I have recently finished reading Timothy Keller’s book The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, and I am better for it. Keller seems to be a new author on the scene having published his first two books this past year (I’m reading his other book – The Reason for God now). I was first connected with the book through the recommendation of my good friend Loni who got another book by Keller from her son for Christmas. I was on Amazon ordering the other book when the offer was made of both books for a better price.

 

The Prodigal God is part of a larger movement that seems to be happening within Christianity, I would call the movement Corrective Christianity aka a series of course corrections back toward orthodoxy…in some ways a re-formation of Christianity in response to the changing world we live in. I would include authors such as N.T. Wright, Rob Bell, Philip Yancey and others in this movement which I think is good and necessary.

 

In his book Keller is presenting what has been traditionally known as the parable of the prodigal son. Keller refers to it as the parable of the lost sons for reasons that quickly become apparent. He titles the book The Prodigal God based on the Webster definition of prodigal which is: "recklessly spendthrift". The idea of course is that God, represented by the father in the parable, is recklessly spendthrift (therefore prodigal) with His love toward his children.

 

Keller impresses with his intellect and his rare ability to communicate intelligent concepts and ideas simply without a hint of arrogance or patronizing. No doubt Keller’s years as presbyterian pastor in New York City (and perhaps his Lutheran upbringing) have trained him to communicate in such a manner. It should be noted that his books have received positive reviews from such diverse sources as Rick Warren, Billy Graham and Christianity Today on the one hand and The New York Times, The Washington Post, World Magazine and Publishers Weekly on the other. To straddle such a fence of opinion is no small feat.

 

There are many things that recommend the book not the least of which is its slim size (139 pages) and approachable narrative style. Keller combines the heart of a pastor with the mind of an intellectual and presents something very powerful in his presentation of the parable. Perhaps the most brilliant characteristic of the book is that as you read it you find yourself thinking that everything he is saying is common sense and yet it had never occurred to you that way before. It is a good skill to present an old truth in a new way and Keller does just that.

 

The book is bound to become a classic (for the short term at least) and one which must be reread regularly for full impact; I highly recommend it.