Book Review

A BIT OF A BOOK REVIEW FOR YOU

It seems that in current political (and other) discourse, the name, Hitler, is thrown around a little too frequently.  Non-Christians point to him supposedly being a Christian, and Christians point to him supposedly being an atheist.  What is a person supposed to think of all this?  Rather than just make assumptions, I am in the middle of reading a book by Richard Weikart, “Hitler’s Religion: The Twisted Beliefs that Drove the Third Reich.” It’s one of the most extensive books on the subject.

As you might suspect, Hitler was neither a Christian nor an atheist, though he was adept at pretending to be either to suit his own purposes.  The truth is that Hitler had a broad, vague, and generic set of beliefs about God that enabled him to basically say anything he wanted to say about God.  In the end, this was disastrous, to say the least.

While utterly rejecting Hitler’s tenets, our world finds itself on territory that is jarringly reminiscent of just such a “generic” view of God.  People are quite content to have a few basic things that they believe about God that may or may not be found in the Bible (usually the latter.)

This is why it is so incredibly important to have a specific faith in Jesus Christ that draws definitively on the teachings we have learned from God’s Word.  Though this specificity is scandalous to our world, it is our last, best, and only line of defense against human beings devising a false god to suit their own purposes, whatever that purpose might be.

For me, this book has helped me to focus on the need to be constantly in the Word of God and in Worship together.  Summer has historically been a time where many people see church as optional on any given weekend.  Simply put, the time for such an attitude is over.  We are called to be alert, for our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion.

I’m not suggesting that our culture of religious genericism will give rise to a modern-day-Hitler.  However, one could rightly say that the stakes are higher than ever before.  Let us be concerned about the eternal well being of all those around us, whom we love, and as a church let us continue to boldly live out our mission to experience and proclaim that God’s help is real!  Let us ever be prepared to share the Gospel of Jesus to a world in need.  May God grant us His Spirit and His strength, as we seek to follow Him together as a family of God, and may God bless and keep you in His gracious care.

In Christ’s love,
Pastor Daryn