This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review.
I was very intrigued by this book for a few reasons. It's been a while since I've read anything about defending or understanding why I believe what I believe. I think after awhile that makes my brain a bit mushy. Course that may just be the baby talking but I wanted to stretch my brain a bit. The second reason, I was curious about the integration of technology. The author has integrated QR codes which link you to notes, relevant videos, mp3's and other websites. I thought it seemed very unique and wanted to check that out. It reminded me of Francis Chan's use of videos on his website that complemented Crazy Love. If you know anything about us, you know we are geeks who love our books. Combining our worlds like that tends to get us excited.
I love themes. You can tell this if you spend any time on this blog looking at the parties we throw, etc. This book operates on a theme. Want to guess? You're right! Four letter words. Some people may find that a bit corny but I liked it. I think that if you can't take the "big thoughts" of your faith and simply them into every day language and use, it's not much good to you. The words discussed are: True, Know, Pain, Ouch, Evil, Word, Damn, Wait and Hope. Just because they are only four letter words don't be fooled into thinking these are light topics. Obviously, they are big ones.
I found that this book reminded me a bit of the conversations that used to happen around the dinner table and late at night in our home growing up. They are the types of conversations I hope we will have with the girls. My dad didn't let us get away with just mimicking what he said. We had to know and understand our faith, why we believed what we believed and verbalize that for ourselves. All while he would play devil's advocate. I remember being frustrated at times but those were the times I was just trying to regurgitate his beliefs. I had not made the time or done the research to know if they were mine too. This book also reminds me of my favorite class in college. The one I didn't have time to devote myself to because Pathophysiology and Biochemistry and something else hard and relevant to my major were stealing my time and energy: Religion and Culture. I had this awesome professor who could converse with the best of them (seriously Dahli Lama's and all) about their faith. He was intent on us learning and we had essay question exams as a result. I think this book has the same practicality of conversations between a father and child but combines some of the depth of my favorite class in college.
I like how the book is divided. I like that you can jump to anyone one of the words and brush up on that topic. It make it a great resource. When you read it like that, topically, the QR codes are fun and add a nice depth. If you're just reading it straight through, to just read it or get an overview of each topic, I find the QR codes cumbersome. I think overall this book is a nice resource. It's not as in depth as say a C.S. Lewis book or John Piper, but it is highly practical. I think it would be a great resource for both parents and young adults and also for anyone looking to explore these topics a little deeper.
About Four Letter Words:
Thou shalt tolerate every opinion... except the Christian's. Today's postmodern "prime directive" leaves many followers of Jesus tongue-tied. In the global village, isn't it unreasonable, and even dangerous, to suggest that the Bible has a monopoly on truth?
The church needs a new breed of Christ-follower. We need Christ-followers who are alert to today's touchy ideas, the truths that fire up more heat than light. We need Christ-followers who can make a clear case for the Bible's worldview; who are ready to help our friends think through their beliefs; who can recognize inconsistencies and challenge them; and who can do all of this with humility, confidence, humor, and love. For more information visit http://fourletterwords.org.
Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/8FbUq
About Bill Giovannetti:
Dr. Bill Giovannetti is a professor at A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary and the senior pastor of Neighborhood Church of Redding. An experienced speaker and author, Bill informs the mind in ways that touch the heart. He enjoys life with his wife and two kids in northern California. For more information about Bill and his other books, visit http://maxgrace.wordpress.com and http://fourletterwords.org.
About the Giveaway:
Bill is celebrating the new Kindle edition of Four Letter Words (for only $4.99)! He’ll be traveling coast to coast over the next few weeks on this virtual book tour and he's celebrating by hosting a great giveaway!
Click here (http://fourletterwords.org/
The whole scoop here: http://fourletterwords.
This sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very good book
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