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The God I Don't Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith Hardcover – November 27, 2008

by Christopher J. H. Wright (Author), John R. W. Stott (Foreword)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 198 ratings
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If we are honest, we have to admit that there are many things we don’t understand about God. We do not have final answers to the deep problems of life, and those who say they do are probably living in some degree of delusion. There are areas of mystery in our Christian faith that lie beyond the keenest scholarship or even the most profound spiritual exercises. For many people, these problems raise so many questions and uncertainties that faith itself becomes a struggle, and the very person and character of God are called into question. Chris Wright encourages us to face up to the limitations of our understanding and to acknowledge the pain and grief they can often cause. But at the same time, he wants us to be able to say, like the psalmist in Psalm 73: “But that’s all right. God is ultimately in charge and I can trust him to put things right. Meanwhile, I will stay near to my God, make him my refuge, and go on telling of his deeds.”

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  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Zondervan
  4. Publication date
    November 27, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    6.26 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0310275466
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0310275466
  8. See all details
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From the Back Cover

If we are honest, we have to admit that there are many things we don't understand about God. We do not have final answers to the deep problems of life, and those who say they do are probably living in some degree of delusion. There are areas of mystery in our Christian faith that lie beyond the keenest scholarship or even the most profound spiritual exercises.

For many people, these problems raise so many questions and uncertainties that faith itself becomes a struggle, and the very person and character of God are called into question.

Chris Wright encourages us to face up to the limitations of our understanding and to acknowledge the pain and grief they can often cause. But at the same time, he wants us to be able to say, like the psalmist in Psalm 73: But that's all right. God is ultimately in charge and I can trust him to put things right. Meanwhile, I will stay near to my God, make him my refuge, and go on telling of his deeds.

About the Author

Dr. Christopher J. H. Wright is International Director of the Langham Partnership International. After teaching the Old Testament in India and the UK, he also served as chair of the Lausanne Movement’s Theology Working Group and was the chief architect of the Cape Town Commitment at the Third Lausanne Congress, 2010. His books include: Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, Deuteronomy (Understanding the Bible Commentary), Salvation Belongs to Our God, The Mission of God, The God I Don't Understand, and The Mission of God's People. Chris and his wife Liz who have four adult children and a growing number of grandchildren, live in London, Uk, and belong to All Souls Church.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zondervan; First Edition (November 27, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0310275466
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0310275466
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.02 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.26 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 198 ratings

About the author

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Christopher J. H. Wright

Christopher J. H. Wright

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Rev Dr Christopher J H Wright MA, PhD (Cantab)

Chris Wright was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1947, the son of missionary parents, and nurtured as an Irish Presbyterian. After university in Cambridge, he started his career as a schoolteacher in Grosvenor High School, Belfast. Then, after completing a doctorate in Old Testament economic ethics in Cambridge, he was ordained in the Church of England in 1977 and served as a curate in the Parish Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Tonbridge, Kent.

In 1983 he took his family to India and taught at the Union Biblical Seminary (UBS), Pune for five years as a mission partner with Crosslinks (formerly BCMS). While at UBS he taught a variety of Old Testament courses at BD and MTh levels. In 1988 he returned to the UK as Academic Dean at All Nations Christian College (an international training centre for cross-cultural mission). Then he was appointed Principal there in September 1993.

In September 2001 he was appointed International Ministries Director of the Langham Partnership. This is a group of ministries originally founded by John Stott, committed to strengthening the church in the Majority World through providing resources for training evangelical theological educators to doctoral level, providing and helping to create evangelical Christian literature, and training pastors and lay leaders in biblical preaching.

Chris was the Chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group from 2005 – 2011, and was the chief architect of The Cape Town Commitment – the Statement of the Third Lausanne Congress in October 2010.

Chris and his wife Liz, who have four adult children and eleven grandchildren, belong to All Souls Church, Langham Place, London, where Chris enjoys preaching from time to time as a member of the Staff team. Chris, who enjoys running, birding, and watching rugby, has a passion to bring to life the relevance of the Old Testament for Christian mission and ethics, and loves preaching and teaching the Bible.

