God Has a Name

I've had a lot of people inquire about my low rating for this book, so I wanted to give a bit of clarification. For some background, I'm very familiar with John Mark Comer and have found a lot of his teaching on living as a Christian in a post-Christian culture to be extremely helpful; he's got a great podcast with [a:Mark Sayers 1281199 Mark Sayers https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1496173486p2/1281199.jpg] called This Cultural Moment and another book I'd highly recommend called [b:The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World 43982455 The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World John Mark Comer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550193763l/43982455.SY75.jpg 68379348]. I think he's super wise and looks at topics from perspectives I never have. So onto the book:The GoodThe whole book is a commentary and deep look at Exodus 34v6-8, one of the key points in the Old Testament where God first reveals the core of His character and being to Moses. I think for most of the passage he does a great job of helping us as 21st century western residents of a technological age to understand some of the often misunderstood phrasing of a passage written by the hand of an ancient near eastern man who lived over 3,000 years ago. I'd say a majority of the book is Comer helping us get a better grasp of the passage in it's original context and this is very helpful. The BadMy first (and less serious) complaint about this book is it seemed somewhat irreverent at times for weighty and heavy topics. Since the audience for this book is everyone (not just Followers of Jesus), it seems that Comer attempts to keep the narrative playful and energetic, tossing in quips and witty remarks. I enjoyed this, until he continued to be the same way amidst talking about very serious theological concepts. Wasn't helpful, and quite distracting. My second (and primary) problem with this book is the low view of God's sovereignty, power, and control. Here's the crux of what he argues near the end of the book:“God doesn't always get what he wants ... So many people are hyperfatalistic in how they think about life, constantly dropping the cliché ‘God's in control'. But is he? Of everything? Even evil? Are you sure about that?”It seems here that Comer claims two things, 1) God is not in control of everything 2) God is not in control of evil. Now it doesn't seem like a claim he's making because it's formed as a question. He could have very well gone on to show why these things are not true. But he doesn't. He proceeds writing based upon the assumption that God is not in control, not even of evil. This is problematic, and goes against historic , orthodox Christianity. If you're going to make a major claim contradicting orthodoxy, you need to back it up with Scripture (Comer doesn't). Heidelberg Catechism question 27 states:“God's providence is his almighty and ever present power, whereby, with his hand, he upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.” What is this saying? God is in control of all things, from blades of grass to sickness, all things are under his sovereign rule.ConclusionThere's much to be learned in this book, and I think there's value in reading it, however, read it with discernment and an open Bible. Don't take Comer's words for truth, always trace it back to God's word, the final source of truth.For more information on the subject, I recommend the following articles:Is God in Control of Everything? by R.C. Sproul (Short)Understanding the Sovereignty of God by Antonio Copolla (Short)The Comfort and Security of Knowing that God is in Control by Sam Storms (Medium)God's Sovereignty in the Old Testament by Ray Ortlund (Long) God's Absolute Sovereignty by John Macarthur (Short)