This newly minted devotional builds on the Bible character, Daniel. This black books sports a lovely leather-like covering on its edges and spine. Hawkins begins this book with an Introduction to the book. It describes the challenges that face us and which the the Book of Daniel applies to. This book occurs in six parts. They are meant to grab reader attention and hold it. The author covers four chapters each of the six parts. The author puts thirteen chapters under Part 4. Parts 5 and 6 have five chapters each. Put together, all these chapters equal 25. Then Hawkins provides a Conclusion, a Mission: Dignity Section, a Bibliography, and an author bio. For over 25 years, O.S. Hawkins has served pastorates. Among them are First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. He serves as President of Guidestone Financial Resources, which serves 250,000 pastors, church staff members, missionaries,and other nonprofit staffers. He has authored over 30 books. These include The Joshua Code, The Jesus Code, and The James Code. He preaches regularly at conferences, universities, business groups, and churches all over the nation.
I found this book a fast and easy read. I was able to use it in my devotions because of its strong emphasis on Scripture. Bible verses precede each chapter. Early on, the author's bias is clear. I would give this book five stars but for what I found on page 22. On that page, the author gives a couple examples of how humanism was starting the U.S. on a cultural decline, as early as 1933. This author compares the proposal of the barbaric practices of abortion and euthanasia with, guess what? He lumps these evils in with what he calls "redistribution of wealth"in the U.S.! That sentence angered me; how can pastors be so opposed to entitlements? I had a pastor who had stated, "I don't think Jesus would have supported Social Security and other entitlements." Since when have "entitlements come to be seen as a moral, Christian issue? I know that the Bible says that people who won't work shouldn't have the right to eat. But I didn't get the sense that the author was talking about that. Because of this I'm not giving this book five stars. Other than Hawkins' obvious conservative bias and failure to speak to social justice issues, I applaud this book. It'll speak powerfully to those who feel that we're in the middle of a "cultural war" and that our religious liberties are at risk. Compared to what our severely persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ suffer all around the world, our lot is pretty good. Our government is flawed because these people we vote for come from us. But our system is better than that of most people in Third World countries. Overall, the tone of this book is encouraging and aptly ends with a Gospel invitation. Good job!
I recommend this book for all those who feel "outnumbered" by our politically correct culture that values tolerance above anything else. This includes pastors and all those who identify as "conservative, Evangelical Christians." Any Christian, no matter what stage of spiritual growth, can benefit from this book. This book is great for teenagers to encourage and equip them to stand strong for Jesus amid their temptations. Those who identify as more progressive or liberal may be put off by the conservative bias of this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through BookLookBloggers, in exchange to my honest review of this book. I wasn't required to give a positive review of this book.
No comments:
Post a Comment