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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Author advocates a worthwhile perspective and makes some quality analysis, but at some times, his points feel belabored.
I have so many thoughts, mainly that this book needs to be approached with wisdom, discernment, and a mature faith. There are so many theological statements that are off or wrong, many arguments are made without the support of Scripture. I read this because a family member read it and I tried to read it with as open and unbiased a mind as I could. It’s just so far from hitting the mark. If you disagree and want to have an actual conversation I’m up for it, but there are so many problems with this book.
dark
sad
slow-paced
This is a book every Christian should read along with every pastor in every church around the world. Read it. Pass it on! Encourage everyone you know to do the same.
challenging
tense
medium-paced
I listened to this on Audible and the author read it. I really like Eric Metaxes, I have read many of his books and I have heard him speak in person. BUT, he is not a good reader. It was very choppy and hard to listen to. The content of the book was good.
There are many other two-star reviews on this app for this book from (clearly) smarter people than me who express what I wish I could say as well as they do. This book had so many “well what about ___” moments for me that I had a hard time finding pieces I could agree with and relate to. I knew nothing about the author when I selected this book, but as he went on, it was easy for me to figure out where and with whom he stands politically, which is what he spent most of the book trying to convince his church-attending audience to do - get involved in politics to stand against Marxist (and, in turn, atheistic) ideas that are embedded in current social issues (although, the author only addressed two social issues in total, which makes his view quite extreme). Two stars for the occasional piece of unbiased wisdom (ie, scripture references) such as the Fig Leaf theology, the Faith of a Lion metaphor, and visiting Rahab’s story and lineage.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I give it not 0 stars because I did find myself agreeing with a lot of his points. I just found myself baffled over and over again by the metaphorical plank in his eye for his own tribe, and the ways in which both sides of the political aisle are falling vastly, radically short of the mark of true Christian faith and practice.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I like Eric Metaxas. He is a great radio host, or at least was. He was also a winsome guest on Red Eye back in the day.
This book is a thin attempt to hijack Bonhoeffer into his political cause. Not to quibble on his basic positions. They are undoubtedly historic orthodox Christianity. That is not the question. The question today is how do we respond to political events. This same question faced German Christians in the 1930s. The parallel is easy to draw, but of course is not exact. The German church was in a much different position in relation to the state.
But the over stretching the parallel is not the biggest problem with the book. He refers to two specific work of Bonhoeffer, his Reformation day sermon in 1932 and his essay on the Jewish Question. Both of these work essentially undermine his argument that the church today must be politically active in protests. Politically active specifically against deviant sexual behavior and state sanctioning of that behavior.
In the essay on the Jewish Question, Bonhoeffer repeated warns against the church getting too deeply involved in the matters of the state. In fact he says “The actions of the state remain free from interference by the church.” This was written after the state has promulgated anti-Jewish laws, laws that applied to Jewish church pastors.
And in his Reformation Day sermon, he is critical of a church that “easily protests with passion and self confidence” … “We protest against secularism… protest in favor of freedom…or individual freedom, protest against indecency.” This sermon makes the opposite point of the book. Eric calls us to protest with passion and self confidence, but the sermon calls us to repentance for all the self serving, feel good protests. Specifically the sermon call us to love God and love our neighbour.
One wonders if Metaxas read the works he claims to say are a message to the churches today or if he intentionally distorted the message. In either case, this kind of fast and loose use of sources is one of the big problems today, especially in churches.
While I agree with Metaxas in broad brush strokes, he seems to dismiss any disagreement with him as being unfaithful to God.
If you want to find out what Bonhoeffer can say to the church today, read him yourself and avoid this distorted picture of what he stood for. Volume 12 of the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer have both works in question.
This book is a thin attempt to hijack Bonhoeffer into his political cause. Not to quibble on his basic positions. They are undoubtedly historic orthodox Christianity. That is not the question. The question today is how do we respond to political events. This same question faced German Christians in the 1930s. The parallel is easy to draw, but of course is not exact. The German church was in a much different position in relation to the state.
But the over stretching the parallel is not the biggest problem with the book. He refers to two specific work of Bonhoeffer, his Reformation day sermon in 1932 and his essay on the Jewish Question. Both of these work essentially undermine his argument that the church today must be politically active in protests. Politically active specifically against deviant sexual behavior and state sanctioning of that behavior.
In the essay on the Jewish Question, Bonhoeffer repeated warns against the church getting too deeply involved in the matters of the state. In fact he says “The actions of the state remain free from interference by the church.” This was written after the state has promulgated anti-Jewish laws, laws that applied to Jewish church pastors.
And in his Reformation Day sermon, he is critical of a church that “easily protests with passion and self confidence” … “We protest against secularism… protest in favor of freedom…or individual freedom, protest against indecency.” This sermon makes the opposite point of the book. Eric calls us to protest with passion and self confidence, but the sermon calls us to repentance for all the self serving, feel good protests. Specifically the sermon call us to love God and love our neighbour.
One wonders if Metaxas read the works he claims to say are a message to the churches today or if he intentionally distorted the message. In either case, this kind of fast and loose use of sources is one of the big problems today, especially in churches.
While I agree with Metaxas in broad brush strokes, he seems to dismiss any disagreement with him as being unfaithful to God.
If you want to find out what Bonhoeffer can say to the church today, read him yourself and avoid this distorted picture of what he stood for. Volume 12 of the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer have both works in question.