Customer Reviews

Joshua: The Homecoming

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This latest in the series of Joshua books does not disappoint. It is pointedly relevant to this specific point in time--the dawning of a new millenium. It was well written and nicely tied into the first Joshua book at the beginning. As per usual, the characterizations in the book are extremely well done. The wonderful message of Joshua shines through in this latest book, again leaving the reader uplifted, enlightened, hopefully inspired to change for the better, and with hope for the future of mankind.

I've read all of the Joshua novels and its been some time since Joseph Girzone wrote his last one. But this new one was definitely worth the wait. It's much better than any of the stories since the first Joshua. This is a terrific book.

I have read all the books in the Joshua series and a couple other books Joseph Girzone has written. My favorites are JOSHUA and JOSHUA AND THE CHILDREN. JOSHUA AND THE CHILDREN really moved me and affected me deeply, giving me a deeper appreciation for the finer things in life. I was really looking forward to reading JOSHUA THE HOMECOMING, the latest book in the series.

What a huge disappointment! The Joshua of JOSHUA THE HOMECOMING is not the same Joshua who appears in the other books in the series. The author says he is, but he's not really. No, the Joshua in this book is really just a puppet that the author uses to express his own beliefs and philosophies, some of which are not even Biblical. Now, there's nothing wrong with an author using a character he has created to spew forth the author's beliefs. However, Joshua isn't just some character. Joshua is supposed to be Jesus. Jesus isn't just a character and he shouldn't be treated as such.What made the first few Joshua books so enjoyable, memorable, and meaningful is that Joshua was Jesus. Girzone seems to have forgotten that. Instead, Joshua has become a mouthpiece of Joseph Girzone.

No longer does Joshua hide the identity of who he is, but now he lets people in on the "messianic secret" sometimes even telling them point blank who he really is. Not only that, but this Joshua claims that the Bible really isn't God-breathed but is an embellishment made by men. According to this Joshua: the claims of Christ about when the world would end aren't true and a prophecy might never reach it's fulfillment; macro-evolution is a fact of life; and we should all be blindly listening to scientists because they are the new prophets. This is just a sample of the teachings from the new Joshua.

I enjoyed reading all the other Joshua books, but JOSHUA THE HOMECOMING was a struggle to get through. The book isn't very long and the language is simple, yet it drags. Instead of caring what was going on with the story, I found myself wondering how long the book was going to drag. What a disappointment.

My family gave me a copy of Joshua, the Homecoming, for Christmas. I read it twice in one week. It is one of the best Joshua books thus far. It came at a time when I was searching for answers - answers to why some churches are not meeting the spiritual needs of their families. It made me realize I was not alone in not having my spiritual needs met at church. Fr. Joe has such a strong insight into each of us and knows how to tell us how Jesus would respond. I would strongly recommend the book for anyone in search of answers about their faith.

My mother gave me this book when it was first published in 1999. In all honesty, I thought it was the original book "Joshua" by Joseph Girzone. Since I had already read the original I didn't bother picking it up until now. I am doing this review for my English 101 class and I thought, since it had been quite some time since I read "Joshua" that I would read it again.

I am at a point in my life that I needed a spiritual uplifting and I knew the book had provided me with this before. I was completely taken by surprise when I started the first page and realized this was a continuation of the Joshua story. It did indeed give me the uplifting that I was expecting. It also gave me a new insight in to thoughts on the Bible and "The End Time".

I especially enjoyed when Joshua was speaking with the elders of The Church of God in Christ about the Bible. He says: "To go back to the book alone is to deny the Holy Spirit's two thousand years of guidance, and all the growth in understanding that has taken place in those two thousand years." (p. 152) I do believe in reading the Bible, and I don't believe that Mr. Girzone is implying that we should not read it, but that this should not be the sole source of our Christianity. I also enjoyed Mr. Girzone's description of "The End Time", something that has entered my mind on many occasions. He says that the world will not end, by God's hand, until "His creation is perfected." (p. 26) and "if evil things happen, it will be the work of human beings, not the work of my Father." (p. 26)

I am very grateful this assignment came up because I would have probably left the book in my closet a lot longer than I have. I would recommend this book to everyone. Especially those that might need a more clear understanding of a loving, compassionate, and forgiving God. It has been an excellent read for me and it provided me everything, and more, that I was looking for in spirituality. I thank you Mr. Girzone, for sharing your wonderful insight.

