Of screwtapes and wastage

Last month was pretty full on. For one thing I started a new job , and was learning much about the banking sector. (I know right, a job in banking?? Me??) For another, I struggled a lot with issues with church; relationships and people etc.

When I have these real let-downs in life, I tend to go back to the basics, and think "What am I missing here? What have I neglected to learn?" This time, I went back to books. Hurray!

I'd not read a book in months, maybe a year, and trolling through my very full bookshelf I came across 'The Screwtape Letters' by CS Lewis. It's about the stuff that goes on behind the scenes in the life of a Christian, also known as spiritual warfare. I learned so much from this little book, which reads as a work of fiction, of letters from an experienced old demon to his nephew. Contrary to appearances, it's full of ' real life advice' for Christians, from the importance of getting down on our knees to pray to how demons will use any situation in our lives to bring us closer to satan, and further away from Jesus. It's not about the mere fact of how busy my life is, or what I'm doing with my time, but about where my heart is, and how much I'm growing to know God more. Or less, as the case may be.

The other book I read, well am still reading now, is 'Don't Waste Your Life' by John Piper. What an excellent book it is. I started it a while ago, then lost interest, and picking it up again, now my heart is ready, I'm already learning so much!

So I read The Shack...

...and it's challenged me to be more theologically astute.

I stupidly listened to Mark Driscoll's opinion of the book as I started writing a longer, more postive review of the book, and now I'm a more than a little reminded on how much more I should read about God.

Well.


Personally, I think it's right on some things, like how amazing God's love is for us and how Jesus Christ died for our sins; unclear on other things, such as the nature of sin; ambiguous and possibly unhlelpful on some things, such as the doctrine of the Trinity (how anyone can think they can knock that subject on its head in one fell swoop, with one book is pretty wild).

I'd probably recommend another book to a non-Christian seeking to know God. Like the bible. I guess if you want to understand theology more you should be reading a book on theology, not a novel. Don't bother with The Shack.