Henry and Melvin Blackaby, Authors
Copyright © 2008 by Henry T. & Melvin D. Blackaby
Published by Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs, CO
ISBN 978-1-59052-757-3
Retail price $16.99 in U.S.A., 211 pages
Study Guide by Henry & Melvin Blackaby with Thomas Womack
Copyright © by Henry T. and Melvin D. Blackaby
ISBN 978-1-59052-758-9
Softcover, 105 pages
Retail price $9.99
Reviewed by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.
REVIEW
Experiencing the Resurrection by Henry and Melvin Blackaby, a book new to my bookstore, piqued my interest. My own church has used Blackaby materials for classes, and somewhere in my readings I was given the impression that their books hold a good reputation among Christians.
I can give an impression only of the Blackaby book that I have read, which is the one mentioned here, and my review of what I have read must express confusion. I had difficulty with some of the statements made, found the thought-train jagged and uneven, and conclude that they failed to achieve any goal.
Henry and Melvin Blackaby write from an Arminian perspective, believing that all people have a choice to either accept or not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. This is in opposition to what is called a Calvanistic perspective in which God has chosen, or fore-ordained, each person’s future. As for myself, my belief lies somewhere in the middle of the two—that God has a plan for each of us, children of God that we are, and through circumstances of choice we either accept or reject His purpose for us in life.
At the start of the book, it is stated that many Christians do not live up to their “resurrection power potential,” and are missing out on the “abundant life”. Although much later in the book there is explanation of this power, I found the implication that I may be settling for “insignificance” demeaning, and different positive wording would have conveyed the thought much better. The “abundant life,” is used by the Blackabys rather than by the tele-evangelist who normally promotes this phrase, which leads to the impossibility for me to disassociate the term from prosper theology, where Christians deserve to have monetary riches.
On page fourteen is the following statement. “All people instinctively know there’s a God, whether or not they choose to respond to Him.” Since this statement cannot be proven, one may assume it correct or incorrect. I am not denying that I believe every person on this earth is a child of God. I do entertain the possibility that such a statement contradicts the Blackaby’s Arminian philosophy. Why would anyone who instinctively knows something is true not acknowledge and accept that truth?
The middle of the book takes the reader forth and back between sections talking about the love of God and fire/damnation from the wrath of God. I couldn’t follow the train of thought, and kept waiting for a very clear statement saying that until our last breath is taken before death we can still seek forgiveness. It never came. Personally, I don’t believe in scaring people into believing the message of love, hope and salvation. It doesn’t make sense. It’s a contradiction to God’s desiring salvation for the whole world. Rather, it just might be better to promote the disappointment God feels over a soul lost.
The last chapters of the book finally get to the point. At last this book explains and defines what these two men believe it means to experience the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its power. I still wasn’t clear who their target audience was, because of the flip-flopping between seeming to speak to those already in the Christian faith, those who assume (implied) they are Christian, and those who are not yet Christian.
I have not given enough thought to why the book doesn’t work. It may be that the book is too brief for the subject matter. Or, it may be that they wrote it too quickly and didn’t see that there was no clear train of thought throughout—which is very easy to do without putting in sufficient time. It is a good subject upon which to think and write, but I recommend reading about it elsewhere.
All of this being said, if you like what Henry and Melvin Blackaby have to say, this just might be the right book for you.
I do not recommend this book.
I can give an impression only of the Blackaby book that I have read, which is the one mentioned here, and my review of what I have read must express confusion. I had difficulty with some of the statements made, found the thought-train jagged and uneven, and conclude that they failed to achieve any goal.
Henry and Melvin Blackaby write from an Arminian perspective, believing that all people have a choice to either accept or not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. This is in opposition to what is called a Calvanistic perspective in which God has chosen, or fore-ordained, each person’s future. As for myself, my belief lies somewhere in the middle of the two—that God has a plan for each of us, children of God that we are, and through circumstances of choice we either accept or reject His purpose for us in life.
At the start of the book, it is stated that many Christians do not live up to their “resurrection power potential,” and are missing out on the “abundant life”. Although much later in the book there is explanation of this power, I found the implication that I may be settling for “insignificance” demeaning, and different positive wording would have conveyed the thought much better. The “abundant life,” is used by the Blackabys rather than by the tele-evangelist who normally promotes this phrase, which leads to the impossibility for me to disassociate the term from prosper theology, where Christians deserve to have monetary riches.
On page fourteen is the following statement. “All people instinctively know there’s a God, whether or not they choose to respond to Him.” Since this statement cannot be proven, one may assume it correct or incorrect. I am not denying that I believe every person on this earth is a child of God. I do entertain the possibility that such a statement contradicts the Blackaby’s Arminian philosophy. Why would anyone who instinctively knows something is true not acknowledge and accept that truth?
The middle of the book takes the reader forth and back between sections talking about the love of God and fire/damnation from the wrath of God. I couldn’t follow the train of thought, and kept waiting for a very clear statement saying that until our last breath is taken before death we can still seek forgiveness. It never came. Personally, I don’t believe in scaring people into believing the message of love, hope and salvation. It doesn’t make sense. It’s a contradiction to God’s desiring salvation for the whole world. Rather, it just might be better to promote the disappointment God feels over a soul lost.
The last chapters of the book finally get to the point. At last this book explains and defines what these two men believe it means to experience the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its power. I still wasn’t clear who their target audience was, because of the flip-flopping between seeming to speak to those already in the Christian faith, those who assume (implied) they are Christian, and those who are not yet Christian.
I have not given enough thought to why the book doesn’t work. It may be that the book is too brief for the subject matter. Or, it may be that they wrote it too quickly and didn’t see that there was no clear train of thought throughout—which is very easy to do without putting in sufficient time. It is a good subject upon which to think and write, but I recommend reading about it elsewhere.
All of this being said, if you like what Henry and Melvin Blackaby have to say, this just might be the right book for you.
I do not recommend this book.
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