have to put the book down, take out my earbuds, or hit the "stop" button on the TV. I realize this "turn-off" point is different for everyone, but mine is definitely earlier than Harvey's.

And this is where Harvey loses me. He sits down to watch the dirtiest, most offensive television shows and comes away twisting over backwards to say they represent something from the Bible. I'm sorry, Harvey, but I just can't swallow that there is any Christianity in The Big Bang Theory, Lost, or Extreme Makeover. I'm not saying that they're straight from the devil or anything, just that they are not Christian shows and that you can't pretend that they are. Bend over backward far enough, and just about anything points where you want it to. Harvey addresses these issues by saying that pop culture offers half of the Bible, and it's up to other Christians to teach people about the other half. I personally don't agree with this exaggeration of the Bible's prevalence in pop culture, but even if I did I still would have liked for him to lead more with that, and less with "let's look at this random movie and dissect it for Christ!"

Harvey's writing is compelling, though, and kept me engaged much longer than I would have otherwise stayed interested. The subheadings throughout the chapters are kind of confusing, making it hard to flip through and find his analysis of specific movies/books/shows/etc. There are a bunch of Bible quizzes scattered throughout the book that I didn't even attempt because I knew I'd fail. There's also a section at the back of the book with puzzles about Bible content in them. I don't really see what a crossword puzzle about flowers listed in Song of Solomon has to do with pop culture, but I can see how this would appeal to younger people. I'm handing off my copy of the book to my younger siblings once I'm done with it, because I know they'll like the puzzles a lot more than I would.

All in all, this was a well-written book with weird chapter organization and an argument I disagree with. It's too bad, because I got my hopes up when I saw the title.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through the BookLook Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review.… (más)

I received this book in exchange for honest review. The book discusses how God is seen in pop culture. From how Superman has similarities to Jesus. Superman came from another land to be a light unto the world. He saved the world too. Batman also took the blame for things, he did not do so people of Gotham City would have hope. Jesus also died for our sins so we can have everlasting life. Thor died and was resurrected too.

The book also discussed one of my favorite movies, Bruce Almighty. In the movie, Jim Carrey was given godly powers. The power came with a dog, who peed in the toilet and other things, which should not have happened. :-). The author discussed how people in the bible were given tasks to do, but they failed. Moses was supposed to strike a rock to get water, but he did not trust God. Because of his actions, the people were in the wilderness longer than they wanted. David killed Bathsheba's husband.

Another thing, I liked in the book is the side notes. One of the side notes, discussed superheroes, not discussed in the book, such as Wolverine and Ghost Rider. Another side note, discussed why Jezebel will never be a Disney Princess. Of course, Anna and Elsa are in the book too. Anna wanted to save her sister and was frozen for a moment as a result. Anna was able to warm Elsa's heart and they lived together in harmony with a talking snowman. The book also discusses Rapunzel, The Croods, Despicable Me, and witches.

I also liked the chapter, Now I see it, Now I don't. The author provides the good, bad, and ugly on characters , such as Sheldon Cooper's mother.

The book is a great and interesting read.… (más)