Author: Peter Enns
One-sentence summary: Enns lays out an alternative to gripping what we believe about God so tightly and makes an argument for trusting Him and letting go of certainty.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 9
Our favorite thing about it: So much of this book really resonated with us.
Our least favorite thing about it: A couple of instances of the “familiar” style of writing being too familiar (using “like” like valley girls). (Again, we’re having to be really picky to find something here.)
Main Topics of Discussion: Bible, Trust, Doubt, Change, Turning Points, Recovery
Our favorite quote: “When we reach that point where things simply make no sense, when our thinking about God and life no longer line up, when any sense of certainty is gone, and when we can find no reason to trust God but we still do, well, that is what trust looks like at its brightest - when all else is dark.”
Notes: We unanimously loved this book. We all highlighted at least half of all the text. It echoed so much of what we’ve been thinking and feeling and moving toward the past 5-10 years. Despite the fact that we were pretty much already on board with all Enns had to say, we still learned some things and appreciated how he presented the “sin of certainty.” Our observations/discussions:
- We loved how the issue of trusting God was put forth as the solution to dropping certainty. This argument is threaded throughout the book and was really well done.
- We loved also how Enns recognized the whole human – mind and heart. Neither parts of our humanity work against us. We must use them both in our faith and when trusting God. Good stuff.
- We talked about all the disparity that he brought up about the Bible and other texts, scientific discoveries, etc. We described how holding the Bible with open hands – and lightly – has helped us here.
- One of our “ah-ha” moments came when he talked about how he and his Jewish friend had different views of the Adam and Eve story. Enlightening, to say the least!
- We really, really loved how he talked about God being close in the darkness. And also how he featured the lamenting Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Pointing out the bit about trusting God, or moving toward God anyway was perfect. He also tied this into some insights into how our suffering helps us die with Christ.
- Most of all, we appreciated how Enns didn’t pretend that he had any or all of the answers. He talked about trust, God being near in suffering, etc, but he never attempted to explain anything that our rational minds have trouble reconciling. That wasn’t the point and we loved that.
Memorable Meeting Moments: Lindsay unveiled her “nasty woman” tshirts for all of us and we took photos with them and our witch hats.
What We Ate: We had our annual Thanksgiving potluck dinner. Here’s what we all brought:
Lindsay: Ham with pineapple
Christina: Cauliflower casserole
Stephanie: Green Bean casserole
Rachel: Creamed Corn
Amberly: Sweet Potatoes
Dara: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pumpkin Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce
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