Disappointment With God – By Philip Yancey
A Book Review
Many people turn away from the idea of God, or a creator, because they have questions that have not been sufficiently answered. Even more turn away from organized religion because their religion has only offered insufficient answers. It’s not surprising considering that God is invisible and the universe we live in came into existance way before our time.
Well known Christian author Philip Yancey takes us on a journey through the Old and New Testaments to find the answers to 3 questions that many people struggle with.
- Is God unfair?
- Is God silent?
- Is God hidden?
The answers though are not simplistic and the book reveals many profound insights into the Bible stories we’ve all heard before. These 3 questions raise other questions in return, such as: Why does God need us to be faithful? What does God want from human beings? Why have some people experienced profound visitations from Heaven and others have not? Why can’t God just knock off all the bad people and make everything sweet for the good people?
Most of us go through some type of struggle with our faith at one time or another. That is the nature of faith after all, believing in something that we have no absolute proof of. For many people it is circumstances of profound suffering that cause them to doubt the existence of a benevolent creator who “loves us”. At times when we need God most, the Creator may seem to be silent or distant. So what’s the point of believing at all?
Yancey gently brings to light that it may be our concept or expectation of God that is getting in the way of our faith.
Deep Biblical Insight
Yancey is deep, his insights well thought out and based in his Biblical research. He went through his own period of skepticism and has approached this topic as his own search for authentic answers. He interviews and relates compassionately with others who have gone through disappointments, looking for the reasons why some lose faith and some don’t.
Personally I was very moved by his Biblical illuminations, many being very similar to explanations in the Divine Principle and other teachings of Rev. Moon. However Yancey has a beautiful way of expressing what he finds in the Bible that makes it seem like a graceful merger between Christian and Unification theology. I’m not suggesting that this is in any way intentional on his part, but great minds do seem to follow similar patterns of thought.
Understanding A Parent’s Heart
Yancey paints a profound picture of different types of love expressed throughout the pages of the Bible. He shows a God who relates to us like a parent striving to raise children with both discipline and compassion. He points out where God seeks a relationship, not only as a parent but also like that of a friend or lover. He shows a God who limits Himself out of respect for whom he created us to be.
Beyond Biblical insights, this book is very personal. It reveals the heart and frustrations of both God and humanity, in the present as well as in the past. No matter how strong your faith is, and regardless of what religious tradition you follow (or not) this is a book everyone should read. It expanded my understanding and compassion for of the heart of non-believers as well as the heart of God.
