Book Review: “Captured by Grace”

 

I initially requested this book simply because I was captivated by the title. The idea of being captured by grace was intriguing. I knew very little about what the book was about. This book is FACSINATING. The author, Dr. David Jeremiah goes in depth into the lives of two men who have been captured by grace; the Apostle Paul and John Newton, the slave trader turned preacher who penned the classic hymn Amazing Grace.

This book is divided into three parts that individually cover grace for your past, grace for your present and grace for your future. The author weaves facts and stories about Paul and John Newton with lots of scripture to make for a transformative read. Dr. Jeremiah does a wonderful job of using descriptive metaphors to illustrate the concepts presented in this book.

I did notice several typographical errors in the book, but I was so entranced by what the author had to say that I was quickly able to set those aside. This book definitely ranks as a transformative read for me and I have already passed it on to someone else to read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review of Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias

Beyond Opinion, Living the Faith We Defend by Ravi Zacharias is an astoundingly deep book. I'm a college graduate and a speed reader and this is definitely a book that will take quite awhile to read and properly absorb. You can't read it in one sitting or even several sittings. I find this to be refreshing; I think that because it takes so long to read you have more time to think and absorb on what the author is saying.

The books is divided into three sections and is ultimately a collection of essays that deal with different facets of apologetics written by members of RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries).  Part One focuses on some of the major challenges Christians face in apologetics and the responses we can give to the challenges that we face. Part Two focuses on us ourselves looking inward at the questions and answers and Part Three focuses on living out our faith. At one point Ravi states that one of the main issues facing Christianity today is that we don't live our faith and we appear hypocritical to non-believers. Amen to that!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It took me about a month to read, but it was well worth the investment of time.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”