Everything You Always Wanted To Know About God (but were afraid to ask)
By Eric Metaxas (WaterBrook)
I jotted down some basic questions before I began reading. I wanted to see if author Eric Metaxas would address my concerns.
He did more than answer all my questions. He inspired me to rethink how I answer the uncomfortable questions. And he reminded me of the profound mystery that all questions don’t have an answer.
Metaxas’ style, utilizing a question-and-answer format, is easy for readers to follow. The author’s humor draws readers into the story as the questioner pushes for deeper meaning. The dialogue continues until the answer is clear. Readers come away with a better understanding of who God is and who he isn’t.
Metaxas makes clear just how serious he considers the topic of this book: “From where I stand, no subject under the sun is more important than the truth, but the subject of truth, especially as it concerns God, has fallen on hard times in our culture.”
Topics from creation to the cross are covered in this inspiring book, as the author writes about common subjects including miracles, prayer, angels, demons and the afterlife. Metaxas also addresses difficult subjects—Islam, hell, gays, the role of women and the spiritual realm.
The author does a wonderful job engaging readers with thought-provoking questions. The book is divided into 20 chapters, each focusing on important issues, such as: “Why would a loving God allow suffering? How can you prove God’s existence?”
Metaxas’ blend of theology and biblical history supports his answers and reinforces the central event of the Christian faith—Jesus’ death on the cross. The author’s message is clearly threaded through out the pages of the book: It is Jesus’ grace toward us that allows us to go to heaven, and this grace is available to everyone.
Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays
Bobbie Bomar Brown
Estes Park, Colo.
Holding Forth the Word of Life
By Walter Brown (Page Publishing)
Walter Brown was at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla., when a pastor from his hometown of New Orleans introduced him to Christ as his Savior during a long-distance phone call. After completing his service in the U.S. Navy, Brown became an insurance agent/broker and a Bible teacher.
Holding Forth the Word of Life, written by Brown and edited by his wife, Kathy, is a compilation of concise devotionals. Each begins with a title and Scripture, which serves as the topic of that particular devotional.
Holding Forth the Word of Life would be great for individual quiet-time devotionals or simply as inspirational reading. Brown’s assortment of devotionals does justice to its purpose, as referenced in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and captured in the book’s title.
Skip Holman, minister of discipleship
Northeast Baptist Church
San Antonio
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.