His books include:

Knowing God: The Trilogy: Knowing God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit through the Old Testament (Langham and InterVarsity: 2018)

Deuteronomy: Understanding the Bible Commentary (Baker: 1996)

The Message of Ezekiel, The Bible Speaks Today (IVP: 2001)

The Message of Jeremiah, The Bible Speaks Today (IVP: 2014)

The Message of Lamentations, The Bible Speaks Today (IVP: 2015)

Old Testament Ethics for the People of God (IVP: 2004)

The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative (IVP: 2006)

Salvation Belongs to Our God: Celebrating the Bible’s Central Story (IVP and Langham: 2008)

The God I Don’t Understand (Zondervan: 2009).

The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission (Zondervan: 2010)

How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All It’s Worth (Zondervan: 2016)

Hearing the Message of Daniel (Zondervan: 2017)

The Old Testament in Seven Sentences (InterVarsity: 2019)

Exodus: The Story of God Bible Commentary (Zondervan: 2020)

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
198 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

John
5.0 out of 5 stars Most helpful
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2024
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I've used this book as a resource in a topical study of the conquest of Canaan, and found it most helpful. The writing is user-friendly for laity, and the topics are thoroughly and thoughtfully addressed. 'Highly recommend to anyone who wished to better understand ethical issued in the OT.
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C. Boone
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth buying!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2010
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The year 2009 was a difficult one for me. I became very sick - dangerously ill. At one point I was sitting behind our house wondering where I would have my wife bury me. I was that sick! But God slowly raised me up, and in the process my thoughts have been increasingly directed to 'the problem of evil.' As a pastor I have found my own experience of suffering to have highlighted the necessity of helping others with their suffering. And in that attempt to help others 'the problem of evil' is always nearby. Why do we suffer? How is our suffering reconciled with the goodness and the sovereignty of God?

I picked up Wright's book primarily because of my own personal journey in suffering and my desire to help others in their journeys. So, it was the first part of the book in which Wright discusses evil and suffering that motivated me to read. I wound up reading the whole book.

His discussion of evil and suffering was refreshingly honest. I found it helpful, and an echo of some of the same conclusions that my journey was already forming inside me. We actually don't have the final answer to 'the problem of evil,' and it has been designed that way by God! The book is worth reading for that first section alone.

He goes on to write three more sections, as the other reviewers have adequately noted. I will make only a comment or two on his fourth section which deals with the question, What about the end of the world?

Here I read with raised eyebrows when he implied that the premil position is 'folk Christianity.' Folk Christianity? That means, not real Christianity at all? I too am not satisfied with the presentation of end times events that the Left Behind book series presents, but I'm not sure that I'm ready to call it 'folk Christianity!'

But even with that said, I read the fourth section with great interest and applaud Wright for his thoughtful presentation of biblical evidence that points to the three exciting events that we all agree are going to happen in the end. In his conclusion he said, "I cannot suppress the rising emotional tide of excitement and anticipation that I always feel when thinking (or singing) about these great biblical truths about the new creation." Well, Christopher Wright, you have contributed to my own excitement and anticipation, and for that I thank you!
12 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Rich theological reflection, yet accessible
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2022
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I found this book to be very helpful. Chris Wright is a great writer - easy to read and follow his train of thought. Yet, he is a deep thinker who has reflected for decades on difficult aspects of the Christian faith. I found myself underlining a lot of certain sections, as his insights resonated with me and brought clarity to me. Very solid. Biblically balanced. Humble. Hopeful. A great book to have in your personal library, and one to refer to when some of the covered issues come up with friends or those you know.
3 people found this helpful
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Kathleen
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Answers to my Questions about God
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2020
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I'm only on my 2nd chapter, but so far I am loving this book. I have started reading so many other books that promise they have the answers to my questions and they are weak and unconvincing, or even have the nerve to tell you that we just don't know honestly, after I paid $20 for their book so that they could tell me!
If I hear or read one more time that old cliché that God doesn't want robots, I'm going to break the 6th commandment.
This book does explain many questions without making you go in circles trying to figure out what their 20 page explanation and point means, instead of them just simply stating the answer directly or in several lines.
S o far this book is helping me understand who God is, and what He wants from us. It also answers the question of why God has done what He did (especially in the Old Testament).
This is a great book to read in order to understand what our maker is about and why the things He has done makes perfect sense. Anyone wanting the questions to theological questions about God or occurrences' in the Bible needs to read this book for some good and logical answers.
3 people found this helpful
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Paul Basden
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, biblical, thoughtful
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2019
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I bought this book because first, I was interested in the topic, and second, I had read three other books by the author which I liked. This book did not disappoint. It is a practical, biblical, thoughtful approach to four major questions that Christians think about, and/or four major topics that present stumbling blocks for non-Christians. In each chapter, Christopher Wright acknowledges the difficulties of the problem under consideration, shows how it has often been misunderstood by the church, points out where his detractors are right in their arguments, and then humbly but persuasively offers correctives to faulty thinking and support for better thinking. I recommend it to anyone who is confused about God, is losing confidence in the Bible, or is struggling with the dilemma of evil and God.
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Top reviews from other countries

