When it comes to leadership, in the church as much as the secular world, a lot can be learned from the great leaders of history. Most of us know General Douglas MacArthur for his leadership during World War II. MacArthur may have been one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century, but there is far more to his story than the Pacific Theater in WWII. In MacArthur: America’s General, author Yockelson helps show us what experiences built the man who defeated imperial Japan and built democratic Japan, friend of the United States.

If you are hoping for a detailed account of the Pacific campaign during WWII, this book will disappoint you. While there are a couple of chapters about the Pacific war, they are more rapid-fire than they are exhaustive. This is just one sign that there is more to MacArthur than most know him for.

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Today’s Christians really have little understanding of the concept of forgiveness. The scars of unforgiveness mark our individual souls, as well as the collective histories of our churches.

In “Unconditional? The call of Jesus to radical forgiveness,” Brian Zahnd provides a challenge to those who call themselves Christian. He paints a biblical portrait of radical forgiveness. It is an end to personal vengeance. It is the key to peace in this world. It is not forgetting, but releasing. It is not cheap justice or weakness. It is the beauty that saves the world. Forgiveness is not easy. It is the cross of Christ that we are called to bear.

You will be challenged by “Unconditional?” You will also be deeply enriched by the theology in the later chapters. It seems as if Zahnd strays from the topic of forgiveness, but his words are so rich that you will not be able to put this book down.

What one thing do you wish you could have, or believe that if you had it your life would instantly change and you would be happy? Think really hard about that one thing, and then think about how you could rearrange your life to turn every effort towards that one goal.

Before you actually start that new way of life, you should know this: After all of the planning and the work and the time investing in getting that one thing you want, when you get it, you still won’t be happy.

Why? Because there is a conspiracy at work to keep you from being content. It’s a conspiracy that involves three parties, and one of those is your own heart.

Check out this trailer video for the book, and then read on for my review.

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