★★★★★ 5
Well argued
Format: Paperback
Perhaps I should say at once that giving this slim but meaty volume five stars doesn't mean I personally agree with it. It has been many years since I have subscribed to the substitutionary theory of Jesus' death or the idea that the Bible is anything other than a record of human interfaces with the Unknown. But a review is not the place to argue such points at length. Also, it behooves people who want to think, to seek out alternate and even opposing points of view, in order to test and maybe revise their ideas. Jeremy Treat did not change my mind, but he might have if I held the same view he apparently does of Scripture. He argues well, clearly, and persuasively, and makes a Christianity grounded on this view look at least potentially like a pretty good basis for decent living. There are one or two points that troubled me a little. The concept that Jesus died for us as a community is sound in itself, but if carried to extremes looks very much like the idea that underlay the infamous religious wars and persecutions. Also, on page 86, Treat says: "Forgiveness is not merely dismissing a wrong. My wife and I teach our children that when someone apologizes to them, they should not respond by simply saying, 'It's okay' … To truly forgive, one acknowledges the wrongdoing but chooses to not hold it against the wrongdoer. Forgiveness is … accepting the penalty on behalf of the wrongdoer for the sake of the relationship. It is absorbing the pain yourself rather than seeking to put it back on the other person." Now, to me, this looks like such a clear recipe for Trouble that I very much wish Treat provided several examples for how, exactly, he sees it working in everyday life. Sometimes, as when the apology is a "Sorry" for inadvertently jostling you in a crowd, the simple "It's okay" seems to me by far the best response.
These few possible danger points, however, should be understood in the context of the book as a whole, which gives me the very strong impression of a practical pastor who knows his stuff, makes things hang coherently together, and probably gives useful and comforting counsel. I'm guessing, by his book, that he is a man I'd enjoy talking with in person.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023
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