Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Christian Focus (2015), Edition: Revised, 144 pages
Description
Why then do bad things happen? Where does that leave 'free will'? Does God choose us or do we choose God? What's the point of praying if God already knows what he's going to do? Orlando Saer tackles these questions - and more - in a straightforward and engaging way. If you sometimes struggle to understand the way God works in the world, or to explain it to others, you will find light here. You'll also be left with a new appreciation of just how big the God of the Bible really is.
User reviews
LibraryThing member RobSumrall
Big God may be the most important book I've read all year!
Orlando Saer postulates that society has shrunken God down to a manageable size. In essence, we've abandoned the God of the Bible and opted instead for a pigmy deity who is incapable or unwilling to intervene in the affairs of man. Saer
In this brief book (141 pages), Saer lays out a case for how we can "unshrink" God in our understanding of suffering, in our evangelistic efforts, in our decision-making, and in our prayer life. His sage counsel is spot on! Saer succeeds in painting a God-sized picture of God! He manages to do so without the burdensome milieu of theological jargon.
Big God is a MUST READ for Christians today!
Ten Great Quotes:
"The idea is that some things are of God; other things are of us. And it's a pretty common way of thinking. But it's not a biblical way of thinking" (50).
"the truth is that the things which happen in our lives are all down to us, and all down to God, at the very same time. It's not either-or; it's both-and! Even the trivial things, even the bad things, even the things that happen as a result of the worst possible motivations. . . . one reality can be looked at from two different perspectives and so explained in two different way" (50).
"If you ever need a sense of the significance of your life, think about his: every single thing you think, say or do - even the tiniest, most trivial detail, even the things you get wrong - is contributing to God's will being worked out in the world" (55).
"God doesn't want to be let off the hook for the presence of suffering in the world!" (64).
"The desire to make the gospel 'relevant' has led to Christians around the world modifying it and so effectively robbing it of its saving power" (87).
"When you remember that God really is in the driving seat, the pressure's off. All the anxiety we've been feeling about 'falling out of God's will' vanishes. All the paralysis which has taken hold of us while we wait for specific directions melts away. All the energy we've been investing in trying to listen out for God's voice can be channelled into other more productive uses. It's just very, very freeing!" (108).
Orlando Saer postulates that society has shrunken God down to a manageable size. In essence, we've abandoned the God of the Bible and opted instead for a pigmy deity who is incapable or unwilling to intervene in the affairs of man. Saer
Show More
recognizes that the downsizing of God has been, in large part, because of the failure of the modern church to give satisfactory answers to the problem of suffering. The church has offered solutions rooted in their desire to "let God off the hook." These theologically vacuous answers diminish God.In this brief book (141 pages), Saer lays out a case for how we can "unshrink" God in our understanding of suffering, in our evangelistic efforts, in our decision-making, and in our prayer life. His sage counsel is spot on! Saer succeeds in painting a God-sized picture of God! He manages to do so without the burdensome milieu of theological jargon.
Big God is a MUST READ for Christians today!
Ten Great Quotes:
"The idea is that some things are of God; other things are of us. And it's a pretty common way of thinking. But it's not a biblical way of thinking" (50).
"the truth is that the things which happen in our lives are all down to us, and all down to God, at the very same time. It's not either-or; it's both-and! Even the trivial things, even the bad things, even the things that happen as a result of the worst possible motivations. . . . one reality can be looked at from two different perspectives and so explained in two different way" (50).
"If you ever need a sense of the significance of your life, think about his: every single thing you think, say or do - even the tiniest, most trivial detail, even the things you get wrong - is contributing to God's will being worked out in the world" (55).
"God doesn't want to be let off the hook for the presence of suffering in the world!" (64).
"The desire to make the gospel 'relevant' has led to Christians around the world modifying it and so effectively robbing it of its saving power" (87).
"When you remember that God really is in the driving seat, the pressure's off. All the anxiety we've been feeling about 'falling out of God's will' vanishes. All the paralysis which has taken hold of us while we wait for specific directions melts away. All the energy we've been investing in trying to listen out for God's voice can be channelled into other more productive uses. It's just very, very freeing!" (108).
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
144 p.; 7.81 inches
ISBN
1781912947 / 9781781912942
Similar in this library
Church in Hard Places: How the Local Church Brings Life to the Poor and Needy (9Marks) by Mez McConnell
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (Christian Softcover Originals) by Lee Strobel
The case for faith : a journalist investigates the toughest objections to Christianity by Lee Strobel
Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus (Building Healthy Churches) by Jonathan Leeman