At first glance the book seems a little out dated. Written between 1922 and 1952 and originally published as a series of articles in the magazine Studies in the Scriptures, we have to admit the book is a little old and the language does sometimes seem a little archaic. But I have to argue that the content is timeless.
In this book, Pink discusses sixteen attributes of God: the solitariness of God, the decrees (purpose or determination) of God, the knowledge of God, the foreknowledge of God, the supremacy of God, the sovereignty of God, the immutability (unchangingness) of God, the holiness of God, the power of God, the faithfulness of God, the goodness of God, the patience of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God, the love of God, and the wrath of God. Obviously, the book is intended for Christian readers, nevertheless, I believe that, despite the sometimes archaic writing and the rampant "christianese" language used in the book, many unbelievers will find here a thorough and beneficial explanation of one of the most fundamental concepts of Christianity, and that is the concept of God.
To understand Christianity, one must first know what its God is like and in this book, Pink does a fantastic job of describing, quite thoroughly, the Christian's God as He shows Himself in the Bible.
I have a few disagreements with Pink, some of them I've outlined in my other blog but I don't believe Pink's errors to be fatal. Also, I find that towards the middle of the book, the writing becomes a little formulaic and boring and a little difficult to follow, but overall the book is well written and well argued and does what it does well. So read it, especially if you're curious about what Christianity is all about.
In this book, Pink discusses sixteen attributes of God: the solitariness of God, the decrees (purpose or determination) of God, the knowledge of God, the foreknowledge of God, the supremacy of God, the sovereignty of God, the immutability (unchangingness) of God, the holiness of God, the power of God, the faithfulness of God, the goodness of God, the patience of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God, the love of God, and the wrath of God. Obviously, the book is intended for Christian readers, nevertheless, I believe that, despite the sometimes archaic writing and the rampant "christianese" language used in the book, many unbelievers will find here a thorough and beneficial explanation of one of the most fundamental concepts of Christianity, and that is the concept of God.
To understand Christianity, one must first know what its God is like and in this book, Pink does a fantastic job of describing, quite thoroughly, the Christian's God as He shows Himself in the Bible.
I have a few disagreements with Pink, some of them I've outlined in my other blog but I don't believe Pink's errors to be fatal. Also, I find that towards the middle of the book, the writing becomes a little formulaic and boring and a little difficult to follow, but overall the book is well written and well argued and does what it does well. So read it, especially if you're curious about what Christianity is all about.
A similar book, which is actually very well written (and draws from Pink a bit) and very recommendable for Christians or non-Christians is J.I. Packer's "Knowing God". Really solid read, one of the best.
ReplyDelete