Has
our Christianity become a substitute for real, vital, biblical faith?
Being uncomfortable with not being able to see, understand, or
perceive God, we make Him controllable, understandable, predictable.
Erre wants to reintroduce wonder, awe, and mystery into biblical
faith.
He
has divided the book into three sections. The first is on the nature
of God. Erre says that the norm for the Christian experience is that
God is hidden. There is an excellent exploration of why we don't see
or feel God's presence – the why of it. We also need to realize
that God reveals Himself sometimes in the most unexpected places and
ways.
He
next examines the nature of faith and why it is difficult for us. It
requires surrender and acceptance of mystery and tension. Third is a
look at the nature of a faith-filled life. It is a new way of seeing,
a waking up to His presence and work all around us. It takes
practice.
I
am impressed with Erre's book. It is a thought provoking look at
Christian faith, including my own. Erre asks us, “Do you want
Christianity to alleviate mystery, paradox, and tension, or amplify
it? Do you see Christianity as a call to comfortable security or to
an unpredictable life?” Those are penetrating questions.
I
appreciate Erre's teaching on several passages of Scripture. His look
at Matthew 6 is enlightening. “Jesus' answer wasn't that bad things
won't happen; but instead that if you treasure the kingdom, it won't
matter if they do.” Wow. That really puts a different light on that
whole passage.
Here
is another insight from Erre's look at 1 Corinthians 10:13. “God is
all about giving us more than we can handle so that we'll actually
have to trust Him.”
This
book will shake up your concept of God and faith, I think, as it did
mine. Erre's teaching is not your typical Sunday morning sermon. He
calls us to return to a God unpredictable, uncontrollable, full of
mystery and worthy of worship.
Mike
Erre is senior pastor of First Evangelical Free Church of
Fullerton, California. He is a graduate of Talbot School of Theology.
David
C. Cook, 240 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for
the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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