Freeform Friday 17 - The Grace of God

Andy Stanley is one of my very favorite communicators; I have heard him speak numerous times at the Catalyst Conference. He brings new light to scripture as he draws insight for the Christian life and leadership that I had never seen before. Most of my interaction with Stanley’s thoughts and ideas have been within the realm of leadership, so I was excited to read a book of his that fell outside those boundaries. The Grace of God is not a leadership manual but an examination of biblical history and God’s grace which runs through it.

In The Grace of God, Stanley turns his keen exegesis to the subject of grace instead of leadership. He examines how the grace of God was present from the Garden through the early church and beyond. The book shows how God’s grace has always been present and highlights the lessons we can learn about grace from people like Rahab, Jonah and the repentant thief crucified alongside Jesus

There wasn’t anything particularly earth-shattering or paradigm-shifting in The Grace of God. The book feels like a sermon series on grace that was turned into a book. That isn’t a slight against the book; if it is based on sermons then they were great sermons. A book like this, though, seems to be more encouraging and edifying than thought-provoking and challenging. As an encouraging and edifying book about God’s grace, though, The Grace of God does superb job of examining grace biblically and applying those lessons to our everyday lives.

This book was provided for me free by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Freeform Friday 16 - Seeds of Turmoil

The book Seeds of Turmoil by Bryant Wright looks at the biblical roots for the conflict in the Middle East between Israeli Jews and Arab Muslims. However, while examining the biblical roots, Wright ignores the complexities involved in the situation and simply attributes 1500 years of conflict to the decision of one man: Abraham. Wright argues that the conflict in the Middle East began when Abraham, who had been promised an heir by God, went outside of God’s timing and pursued his own course toward fatherhood. Wright says that Ishmael, the son of Abraham’s effort, is the father to all Arabs; the Jews are the descendents of Abraham’s other son, Isaac, the son of promise. Wright then surmises that the conflict we see today can trace its roots all the way back to the sibling rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael.

While I believe the biblical roots contribute to the conflict in the Middle East, I think it’s an oversimplification to say that they are the only cause. Wright simply believes that God promised Abraham and his descendents the land of Israel, that it is an enduring promise, and therefore belongs to the Jewish people. Moreover, Wright says that any Bible-believing Christian cannot see the conflict any other way; as Christians we should blindly support the nation of Israel and its claim to the land in Palestine.

That is my biggest struggle with Seeds of Turmoil. As a book I think it’s poorly written. Wright repeats the story of Isaac and Ishmael five times in the first 70 pages. Wright also follows little rabbit trails in each chapter, stepping away from his main argument to address personal and pastoral issues; the reader can easily see that sermons provided the foundation for the book since it’s filled with little teaching moments that have nothing to do with its main focus. As I stated, though, my biggest problem isn’t with Wright’s literary prowess but with his pro-Israel rhetoric.

I’ve been to Israel and I loved it. I still believe that God has a very special relationship with his people; I think the covenant of the Old Testament still holds meaning today. In spite of those facts, though, I cannot blindly support the current nation of Israel, even as a Bible-believing Christian. There are deep strains of injustice running through the nation of Israel today; Wright would have the reader believe that Israel is all good and Arab Muslims are all bad. The world is far too complex for that kind of simplification and we can’t buy into any rhetoric that supports it.

Not all Muslims are bad and everything that the nation of Israel does is good. Wright focuses on the town of Bethlehem as a microcosm for the influence Islam is having on the entire world. He writes that the Christian population of Bethlehem has been almost pushed out by the Muslim population, showing the true heart of Islam. He forgets to mention, though, that Bethlehem also shows the heart of the Israeli government. The Israeli government has built a wall around the city of Bethlehem, separating it and its Arab Muslim inhabitants from any natural resources the government found desirable. There are deeper issues of injustice running through the fabric of Israel today, which makes a simple “good vs. bad” understanding impossible.

The situation in the Middle East is dire, Wright understands that, and he sees Jesus Christ as the only solution to bringing lasting peace. However, Wright believes that peace can only come when Jesus returns and sits on his throne in Jerusalem. He suggests that Christians should pray for salvation for Jews and Muslims and then pray that Jesus would return. I think that the Gospel of Jesus has more power than that; if the love, peace and justice of the Gospel are shown to the Middle East in tangible ways, I think things can get better. God’s kingdom is present and active now and we shouldn’t simply rest on our laurels until Jesus returns. We have been invited to partner with Jesus in his work in this world and, with his power and strength, that work can make a difference.

This book was provided for me free by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Freeform Friday 14 - The Selfless Gene

One of my very favorite classes in seminary looked at the relationship between science and the church. We learned how the relationship had not always been as strained as it is these days; we learned that in the past science and the church were used to inform and advise each other to gain a greater understanding of the universe. Unfortunately, those days are long gone, and in the eyes of most observers science and the church seem to be at an impasse.

In his book The Selfless Gene: Living with God and Darwin, Charles Foster examines the relationship between Neo-Darwinists and New Earth Christians. Foster argues that while both of these groups stand on opposite sides of the spectrum, they agree on one major point: if the Neo-Darwinist view natural selection is true, then it excludes the existence of God. Foster highlights the trouble in holding onto either of these extreme views, that it doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for any new thoughts or new ideas. The book is a discussion of how to hold science and faith in both hands and live in the middle. He challenges the reader to examine some of their preconceived ideas and step beyond those to see how science or faith could expand their understanding.

While I enjoyed this book tremendously, it is not for everyone; it is written very much like a text book and contains some challenging ideas about the creation of the universe and evolution and how they relate to the biblical narrative. In the end, I think this book might be more challenging than edifying for some, which is I why I can’t really recommend it. If you are a Christian, though, and would like to read it, I suggest doing so in community; the book may be challenging but the discussion that comes from it could be tremendously edifying.