In a world of hype, you may buy into the idea that, through Jesus, you'll be healthier and wealthier as well as wiser. So what happens when you become ill, depressed, or bankrupt? Did you do something wrong? Has God abandoned you? In Too Good to Be True, Horton exposes the pop culture that sells Jesus like a product for health and happiness and reminds us that our lives often lead us on difficult routes we must follow by faith. Through a series of powerful readings, you'll see that through every type of earthly difficulty, God keeps his promises from Scripture and works all things together for your good.
The good news that God’s Word proclaims is a recipe to use in times of disaster. That is to say, it comes as a relevant announcement only to those who are in trouble for one reason or another. This book calls for more realism in facing life’s challenges and a richer view of God and his purposes to match them.
"With solid scriptural exegesis, Michael Horton outlines a theological conceptualization of suffering. Written for both the pastor and lay person, every reader will see God’s plan and purpose more clearly and understand that the compensation for belief in God cannot be spent at Walmart." — American Association of Christian Counselors
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
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5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Steve Lee, Sr. (Mesa, AZ), August 09, 2006
I'm thinking that this book should be required reading for:
1. Pastors
2. Lay people
3. Anyone who is considering, or has responded to, the call to follow Christ
When I'm out and about, or even just flipping through the channels on TV, I am often confronted by statements that Christianity will "fix" your life. I admit that Jesus has fixed some parts of my life and that my life is definitely better with him than without him. However, we should never tell others, nor should we expect, that accepting the call to follow Jesus will exempt us from pain or trials; grief or temptation. Neither does it carry a promise to make us healthy, wealthy, and wise. "It isn't a technique for our personal therapy."
What Jesus does promise is that we will have trouble and that we will be participants with him in his suffering . So, unless you are some kind of sick person, this doesn't sound too exciting. Why then, would anyone choose to become a Christian?
Horton correctly instructs us that, "The good news that we proclaim is true, not because it works for people in that pragmatic, utilitarian way, but because nearly two thousand years ago, outside of the center city of Jerusalem, the Son of God was crucified for our sins and was raised for our justification. This historical event may not fix our marriages, our relationships, or our messed-up lives the way we would like, but it saves us from the wrath of God to come and gives us new life, hope, and wisdom for our existence here and now, guaranteeing the end of pain at last."
If you've been disappointed with your life (or with God) because things aren't going the way you were promised, this book should be a source of great joy. Horton makes a clear distinction between what God has promised and what (well-meaning, but wrong) people have assumed to promise on his behalf. Hope in God's promises is not misplaced and will never disappoint.
Horton has done a good thing for us all in writing this book.
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