eBook Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You've Only Heard About download

This wonderful book by two very good friends, tells of God's strange but delightful work in people, of an observant spiritual eye noticing the working of the Holy Spirit. It is a story of good news, repeated through the mantra of `rumors' that every Christian ought to hear. Essentially, God is nearer than we think. God is closer than we feel. God is present where we are. The central message of this message is that God is more real than we experience, more present than we feel, and more active than we think. The authors quote CS Lewis' words in their book as their main theme:

"The world is a great sculptor's shop. We are the statues and there is a rumor going round the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life." (Darren Whitehead & Jon Tyson, Rumors of God, Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2011, 5)

Coming to life it is! Using seven chapters to convince the mind and to convict the individual heart, one chapter to inspire the spirit of community, and another two toward global justice, environmental concerns and eschatological hope, the book calls us to live out our faith openly and passionately. Before one can do that, one needs to re-focus and re-direct their attention. One reason why many Christians fail to experience God is because they are barking up the wrong tree.

"Society seems to be drifting further and further into secular humanism and we, as Christians, feel powerless to do anything about it. Ironically, the culture grows increasingly more spiritual while the church grows increasingly more practical. No wonder most Americans say they're not interested in Christianity." (6)

The book is a clarion call for readers to live out the faith they profess, and to let God turn one from statue into a bold living out of one's status of being children of light.

My Comments

This book is immensely practical and very inspirational. It is a reminder to us that the gospel is not hearsay. It tells us that it is real and can be even more real, if we let God lead us.

I like the way the authors distinguish mercy and grace through the example of a motorist pulled over by the police. Mercy is about being forgiven the driving offense. Grace goes far beyond forgiveness. Grace is forgiveness and continual giving all rolled into one. (72) Calling forgiveness the central theme in the biblical narrative (81), readers are urged to learn to live humbly through the giving up of their perceived rights, as well as debunking the six myths of forgiveness (90).

The structure of the book reveals the authors' intention. Before one can begin living passionately for God outside, much work needs to start from the inside. I suspect this is the reason why the authors use seven initial chapters to stir up reader's soul to start noticing God by noticing the rumblings within ourselves. Recognize that we are motionless statues without God. Let Christ give us life, and the Holy Spirit give us vitality to live out that love of God in Christ. The pattern is evident throughout the book.

A lot of space is allocated to describing the Western culture, and readers in the Western world will appreciate the many familiar symbols, consumerism, materialism, and spiritualism.Readers will appreciate the many illustrations and easy to follow cultural references, and how Christians can live biblically amid the worldliness around them. One of my favourite chapters is about living out the gospel in order (chapter 5). In a world where many try to do too many things in too little time, it is easy to misplace our spiritual discernment, and to misinterpret gospel priorities.

There are rumblings of spiritual work in the background. There are ruminations of revival. There are rumors of God. Those of us who are discouraged in our spiritual walk, or who desire spiritual revival, begin with this book, and see how the stories, illustrations, and the good news inspire you to turn rumors into reality.

conrade

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".

Review by Steven King, MBA, MEd

Given the angst which seems to pervade our world, it is feared by many that the best days of the church are behind Christendom. To defeat this negativity, Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson have written Rumors of God.

This Prayer of Jabezesque book stakes its foundations in a prayer offered by Habbakuk, one of the twelve Minor Prophets. In Habbakuk 3:2 we read:
Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Renew them in our day
In our time make them known;
In wrath remember mercy.
Whitehead and Tyson have written Rumors of God as a vehicle to remind Christians that God is calling us to be part of his global redemptive tale. If ever there has been a time to wake up and stir from complacency--that time is now. To transcend from experiencing the "rumors" of God to the abundant life God offers, it is necessary to make God a priority intentionally.

Why did these two write this book? They see the irony of a childhood friendship that blossomed into God bringing two Aussies across the pond and planting them in American churches. Their writing is sharp and engaging, filled with personal anecdotes and biblical instruction. Just to make sure their biblical nuances were sound academically, on two different occasions, I tried to ascertain their educational qualifications. Sadly, on one occasion, my query was rebuffed by an assistant who desired to know where I would be publishing. The other query was not answered at all.

The book spins Habbakuk's phrase "I have heard of your fame" into the following rumor motif, with a modest summary of the contents therein:
Rumors of Generosity--giving in secret allows you true freedom. Generosity springs forth when one breaks the incessant cycle of make money, spend, and then buy more stuff.

Rumors of Love--perhaps too many could resonate with a quote by Donald Miller; "I have become an infomercial for God, and I don't even use the product." Remember: God chose us to passionate living--not a covenant of indifference.

Rumors of Grace--sadly, too many Christians live their life in the false belief that we are to be known by our judgment. In spite of our sin, rebellion, and brokenness, there is a God who loves us completely.
Rumors of Freedom--in an excellently written analysis of God's grace extended to the Ninevites as recorded in the book of Jonah, Christians are instructed to let go of anger, bitterness, and resentment.

Rumors of Commitment--covenant love is a truly beautiful expression of unilateral commitment. In other words, God loves us in spite of ourselves.

Rumor of Community--letting go of the harried pace of life and the dullness of superficiality to experience true community.

Rumors of Justice--spinning off the idea that the Greek word for righteousness, Dikaiosyne, conveys the idea of justice, Whitehead and Tyson advocate the idea that part of the gospel narrative is to help correct injustice and restore balance. While this could be an interpretation of this word, it seems out of context for other writings which employ the same word, such as Plato's Republic. In this work, the same word carries a stronger connotation that justice is akin to a judicial verdict, or approval. In the sense of being just - one should be good as an outgrowth of being moral. Injustice should lead to inner conflict--the unjust person should be unhappy.

Rumors of Hope--as those who walked along the pathway with Christ on the road to Emmaus had hoped Christ was the Messiah, Whitehead and Tyson affirm that if we give up hope, we lose our context in the grander scheme of things.

The book is an easy read that seeks to remind Christians of what Douglas Coupland relates in Life After God, we are "beautiful little creatures who were supposed to have been part of a fairy tale but who got lost along the way." If your story has been tainted or life seems tarnished, read this book and renew the belief that a good life vested with God is more than a rumor.