The God I don't understand

Wright’s helpful examination of some... key questions of faith only serves to increase the Christian’s confidence in the ultimate goodness and grace of God.

Phil Jenkins | August 2014 - Highfields Book of the Month
By Christopher J H Wright (2008): Grand Rapids: Zondervan

The God IThis book began around a dining room table. It arose from one of those very real and practical discussions that Christians have when what we believe seems on times to collide with what we experience. And we don't do ourselves or our critics any favours by trying to give the impression that we have all the answers regarding the Christian faith and the Bible.  There are imponderables which in humility we have to admit we have not yet and may never resolve in this life. We haven’t got it all sorted.

There are imponderables which in humility we have to admit we have not yet and may never resolve in this life.  We haven't got it all sorted.

John Stott in his recommendation of the book wrote, "However strongly we believe in divine revelation, we must acknowledge both that God has not revealed everything and that much of what he has revealed is not plain." The result is the honest confession that there are things about God and his purposes that we simply do not understand.

Chris Wright takes four different kinds of "not understanding" and explores them in a respectful, realistic and ultimately reassuring way. There are things that leave him angry or grieved; there are things that simply leave him puzzled. But there are also things that he doesn't understand about God but that leave him immensely grateful. And finally there are things that although he doesn't completely understand they leave him hopeful and optimistic.

'However strongly we believe in divine revelation, we must acknowledge both that God has not revealed everything and that much of what he has revealed is not plain.' (Stott)

So the book is divided into four parts each one taking up and exploring in more depth those four kinds of not understanding. Wright essentially grapples with four big questions: What about evil and suffering? What about the Canaanites? What about the Cross? What about the end of the world? If you are looking for easy superficial answers to these issues you will be disappointed, but if you are prepared to probe deeper than pop-Christianity and acknowledge the profound and sometimes disturbing questions posed by the biblical revelation of God you will find much that will stretch and strengthen your faith.

Despite the subject matter, it is not a "heavy" book. And although it is written by one of the leading theologians of our time it is written with the warmth and honesty of a pastor. With typical humility the author describes the book as a "rather meandering series of reflections on a few tough questions of faith".   Of course questions remain, but an unexamined faith is a faith not worth having. Wright’s helpful examination of some of these key questions of faith only serves to increase the Christian's confidence in the ultimate goodness and grace of God.

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