Obliged to think about... Love Wins
Why is it that no-one wants (or gives) lots of opinions about great books: books that we can all agree on as being well-crafted, helpful, inspiring, true? Why is only the (potentially) controversial ones that seem to require a response? Is it just that we're better at being against things than for something?
Christians are no better at this than anyone else, maybe even worse. Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins, has caused such a stir that we don't just have blog posts about it, we have blog posts about those blog posts. If you want to know what all the fuss is about, and what the fuss was like, Matthew Hosier and Andrew Wilson have written a helpful summary here.
I was going to write something myself, not because I think I have anything new to add but in order to share my opinion with those who wanted it. Then I found that someone had already written the kind of thing I wanted to say, but better. So, if you care, please read what Cameron McAllister wrote.
Then, read something that is profound and challenging in all the right ways, with a reputation earned over time rather than through frenzied publicity. I've just finished The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. It's been around for 60 or 70 years and is acknowledged as a modern Christian classic. Tozer writes with clarity rather than speculation, as one who knows God and has been shaped by Him. It will confront and encourage any Christian longing to know God better. You can get it for free, really cheap, or just better value than much else you're likely to spend less than a fiver on.
Christians are no better at this than anyone else, maybe even worse. Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins, has caused such a stir that we don't just have blog posts about it, we have blog posts about those blog posts. If you want to know what all the fuss is about, and what the fuss was like, Matthew Hosier and Andrew Wilson have written a helpful summary here.
I was going to write something myself, not because I think I have anything new to add but in order to share my opinion with those who wanted it. Then I found that someone had already written the kind of thing I wanted to say, but better. So, if you care, please read what Cameron McAllister wrote.
Then, read something that is profound and challenging in all the right ways, with a reputation earned over time rather than through frenzied publicity. I've just finished The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. It's been around for 60 or 70 years and is acknowledged as a modern Christian classic. Tozer writes with clarity rather than speculation, as one who knows God and has been shaped by Him. It will confront and encourage any Christian longing to know God better. You can get it for free, really cheap, or just better value than much else you're likely to spend less than a fiver on.