World Famous Comics: The Gospel According to Job: An Honest Look at Pain and Doubt from the Life of One Who Lost Everything
The Gospel According to Job: An Honest Look at Pain and Doubt from the Life of One Who Lost Everything
By: Mike Mason Publisher: Crossway Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Crossway Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 448 Publication Date: October 03, 2002
Product Description: Anyone who has suffered knows that there is no such thing as getting a grip on oneself or pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. The only bootstrap in the Christian life is the Cross, says Mason. Sometimes laying hold of the cross can be comforting, but other times it is like picking up a snake. Job knew this firsthand. From him we learn that there are no easy answers to suffering. That the mark of true faith is not happiness, but rather, having one's deepest passions be engaged by the enormity of God. And through Job we learn the secret of the gospel: that mercy is the permission to be human. The Lord never gave Job an explanation for all he had been through. His only answer was Himself. But as Job discovered, that was enough.
Fasten your seat belt! This is the best book I have ever read, bar none. I'm sixty years old. Been in ministry 30 years. Mason has turned my nice neat evangelical theology on its ear. I never read a book more than once. Ever. I am starting my fourth reading this month. I would give a month's salary to sit down over coffee with this author.
Job - What an honorable man! An excellent book to have by your bedside and use as a devotional during time of suffering.. What an encouragement ! Very insightful and thought provoking!
Perhaps the most profound practical commentary on Christian living ever written... My uncle in recommending this book said, 'If I were stranded on a deserted island and could have with me only two books--one, of course, would be the Bible, the other would be The Gospel According to Job.' My personal choices, though, would be (one) the Bible and (two) a comprehensive survival guide with detailed instructions on how to build a boat. However, if I were given a third choice, I would undoubtedly have with me The Gospel According to Job. It's the most profound commentary on Christian living I've ever read. I've handed out dozens to friends and family.
All the chapters are two pages in length and are perfect in size for devotional reading. The Gospel According to Job, in truth, is so rich and deep with insight, I find it best to chew on small pieces of its wisdom at a time. It is--in its own right--a practical and spiritual guide for life, and has built me up in ways no other book has. Please read it.
thought-provoking This book is a wonderful commentary on Job, deep and thought-provoking. I have bought copies for friends who were having problems.
Sufferology Mike Mason's "The Gospel According to Job" creates a biblical sufferology: a theology of suffering. Point by point, or, more accurately, verse by verse, Mason guides readers, like an ancient spiritual director, into the depth of human suffering. His co-guide is the greatest human sufferer of all time--Job.
As Mason explains in his preface, "The Gospel According to Job" is not a commentary but a devotional. Those looking for an exegetical commentary will, therefore, be disappointed. However, those looking for an accurate, unique, refreshing, practical explanation of the life of Job, will be encouraged.
Mason is a skilled wordsmith which makes this rather lenghty book an easy read, as does the two-to-three page "chapters." Many of the insights, in particular that Job is about Job, more than it is about God, are startling. In fact, readers of this review are likely saying, "What!? How can Job NOT be about God?" Oh, it is. But it is MORE about God's view of Job than it is about Job's view of God. If I say more, I'll ruin the suspense . . .
Not every "chapter" provides the same depth of insight, with some more provocative and perhaps more exegetically grounded than others. But, isn't that the way with a "devotional book." More than enough chapters are "dead on" to make "The Gospel According to Job" a powerful addition to your arsenal in the battle for your soul when Satan assaults.
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."
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