BookPastor >> "Pursuing Health in an Anxious Age" (Bob Cutillo)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Nov 25th, 2016.

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TITLE: Pursuing Health in an Anxious Age (Gospel Coalition (Faith and Work))
AUTHOR: Bob Cutillo, MD
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016, (208 pages)


What is health for? With more advanced medical technology and world-class healthcare, should we not be happier people? Not really. In fact, there are some disturbing trends that are happening in our era. There are many top quality tests but there is a lack of accuracy in diagnosis. There are many different branches of healthcare but they are more fragmented than ever. There are also that disturbing lopsided orientation toward cure rather than care. With the experience of hindsight and the genuine concern for holistic healthcare, author Bob Cutillo summarizes his concerns and gives insights on what good healthcare looks like as follows:

It must be scientifically competent and comes with well-informed choices

It needs a measurable and efficient system

It must include genuine care

There are lots of areas that health insurance often leaves out, which means we need to taper our expectations accordingly.

Politics play a big part in healthcare policies

Healthcare must involve not only the curative but also the preventative aspect

Healthcare also requires vulnerability and trust; and acceptance.

BookPastor >> "Blessed" (Kate Bowler)

TITLE: Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel
AUTHOR: Kate Bowler
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2013, (352 pages).

When you see names like Kenneth Hagin, Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, EW Kenyon, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland, and others, what comes to mind? That's right. It's the Prosperity Gospel! In a 352 paged book filled with research data, interviews, observations, citations from publications, and personal encounters, Bowler has put together a landmark resource for anyone interested about the history, the sociological, the cultural shifts, and the religious practices of the megastars of Christianity: The prosperity gospel megachurches. In this fascinating study of the American Prosperity Gospel movement, Bowler takes a closer look at what the prosperity gospel is all about. She studies the origins of the Word of Faith movement and how it manages to attract millions of people to believe that money, health, and good fortunes can be divinely obtained. She describes the prosperity gospel advocates and founders. She lists the different facets of prosperity gospel. In this first major study of its kind, Kate Bowler, an Assistant Professor at Duke Divinity School also seeks to find out the history of the movement; the major figures and features of the 20th Century prosperity movement in America; how the prosperity movement transforms a traditionally self-denial community into a triumphant culture; and the unifying themes among the proponents of prosperity gospel. Prosperity can be classified as hard and soft; hard meaning immediate results while soft means something more long-term.

Sharing Resources: Mission

This split screen short film captures two worlds and slowly meshes them into one. It is very well made and more importantly puts in a very important message about how those of us who live in the prosperous countries can play a part to bring some goodness and healing to the less privileged societies of the world.


With regards to missions, the key to revival and missions is to personally for the haves to experience what it means to live in the world of the have-nots.

 conrade