Lee Harmon

Christian writer Lee Harmon releases his third eye opening book, “The River of Life: Where Liberal and Conservative Christianity Meet”. In this concise booklet, Harmon tackles subjects such as heaven and hell, the second coming, faith, and more. And it’s definitely not what you think! His previous books, “Revelation: The Way It Happened” and “John’s Gospel: The Way It Happened” are referred to in “The River of Life” and it’s recommended that they are read to get a much better understanding and foundation of where Harmon is coming from in this third release.

In a past review, I’ve described Harmon’s work as a breath of fresh air. I feel that this description exactly fits all of his books as they’re a welcome break from the typical ‘don’t do this’ and ‘you better do that’ format of Christianity. Instead, religious parameters are broken while bringing together all members of the faith. The pages bring hope and relief to the frustrated faithful – those struggling with the myriad of questions which come from differing liberal vs conservative interpretations. And Harmon’s explanations just make sense.

In “The River of Life”, Harmon eloquently expounds on the most popularly argued subjects among Christian sects. Despite its short length – 84 pages – he covers a great deal of ground, justifies his reasoning with ample scriptural references, and organizes everything in such a way that the book flows easily from one topic to the next. Written in a non-confrontational, open minded style, the book poses thought provoking Biblical interpretations and follows through with well-rounded discussions, conclusions, and some pretty profound statements which pull everything together. For example, when discussing the subject of the life after death, Harmon finishes out his chapter with, “Our emphasis as Christians should not be for eternity, but for today. Afterlife-oriented Christians who live with their faces tilted heavenward dreaming of being whisked away from their troubles are missing the point of what it means to be a Christian.” Wow.

If you’ve ever struggled with the goal of being a ‘good Christian’ yet find it hard to balance the guilt of never measuring up, the fear of eternal damnation, and the constant propensity to trip off that ‘narrow path’, “The River of Life” is a must read. Harmon brings a sense of respite to the never-ending arguments that plague Christianity and his book reads like you are hearing his information from a good friend, not a booming fire-and-brimstone preacher. Harmon will easily become your favorite Christian author.

Reviewed by Vicki Liston, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal”… (mehr)

Although short, this thought-provoking book packs a powerful punch. As one of the "spiritual but not religious" folk Harmon mentions, I found myself thinking if the priests of my childhood had presented the Bible, God and the Christian faith the way Harmon does, I'd probably still be spending my Sundays on a church pew.

Clearly well researched and presented in the clear style of a friendly chat, THE RIVER OF LIFE is a balanced treatise of the heart as well as of the head, which discusses:

• Heaven & Hell
• The Second Coming
• The Good News
• The Historical Jesus
• Doing Our Part
• But What About Miracles?
• Faith in God
• The River of Life

Each of his theories are presented convincingly in a way that is respectful even when it disagrees with conservative Christian views. Harmon remains firm and strong on his own open-minded interpretations of his faith and “agnostic Christianity”, while not trying to diminish other, more conservative, Christian views or different religious beliefs. He learnt from his grandmother that, “A man convinced against his will is of the same mind still,” [Location 1284] and he does not try to convert anyone away from their own beliefs.

Instead, Harmon uses his deep insights and alternative understanding of the faith of Jesus Christ to offer an interpretation that it would well serve the world to adopt in order to follow in the steps of the master teacher and healer Jesus Christ. Harmon suggests a way of following the teachings of Christ that make us, as spiritual beings, responsible for bringing the Kingdom of God into the here and now of our lives. “Imagine,” he says, “a world governed by light, life and love.” [Location 1279]. How inspiring to believe that the meaning of our lives can be found in actively emulating the Christ-consciousness, rather than waiting for rewards in an after-life.

There are areas where my experience of faith differs from Harmon’s – the after-life is one area – and, as a vegetarian, I would have liked to have read his thoughts on extending the compassion and love of Christ to all sentient beings, especially animals who are so sorely treated by humans. After all, in Eden did Adam & Eve not live in harmony with all the beasts? Do we not hope that the lion will lay down with the lamb?

Despite these minor divergences, this book left me uplifted and hopeful. When reading it (and re-reading some passages more than once) I didn’t need to imagine the world of light and love he speaks of. I felt that light and love in the living pages of this book that so sincerely reflects one man’s deep faith, and his determination to follow in the footsteps of Christ to make the grace of God manifest in his life.

The hymn, Amazing Grace, is a favourite of mine, especially the words “I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.” As human beings, carrying immense divine potential within our souls, I think we're closest to the Divine Source, to that same light of God that Jesus himself believed in, when we're questioning our faith (whatever faith that may be) rather than blindly accepting it. If THE RIVER OF LIFE is evidence, then Harmon is very close to his God indeed.

Any spiritual seeker, wherever their search for faith in God begins, will find THE RIVER OF LIFE fascinating reading.

I recommend this book so highly, I’ve bought a second (print) copy as a gift for my husband who has a strong interest in comparative religions.… (mehr)

“I am an agnostic Christian.” So Lee Harmon begins his short treatise on the differences that divide and powerful agreements that unite liberal and conservative Christianity. I guess I should answer, “I’m a mongrel Christian,” since I’m seriously conservative in some things and liberal in others. But perhaps that’s the point. The historical Jesus famously refused to be placed in anyone’s box. And yet we try so hard to place barriers around our beliefs and define who’s out, instead of welcoming neighbors in.

