"Finding God in the Waves" is a true book by Mike McHargue. He is known as "Science Mike" on his podcasts. The subtitle of his book is, "How I lost my faith and found it again through science."
His personal struggle was gut-wrenching and enthralling. A former Baptist fundamentalist, he lost his faith, became a closet atheist and hypocrite, nearly lost his marriage and then went public with his internal battle. Some people who loved him prayed for him. Some church people crucified him. Then he had a supernatural encounter with God. I liked that part a lot! I've been there; done that.
I grew up learning to read in the Bible. I revere it. But I worship God, not the Bible. That's a very important distinction. Some fundamentalists make an idol out of the Bible. For example, "KJV only or burn in hell!"
Science Mike is now a believer again, albeit progressive. He is not afraid to acknowledge his uncertainties and doubts. As such, he's a witness to the skeptics of today. This book was very helpful to me but the topic may be difficult if you are not grounded in your faith in Christ. As a prophetic writer, I need to understand the pervasive post-Christian culture surrounding the church. We do not speak the same language.
My city of Fayetteville is prosperous, liberal, educated, progressive, modernist, secular, humanist, skeptical, pro-gay, democratic, but not anti-God. They simply haven't met the real thing. Tolerance is a high virtue. Yet the Christian community is thriving in selected segments of society. Mike's book was full of valuable insights for me as a communicator for God.
I recently discovered a new author, David Gregory. His fiction novel, "The Last Christian," occurs in a future America a few decades distant. The setting was familiar, the DFW Metroplex in Texas. The heroine returned home from serving an isolated tribe. Her parents had died there as missionaries. She found America to no longer be a Christian nation in any sense of the word.
The author showed the clash of conflicting worldviews and emerging techno-humanity with traditional historic biblical faith. We watch her striving to communicate the gospel to a culture whose way of thinking no longer had a basis to comprehend it. The way she resolved this problem has theological and practical applications to the modern church. The dilemma she addressed impacts our worldview, whether secular or biblical. This book was a fascinating read for me on many levels.
Finally, I'm reading one of N. T. Wright's older books, "Simply Christian." I enjoy reading Wright because he makes me think. Wright, an Anglican, has been called the greatest living Christian apologist (i.e.- explainer) of the faith. I agree.
I also like Leonard Sweet, who is brilliant. Derek Prince was a favorite. C.S. Lewis set the bar very high. But Wright makes his topics more reader-friendly and applies his thoughtful ideas and applications of biblical truth in a relevant way.
To have a great year, read more of the Bible! Read it like it's a personal letter. Discard traditional lenses that don't fit the narrative of the present reality of Christ's kingdom or the imminent return of our King. The Bible's author told us to, "Love God! Love your neighbor!" That's a condensation of the "new and living way" in his kingdom. It's really that simple. To have even more benefits overtake you, practice these things: Keep the covenant. Honor God. Raise the kids. With that, it becomes difficult to dodge the abundant blessings of Christ!
RON WOOD IS A WRITER, MINISTER AND TEACHER. EMAIL HIM AT [email protected] OR VISIT WWW.TOUCHEDBYGRACE.ORG. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
Editorial on 02/15/2017