Rating: 9
August 9, 2008
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this book. I knew about the premise: a father loses his daughter to a serial killer, and is invited back to the site of her murder to meet with God. But I didn’t expect to relate. Though the writing was a bit stilted at first, it became more lucid as the plot went on. And as a relatively new dad, this story really brought tears to my eyes. I know, I fell for it. How can you not?
And what I didn’t expect was all of the musing on theology. I knew there would be some hints to doctrine, but I didn’t think it would dominate. The question is compelling: where is God in the midst of intense suffering? Tackling that question with honesty and biblical integrity alone would keep me reading. And his answers were interesting and compelling.
I checked out some of Young’s detractors, just to see what the potential theological pitfalls might be. I only found one myself: I was taught in seminary that there was an order to the Trinity, like a hierarchy. First God, and then the Son who does only what the Father tells him, and then the Spirit, who reminds what the Son does. But I now I’m interested to explore this traditional understanding again. Everything else that detractors said seem to hold little weight. It’s easy to see where the misunderstandings might come, but if I read his words with a technical lens — what he really says, what he doesn’t say — I don’t think Young is that far off.
In the end, the book reminded me that we are at the center of God’s love and He is working His mysterious purposes, even when it seems to hurt us. It’s a call to trust that God is good, even when it the circumstances seem to say otherwise. And for that alone, I’m grateful for the inspiring reminder.
You can view its Amazon detail page by clicking the image above.
Powered by Rob Miller's Now Reading plugin.