William
4.0 out of 5 stars Exploring your Christian Faith
Reviewed in Australia on July 16, 2021
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Easy to read and explore your faith in Christianity with good questions.
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BeachedBum
5.0 out of 5 stars knowledge or expertise to arrive at these answers so I'm glad someone I trust recommended I read this and gave ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2015
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I found this a really helpful, honest book. For a thinking Christian there are some difficult questions to find answers to - in both the Old and New Testament. Christopher Wright has been brave and honest enough to confront these questions and give deeply thought through, scholarly responses. As he admits, the answers he provides don't explain everything, but they are extremely helpful in trying to come to terms with some knotty questions and I'm very grateful that he has chosen to publish them. Most of us don't have the time, knowledge or expertise to arrive at these answers so I'm glad someone I trust recommended I read this and gave me a short-cut to a deeper understanding of these issues.
3 people found this helpful
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Virtual Methodist
4.0 out of 5 stars Much to Commend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2018
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There is much to commend this book. The author is intellectually rigorous and honest, whilst remaining true to a conservative evangelical theological framework, with its thorough-going Biblicism. It was refeshing for someone from this theological strand admit to "gaps" in the Bible's ability to answer theological, philosophical and moral questions, and to have him state his position in such a humble and irenic fashion. In this he is clearly following in the footsteps of his mentor and friend John Stott, but with more than a little N.T. Wright thrown in. However it wasn't entirely satisfying, first because, in many ways I thought that the most interesting elements that he was addressing lay in the lacunae that he doesn't understand, and claims that the Bible is silent on (eg. the origin of evil), but also because he increasingly abandons the rubric of his title and spends more on the elements that he does understand rather than explicitly stating those dimensions of God's actions that he doesn't understand, eg with the cross/atonement and the last times. In the section on the last times (which was slightly less irenic in tone as he was rigorously opposing the sensationalist speculation of Hal Lindsay, Tim La Haye and others with their "Left Behind" theology) I was entirely in sympathy, but in his section on the atonement I am not convinced by his arguments regarding the substitutionary theories of the atonement being the key ones simply because of Jesus' physical substitution for us on the cross. This seems to confuse a physical reality with the spiritual dynamics that the various theories of the atonement are meant to explore. I think he was very shallow in his exploration of more contemporary theories, indeed I found his casual dismissal of theories based on solidarity to be crass, especially since it is such understandings that frequently resonate with those going through difficult times. I was also intrigued by areas that he didn't get deeper into including creation, sexuality and eternal punishment, but perhaps he understands God's mind on those areas better than I do. However, his rigorous approach to a Biblical approach to the end times suggests that perhaps he was not writing this book for me or those like me, but as a defense against those who would claim to be evangelical, but actually hold a fundamentalist position that actually owes very little to the Bible.
3 people found this helpful
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julie kim
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2021
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A great read for every Christian who wants to truly understand God and his word. Not a light read as it deals with hefty topics, but it is written clearly and is not difficult to understand.
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Richard Cameron
5.0 out of 5 stars The God I now understand a bit better!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2013
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I bought this book to read the section on Israel's war to clear the Canaanites out of their land. It's an issue that troubles me and always has. I've never read anything that helped me square this horrible war with the God of love behind it. Those looking for complete answers to impossible questions won't find them here. But Wright deals with difficult issues with compassion and biblical authority. His treatment of this subject is the most helpful I have read. I strongly recommend this book to those who struggle with difficult problems like suffering, war and the atonement.
8 people found this helpful
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