I too have read all of the Joshua books, and I too received this one as a Christmas present. I was excited to start reading it because of the love I have for the others. I agree with MiChal and Firstjeb that it may not be the best, but I think it was still consistent with the overall Joshua theme. As Michal says, it still stimulates thought, and every one of the Joshua books, including this one, helps me to believe that Christ is real, that He is here with us today, and that everyone of us is meant to represent Him like Joshua does. Something I enjoy about the books is that they feel almost like biographies, and even autobiographies in spots. My biggest problem with this book was that it seemed to start out more like a fictional novel. Nevertheless, it did pull me in just like the others did and had me as engrossed as ever. Worth buying for even the most critical Joshua reader!

I've read all of Girzone's books and this one ranks definitely at the bottom of the list. Although he did stimulate some heavy pondering on my part about the role of the bible, other than the tearjerking opening scene with the little boy this book left me flat. Since he's a retired priest I've come to expect some level of Catholic theology but in my humble albeit Protestant opinion this book went over the line. I was glad when this book was over, a first for this Girzone fan.

I was given this book to read by a friend, who loved its content and was uplifted by its story.

While I do indeed agree that the path to G-d is a personal relationship, talking to Him as your "Daddy", I have real problems with other sections.

The fact that the author states that there will be no "end times", that all that is happenings around us are natural events, and that as a loving father, G-d will not "play tricks on His children" is just one of the areas I cannot swallow. If this is the case then what the author seems to be saying is that the book of Revelation is a lie or fabrication. Also, the statements on pages 196 - 198 which contain references to the "Hebrew Scriptures" are insulting. He states that "most of those (the Hebrew scriptures) accounts were embellished by the storytellers. As stories were passed down from generation to generation, around the campfires, the were expanded on", and "Whenever anything happened in nature to those simple people, it was G-d who did it." I should be so lucky to be one of those "simple people" and live in the actual presence of G-d every day. Excuse me, is the author now saying that the Bible is not the inspired word of G-d? That it is as the atheists have said a fake, a fantasy? Yeshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus) himself stated that nothing should be added or subtracted from G-d's word for then it would no longer be G-d's word but the work of man. The author seems to have forgotten that Yeshua himself taught from this "embellished" Hebrew Scripture or the fact that He was one of these "simple" Hebrew people. Perhaps we can gain insight as to why this man is no longer in the priesthood.

G-d is indeed in control of everything and nothing is outside of His authority. But He is NOT the Good Humor Man. He is the creator. He will NOT let His creation drift too far from its creator before He steps in and makes His sovereignty known. He WILL step in, and to those who do not call upon His name, it will be frightening indeed. As it was in the time of Noah and of Sodom and Gomorrah. These times are not a dirty trick on His children, He has warned us in HIS book. Complete and perfect in content and meaning.

After reading this book it is apparent that a New Age Philosophy is being proposed for the salvation of mankind. The book states that we are all basically good and we will achieve a future utopia through our good works. As far as absolute truth goes, we will have to choose between Girzone's imagination or what the Bible clearly teaches. As for me, I will trust Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible.

I have loved all the previous Joshua books. But I barely could bring myself to finish this one. Clearly it was nothing more than a justification for the catachism of the Catholic church and its blatant disregard for the Word. I understand many of origins of the Catholic churches doctrines but must object to Father Girzone's long-winded attempts to justify them in the context of this story. His insistance that this is what Jesus would say were he walking among us today approaches insulting. Previous stories uplifted and inspired, this one offended. If there were ever another Joshua book, I'd give it a try because I loved the others. But this was a total miss. If you are a dedicated Catholic who has no qualms with the doctrine, you'll love the story. Protestants who don't have opinions on the Bible will also enjoy this book. Those who believe that the Bible is a literal source of knowledge and prophecy, steer clear of this one.