Andy Stanley has an unusual gift at making theological, biblical ideas concrete and clear and communicating in a fresh way. Compared to some of his other books, though, The Grace of God is lacking in concrete description.
The book surveys the major movements of the Bible highlighting the grace of God and showing that grace is not a concept that appears in the New Testament, but a truth that appears in the first pages of the Bible and continues throughout the Bible as a theme–the central storyline of the Bible.
Early in the book he acknowledges that the God of the Old Testiment seems to be a God of genociede not a God of grace. He develops his argument slowly and unconvincingly. His defense of the God of the Old Testament is thin and unconvincing. (It’s not that I don’t think there are convincing arguments. There are, but Andy doesn’t really use any of them).
Generally speaking Andy Stanley’s books are worthwhile. He is creative. He has a unique gift at communication. Of all the books by Andy Stanley that I have read, this is the least so. A book entitled The Grace of God should display the author’s very best skills. He can do better.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com
