Feb 28, 2012

What does it mean to have Faith like a Child?

We have all heard and been told that we ought to have faith like a Child. This comes form Matthew 18:3 where Jesus tells his disciples that "unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Many of us wonder, however, what Jesus meant that we should become like Children. This is the focus of R.C. Sproul Jr.'s new book The Call to Wonder: Loving God like a Child. 

He begins by exploring how surprising it is that Jesus would ask us to become like children, but the more he explores what it means to be like a child, it is not surprising that God asks this of us. Children are innocent, loving, and are ready and willing to trust whatever their parent tells them. Through many personal reflections on being a son and being a father of eight children, Sproul demonstrates what it means to love our heavenly father like a child. Essentially, his book is a call to step back, and see God in the same why that many children will see their father. They love him, marvel at his works, try hard to please him, and simply love to be in his presence. Sproul also reminds us that this is not at the cost of maturity. Even though Jesus asks us to be like children, we are still to mature. We must deal with the deep parts of life, but never lose the childlike love for God.

One of the most surprising insights of this book is how often Sproul discusses honoring his own father in the context of learning to be a child of God. God reveals himself to us as our father. That is the role that he carries, and this book has shown me that I often neglect to honor God as my father. I do desire to honor and please my earthly father, and God asks me to do the same for him. This is one of the most important things that I learned in reading this book.

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It is an easy read which is in the spirit of this book. Sproul describes that sometimes we need to not analyze things so much and just wonder at the greatness of creation. He does just that in his writing as well, he does not over analyze "childlikeness" but instead says simply that this is what children are like and this is why God wants us to be like him. If you get a chance you should read this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Feb 11, 2012

Learning to Laugh With C.S. Lewis

If you've read C.S. Lewis, you know that even in some of his more serious works, there is humor. Have you ever stopped to wonder why Lewis writes this way? I think that there are many of us today who ignore the power of laughter, humor, and even joy in the life of a Christian. Lewis knew the power and used it in his writing to convey truth in a very powerful way. In his book Surprised by Laughter: The Comic World of C.S. Lewis, Terry Lindvall explains the power of laughter in the life and work of C.S. Lewis. He explains in four sections: joy, fun, the joke proper, and satire and flippancy. In each section Lindvall breaks down what each idea is and how is shown through the work of Lewis.

Anyone familiar with Lewis will not be surprised the joy is included as one of the sections because he built his autobiography Surprised by Joy around the concept. Joy is probably the most important in the world of Lewis is really finds itself far about all the other topics. It is only joy that one can possess no matter the circumstance. Lindvall explains how Lewis believe joy is always found in our lives even through times of suffering. Fun and joking are also evident in the work of Lewis. Many of his stories portray characters having fun and adventure. Jokes abound in his fiction. He even tells the story of the first joke in Narnia in The Magician's Nephew. Lindvall explains the importance of having fun and enjoying a good laugh with friends. The last section of the book is a little different from the rest. Satire and flippancy are related, but come from opposite attitudes. Satire is offen used by Lewis. He uses humor to expose and comment on serious situations that he believes need to change. Flippancy, however, is something that Lewis opposes. It makes light of serious points without the desire to correct. According to Lewis, a flippant person has no joy but merely laughs at the awful state of the world.


The main message of this book is that Lewis preaches a joyful and fun Christianity. Many take issue with having fun and believe we should all be very serious. Lindvall points out that in Lewis' work serious people think to much of themselves and it is instead the ones who are willing to laugh (especially at themselves) who understand humility in life. True laughter and joking is always done in love and is never more important than love.

Lindvall's book is very well done. It is easy to tell that he is very familiar with Lewis and his work. If you are studying Lewis in depth, this is a fantastic read. I highly recommend it. I must, however, make two comments about this book. First, it is long. At around 450 pages, this is an in depth study. It will take a while to get through this book for most people. Second, this often discussions more than Lewis. While the heart of this book is Lewis and his work, he often discussion the works of G.K. Chesterton and other influences on C.S. Lewis. For the most part, this makes sense, but in some chapters Lindvall writes as much about Chesterton as he does about Lewis. That being said, this is still a very good book. It is a great read for anyone who love C.S. Lewis and cannot get enough of him. It will help you to better understand Lewis and his work.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”