The River of Life starts with Heaven and Hell – the end placed at the beginning because the middle is where we live. We can argue and disagree as much as we like about eternity’s nature. But none of us has been there. And the Bible really doesn’t give a lot of detail. The author will certainly intrigue his readers though, as he looks at what detail there is.

This short book convincingly reveals how theological disagreement is so often based on interpretation. The author backs his arguments up with ample scriptural quotes and historical research, inviting the reader merely to think, not to agree or disagree. Shall we wait for, and predict, and imagine Christ’s second coming, or shall we act on the faith that he’s already here in our hearts? Shall we look for a kingdom up in the sky, or the kingdom within us instead? Shall we wait for the thousand year rule, or let God reign over us now?

Equally well-researched when comparing Gospel accounts or retelling history, The River of Life does indeed offer a meeting point for followers of Jesus and believers in God. While I don’t agree with all of the author’s beliefs or interpretations, I do share his evident love and respect for scripture, I support his emphasis on the present day, and I share his concern for which of us would face Christ’s wrath if He were to return today. Will we sinners eat at table together with the Lord, believers, agnostics, liberals, conservatives all? Then will we equally get up and work together, washed by the living water flowing from His side?

Disclosure: The author gave me a free copy as I’d enjoyed his earlier books. I offer my honest review.… (mehr)

In the interests of Full Disclosure, I must say right up-front that I sought-out this book, and was graciously given a copy in exchange for one of my own books. I should also mention that that latter book of mine contains some material on REVELATION, and so, I am neither new to that work, nor objective about it -- if such a thing is possible at-all.
That said, let me say that I found this book very provocative of new thought about REVELATION, and I believe that it would be so for most other readers, except perhaps specialists. The problem, addressed in other LT Reviews, is that the book's concept and structure, while daring and complex, are ultimately a wall, not a gate. Before attempting to scale that wall, I want to emphasize that the partial title HOW IT HAPPENED should have been paired with, or replaced by, a more modest and accurate one, to wit WHAT IT MEANT TO ITS FIRST READERS. Harmon's tactic is to present REVELATION in terms of a talk between a father and son living in Ephesus in the years after (at-least) the final roman Conquest of Jerusalem and (significantly) the eruption of Vesuvius. The old(er) man, Samuel, is a pious Jew and a member of a Jesus-believing community, as were many in hose days before what we now call "the church" was even identified as such by its members or outsiders. His son Matthew has just achieved the age of bar-mitzvah and he has been receiving a serious religious education from his Father's friends. But he's still an adolescent with all the energy, goofiness and distractablity of that species. He listens to his widowed father tell about the letter which has been received from John. Right away it is uncertain how the contents of the letter were distributed to the believers -- we just have to accept that they were. Then Samuel proceeds to relate the letter, in paraphrase, to his son, and to explain what he thinks it really means, in terms of the young man's understanding of life.
OK. This is an interesting narrative concept. But the father/son business is regularly inter-cut with the REVELATION text (in one of the many latter-day translations), AND with comments on that text AND with comments on the father-son conversation, AND with footnotes to everything. Even the best juggler can only keep a few oranges in the air at one time, and frankly, I think this Author has let a couple of them fall on his head.
As to Harmon's interpretation, it is of the school often called "preterist", meaning (forgive the crude summary), that REVELATION is to be considered primarily a comment on contemporary events, rather than say, a prophecy, or a poetic statement of broad aspects of faith. That interpretive position is surely a defensible one, though Harmon never addresses -- assuming he's thought of it -- why the text is so densely packed in imagery -- "encrypted" wouldn't be too strong a word -- when the facts were (or should have been) widely known among the communities of believers in the East Mediterranean. Among his more interesting claims -- and I haven't yet had the chance to look into this -- is for the significant role of the Romanized Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, not simply as a source for much of the material, but even as an actor, in some senses, in the events described by John -- whoever he was.
And here we get to one of the downright maddening aspects of the work. At one point the Author glibly turns away from the question of John the Evangelist vis-à-vis John "the Revelator", thus cutting himself off from centuries of serious research in sorting-out those two shadowy figures. Related to this is another claim he makes in passing, as if it shouldn't be central both to our understanding and to the perspective of his fictional father and son, namely that belief in the resurrection was by no means thorough and consolidated among the young faith-communities of the day. It is a commonplace that REVELATION owes much to THE BOOK OF DANIEL, but as to other Biblical sources, Harmon will doubtless startle many readers with his proposition that REVELATION precedes the writing, or at-least distribution, of any of the Gospels possibly excepting MARK.
These are just a few of the tantalizing bits, and if I have seemed to emphasize the vexing ones, I must rush now to say that there are many shrewd observations and factual bits drawn from extra-Scriptural sources, plus a praiseworthy ability to make the reader re-think how REVELATION must have sounded two millennia ago. We do, in a sense, become the fictional Samuel and Matthew, and that is no small achievement, despite the Author's dizzy oscillation between purple prose and cutesy slang like "wannabe".
If the exhausted reader makes it to the end, he is rewarded by Harmon's simple but compelling explanation of his own faith-path, and by his re-iteration of a question which can never be asked too often, namely what does it mean for our understanding of REVELATION specifically and of Christianity generally, that REVELATION has been passed down quite literally as the last word?
I note with interest that Lee Harmon has written another book on the GOSPEL OF JOHN, also sub-titled HOW IT HAPPENED. Despite my exasperation with aspects of the REVELATION study, I look forward to reading and contemplating this other work. As a practical matter, I don't know how Harmon's books are distriubuted, but he is a LibraryThing participant, and can certainly be reached via this site.… (mehr)