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jdparker9's review
2.0
Occasionally, I come across a book that makes me scratch my head and wonder how it found its way out of the publishing house and into the hands of readers. Ryan Thomas’s 2019 You of Little Faith fits the bill this time.
I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised with this book when, after searching Thomas, he seemed an acolyte of Rand–“selfish capitalist egoism is true virtue,” in other words. My disapprobation of the “the new Christian intellectual” project notwithstanding, I tried to give this book a fair shake and let myself be persuaded by the arguments.
Spoiler: I wasn’t.
Thomas’s fundamental premise seems to be one of reciprocity. If we sacrificially give to god, god will then reciprocate and fill the gap we have left–moreover even. His contention, then, is that we ought to “give boldly” in order that we be “blessed greatly.” He begins with a lengthy personal testimony and then marshals a smattering of biblical references and arguments to bolster this position.
The book is radically misguided. Although Thomas militates against “materialism,” the chief blessings with which he’s concerned–throughout the book, cover to cover–are financial. “If you give money, you will receive money, overflowing.” This despite the church’s history of being of and for the poor, this despite Jesus’s warning in Matthew 19 about a camel and a needle, this despite James’s warning in James 5.1: (“Come now, you rich; weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.”)–Thomas is distracted. Distracted, because throughout Scripture, there’s a greater treasure promised–not one obtainable by making promissory notes here through your giving but one granted by faith in the Son, who is our inheritance and our joy. The treasure toward which our hearts ought to be oriented is beholding the triune god in glory, to whom we will lay down our crowns in worship at the end of the age.
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Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers http://www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised with this book when, after searching Thomas, he seemed an acolyte of Rand–“selfish capitalist egoism is true virtue,” in other words. My disapprobation of the “the new Christian intellectual” project notwithstanding, I tried to give this book a fair shake and let myself be persuaded by the arguments.
Spoiler: I wasn’t.
Thomas’s fundamental premise seems to be one of reciprocity. If we sacrificially give to god, god will then reciprocate and fill the gap we have left–moreover even. His contention, then, is that we ought to “give boldly” in order that we be “blessed greatly.” He begins with a lengthy personal testimony and then marshals a smattering of biblical references and arguments to bolster this position.
The book is radically misguided. Although Thomas militates against “materialism,” the chief blessings with which he’s concerned–throughout the book, cover to cover–are financial. “If you give money, you will receive money, overflowing.” This despite the church’s history of being of and for the poor, this despite Jesus’s warning in Matthew 19 about a camel and a needle, this despite James’s warning in James 5.1: (“Come now, you rich; weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.”)–Thomas is distracted. Distracted, because throughout Scripture, there’s a greater treasure promised–not one obtainable by making promissory notes here through your giving but one granted by faith in the Son, who is our inheritance and our joy. The treasure toward which our hearts ought to be oriented is beholding the triune god in glory, to whom we will lay down our crowns in worship at the end of the age.
<><><>
Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers http://www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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