Godology: Theology is All about God
By Trevin Wax on Apr 9, 2009 in Book Reviews | 
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Few authors can take theology and make it fun to read. Christian George is one of the few. His new book is Godology: Because Knowing God Changes Everything
Godology is all about God. Each chapter creatively describes an attribute of God. Christian is rare in that he is able to take his subject matter very seriously while not taking himself too seriously. No easy task. And in the meantime, he leaves us with sparkling writing about a subject of utmost importance.
Godology is funny:
“It is easy to ignore the role of the Holy Spirit and treat him like the ‘red-headed step child’ of the Trinity.”
It is memorable:
“God doesn’t want to be our footnote; He seeks to be our title.”
And best of all, Godology is thoroughly biblical:
“Because Jesus was man, God identifies with us…because Jesus was divine, we identify with God.”
Godology focuses on the attributes of God and then shifts to our response to God’s revelation. The spotlight is on God, but Christian does not leave out our reponse. This book is as much about spiritual disciplines and practices as it is about God and theology.
Christian demonstrate an openness to disciplines from different traditions, a willingness to learn from the church throughout different ages and in other manifestations. (One chapter includes a section on the medieval labyrinth!) But Christian does not engage in such disciplines in order to find favor with God. Instead, the ancient practices are clearly described as ways of responding to the majesty of the God we see in Scripture. His emphasis on prayer, memorization, meditation and Scripture reading showcase the passion all Christians should have for knowing God and for making God known.
What makes this book stand out is not its content, but the accessible way in which it is written. Teenagers, college students, and young adults with little theological knowledge will be able to pick up this book and receive an informative book that is easily understandable (and even entertaining!). If you are looking for a book to pass on to others, Godology is one you will want to pick up.
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who is christian george? it might be helpful to include a bio snippet as part of your excellent reviews. but then again, i have sometimes allowed a bias on my part to not bother with some authors whose environment is not like my own. i’m sure i am the poorer as a result.
i’m not sure about the “fun” part of theology or that the Holy Spirit should ever be compared to a redheaded whatever … but it may be that george is a young writer (?)
i’ll put the book on my “wish list” but i’ll probably check out the author’s bio before i push the buy button.
pastor jim sharp | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
It is great to have books about God that will appeal to younger crowd. Statistics show that we are losing them by droves. If that does not change we may just be relegating Christianiay to a back shelf religion. Theology doesn’t have to be dry and boring; the message of Jesus Christ certainly isn’t. Another young author that appeals to the younger crowd and to those of us older progressive Christians is Shane Clairborne. I would recommend any of his books to my friends. Thanks for going outside the normal Christian box to review authors who may appeal to the younger pre-christian crowd.
RJ | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Christian George is a guy who’s about my age (28 I would guess). His dad is Timothy George, who heads up Beeson Divinity School.
Trevin Wax | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
thanks trevin for the bio info. i note on his blog site that he looks quite a bit like his dad!
i’m 62 this year … thirty plus years in ministry … and i’m learning a great deal from you 28 year old servants of our Most High God!
keep on keeping on! i am refreshed and encouraged by your e-labors.
pastor jim sharp | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
If a red head is compared to the Holy Spirit, I can only hope to measure up. I’m happy to be adopted into God’s family, red hair and all.
Eric Peterson | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for your review on this Trevin. I have seen several rave reviews about this book and, as such, have just received it and am through the early chapters. From a theological and accessability perspective these reviews seem to be well deserved. God is clearly the focus and centre of attraction in this book. I must confess, however, that I find his attempt to find a metaphor for everything (often mixing them within the same paragraph) gets somewhat tiresome. Maybe it lets up in later chapters, but so far he has me jumping from picture to picture so much that sometimes they can get distracting. Don’t get me wrong. This book seems worth reading and recommending for so many reasons. What he says to the generation he says it to is much needed. I just haven’t heard anyone (outside of J.I. Packer’s hints at it in his foreword) talk about the actual writing quality in the book. From my perspective…Great God. Good book. Nice accessibility. Not the best writing. So go get the book. Read it. Be challenged by it. But do it, knowing what it is and what it isn’t.
Jon | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Jon,
I really appreciate the way that George writes. Yes, he uses lots of metaphors, but that is a terrific way to nail down abstract ideas in concrete ways. I understand that it might not be for everyone, but I believe that most of us could use a little more metaphor and concreteness in our preaching and teaching.
Trevin Wax | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Trevin,
Please forgive me if I came across too hard on his writing. I am not against metaphor. Nor do I think his writing is bad writing. It is far better than many books that are out there. I’m sure it is better than any book I could write. I agree we can use a little more metaphor and concreteness in our communication of truth. It is possible, however, to go so far in that direction that it hurts the writing quality. I was going to give an example from the book, but I don’t want to beat this drum. This is a small point that I hadn’t seen in all the reviews I had read. As someone who appreciates reading really good literature, I would have prefered to begin reading the book having heard this perspective on the writing. I just felt (perhaps wrongly…and if that is the case, I am sorry) that others might want the same heads up I would have appreciated prior to diving into the book.
I can’t stress enough, however, that what I feel about the writing is far outweighed by what the book offers. As a pastor who is working to bring this God centred perspective to the life of his church, this book will become a strong recommendation to a lot of people.
Jon | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
I really enjoy reading reviews like this. I work at a Christian bookstore and was wondering what Godology was about (since I walked by the book every day). Now I know what to tell my customers. Also, the book by Tullian Tchividjian Unfashionable, it was good to see that review out too.
Thanks so much for this blog.
Aaron Contino | Apr 18, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for this page. Good food for thought.
Everyone has a theology, whether they realize it or not. We all think about God, and in a sense, study “him.”
Each person, of course, is at a different spot in the process.
Hope you drop by my site http://lifeasprayer.wordpress.com
lisacolondelay | May 5, 2009 | Reply