One of the challenges I’m facing in this challenge to read a new book each week during 2011 is retention, and I don’t mean water retention. Basically, if the book I’m reading doesn’t really grab me early, it’s harder for me to know what exactly to write about it when I do the review. Forgotten God, by Francis Chan, kind of fell into that category for me, which stinks because of how much I like Chan.
It would be easy for me to say that the book wasn’t quite was I was expecting, but since I’m not sure what I was expecting, that’s not very helpful. The sub-title of the book – “reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit” – kind of had me thinking Chan would dive a little deeper into the issues that cause this neglect, or at least some practical ways that we can stop forgetting the Holy Spirit, but in his attempt to not be a “scholarly theological book” (p. 18), I think Chan failed to do much more than just point out the obvious (there is a “discrepancy between what we know and how we live” – p. 18) and encourage us to keep in step with the Spirit without providing a lot of practical ways to do so.
Don’t misunderstand me – you’ll be challenged and encouraged by reading the book, but I feel like in some ways Chan forgot the forgotten God, too, and instead ended up writing a book about prayer and our relationship with Christ. Both of those are worthwhile, but they aren’t necessarily about the Holy Spirit.
Read this book for what it is – an encouraging book written by an encouraging pastor – and you’ll find it worth your time.
Some of the better snippets:
I think the fear of God failing leads us to “cover for God.” This means we ask for less, expect less, and are satisfied with less because we are afraid to ask for or expect more. (p. 47)
There is a huge difference between believing what God has promised and praying for things you’d like to be true. (p. 49)
I pray for the day when believers care more about the Spirit’s grief than their own. (p. 73)
I wanted to prove that I was sorry for what I did by being faithful for a period of time. I wanted to develop a good track record before pursuing my relationship with Him again. I wanted God to see that I could be a good servant. Then I felt good enough to talk with God again. But God didn’t want a good slave who tried really hard. He wanted me to see that He was a good Father. he wants intimacy. (p. 113)
I think it is a starting point to a good conversation. challenging premises, like you said, missing the depth.
The book (which I haven’t even read, and only now heard of) is built on a flawed premise. The spirit isn’t forgotten. Have you never heard a praise song? The spirit is all over the place. The father, now that’s the forgotten God. A little more Judaism in Christianity is a great thing.
Paul,
One of the things that I admire about you is that you speak the truth. You’re out to please God and not people; you love people enough to tell them the truth.
We living in this world need more of that. Please keep it up and please teach others to do it.
Linda
Wow. Thanks, Linda. That’s nice of you to say.