Sunday, July 24, 2005

Review: Unlock the Prison Doors


Disclaimer: "Unlock the Prison Doors" by Terry C. Barber was given to me through Mind & Media as a gift from the Publisher who donated the books for reviewers.

The book is based on the theme of "the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven" mentioned in Matthew 6:13-19. The author explores several of these keys.

I like the informal, casual style of this book. In his Bible citations, the author uses mostly the NKJV, though, which doesn't fit with his otherwise casual writing style.
In addition, there are tons of spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes that distract from the content. They could have easily been avoided by giving the manuscript to someone for basic editing. It appears like he submitted a late draft of the book instead of the final version.

What intrigued me most about the book before reading it was the subtitle "Keys to Breaking the Chains of Habitual Sin". Even though the keys he explores are important elements, unfortunately, the author doesn't go into enough detail. I had hoped that some of the fictional examples that are introduced early in the book would be expanded on later, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen. The way they are, they illustrate some of the common habitual sins, but don't really help breaking the chain of these habitual sins. For example, the only advice on overeating is "Not until Uncle Ebee submits himself to some simple dietary laws, like don't over-eat and eat a balanced diet with regular exercise, will he begin to lose weight." Everybody knows that that's basically the solution in a nutshell, but figuring out how to do this and how to stick with the plan is where most people fail. This is not addressed by the author at all, though.

Perhaps a second printing of a revised and condensed version as a booklet that's a basic overview including relevant Bible passages would be more useful.

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