When Faith Disappoints by Lisa Victoria Fields Book Review

About the Book:

For anyone who feels the weight of injustice, trauma, and suffering, the founder of the Jude 3 Project invites you to discover how to find hope when you can’t make sense of the pain.

Living as a Black woman in America, Lisa Victoria Fields understands the tension of relying on God in a broken world. While pursuing her calling in full-time Christian ministry—an often white, male-dominated vocation—she saw the contentions many people have with Christianity. She heard the theological questions, but instead of arguing for her faith, she listened to the barriers and heard the pain in their hearts: Why doesn’t God protect me from suffering and injustice? Others don’t seem to think I have value—does God?

Now, in her debut book, Fields shows us how emotional pain—often more than theological concerns—is at the root of our doubt. She invites us to bring our deepest soul questions to this journey as she explores: 
 
• Seven pain points that might be keeping us from faith: a lack of personhood, peace, provision, pleasure, purpose, protection, and power 
• Honest talk about how Christianity doesn’t seem to meet our very valid needs 
• Why wrestling with God doesn’t negate our faith but instead deepens it 
• What it looks like to allow God to bring healing to our pain so we can see Him and others more clearly

Through vulnerable storytelling and thoughtful use of Scripture, Fields tends to our hurting hearts and offers hope and resolve. She helps us move forward as we cling to a faith that brings us back to the truth of Christianity—not despite the pain of this world but in light of it.

This book releases August 13.

My Review:

We Christians often struggle with the distance between what we believe and what we experience. Fields reminds us it is okay to question God when things happen we don't understand. She does warn us that the answers may not be emotionally satisfying. If we think God's will is solely about our happiness we will be disappointed.

Fields uses a number of her own experiences to illustrate her teaching. Her insights are not new. She reminds us God's ways are not our ways, that humans have free will, that God brings good out of evil actions, and more.

I like her reminding us we do not have control over our lives. God did not design us that way. We are rather to rest in God's control and, although we may not understand, we need to continue to trust God.

While I did not find any insights about which I have not read before, this is a good book reminding Christians to continue to trust God.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Lisa Fields, one of the world’s most sought after Christian apologist, combines her passion for biblical literacy with her heart for sharing God’s love to all those she meets. Lisa has received several honors, including been recognized in Christianity Today for her work as an apologist in the African American community. She helped produce and create two documentaries, Unspoken and Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom. She is the founder and CEO of the Jude 3 Project. Lisa is also a graduate of the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Religious Studies, and Liberty University with a Master of Divinity with a focus in Theology.

Multnomah, 192 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)