Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)A great title. An eye-popping cover. A renowned writer. I picked up "The Slumber of Christianity" secure in the knowledge that Dekker can communicate spiritual ideas, but wondering if these ideas would be meaty enough to warrant 200 pages. The answer is yes--and no.
Since the beginning of his meteoric fiction career, Dekker has shown an amazing capacity for couching biblical truths in page-turning stories. He tells parables in a modern form, driving home truths that speak to the heart while entertaining his readers. Dekker's writing voice is suited for non-fiction, unpretentious and direct. I particularly enjoyed the sections where he shared glimpses of his past, snippets that provide a foundation for understanding his purpose as a writer.
The question he poses right up front is relevant, emergent, post-modern--and all those other catch phrases. It speaks to the struggle most Christians face daily: Why am I not satisfied, though I have Christ living in me? In a sentence, the answer Dekker offers is that we have lost sight of our hope in a heavenly future. He makes thought-provoking points about the enjoyment of pleasure on earth as a spiritual foretaste of heaven. He underlines the ways we have wandered from the hope of glory. In a few places, he distracted me with simplistic logical jumps, expecting me to follow without question. I could never disagree with his arrival point, though. He wants to say something, and he wants to get us there quickly.
On a conceptual level, I loved the book. I think Dekker does a superb job of communicating clearly, without turning the book into a theological exercise. He wants this to be practical, applicable. Which is where he lost me just a tad. I would've liked to see more real-life examples of how to apply this hope to the rent that comes due the same day the car blows a head gasket. We are spiritual and physical beings. Dekker makes a good point that our emotions and physical side are part of God's good creation, not results of the Fall. Yet we must negotiate this world, with its turmoils all around. In a sense, he says, it's all about an attitude.
Ultimately, "The Slumber of Christianity" shakes us. It speaks to our heads and hearts, demanding that we break away from hopelessness and fix our eyes ahead, that we move through life with vision and hope. These are valid and vital concerns. Applying these to everyday life requires an active relationship with the Author of that Hope. There are no easy answers, no quick fixes here, but in a world full of spiritual sleeping pills this is a strident call to rise from our slumber with focused purpose.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Slumber of Christianity: Awakening a Passion for Heaven on Earth
As believers, our walk with God is motivated by hope-not the bland, vague notion most people have, but the expectation of an exotic, pleasurable inheritance that guides us and fires our passion...or, at least, should.
Ted Dekker has written an expose on the death of pleasure within the Church. Because many of us have set aside hope and the inspired imagination that drives it, Dekker says we have been lulled into a slumber of boredom, even despondency. Our faith wanes, the joy at having been liberated fades, and we feel powerless. The Slumber of Christianity explores what robs us of happiness and how we can rediscover it and live lives that rekindle hope. The pursuit of pleasure is a gift to all humans-a function of the Creator himself, who is bent upon our happiness.
It's time for Christians to reclaim our inheritance of pleasure. The Slumber of Christianity will inflame hearts toward full-fledged, mind-expanding encounters with hope, through the imagination.
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