Customer Reviews

Beside Still Waters: Searching for Meaning in an Age of Doubt

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Written in a conversational, "non-preachy" style, this book explores the question of what it means to have faith (or to look for a reason to believe) in the modern world. The author limits himself to the Judeo-Christian tradition, exploring obstacles to belief that may arise from the more problematic parts of the Bible -- particularly God's wrathful "smiting" of his enemies (and even, sometimes, his friends). The heart of the book is an extended discussion of the possibility of an evolving God who is neither all-knowing nor all-powerful. Much of this material parallels Jack Miles's GOD: A BIOGRAPHY (written, apparently, at around the same time), though Easterbook's treatment is more concise and focused, and covers the New Testament along with the Old. The development of God from vengeful warrior-king to peaceful redeemer is certainly a story of great interest, although one could (perhaps more plausibly) see it as a record of the moral improvement of human beings whose writings reflect God in their own image. (Edith Hamilton's excellent SPOKESMEN FOR GOD, out of print but worth finding, presents the issue from this perspective.) Easterbrook's thesis is provocative, and he states it in a clear, readable style, with wit and subtlety. A worthwhile book that leaves you feeling that you've just had an extended philosophical conversation with an intelligent and sympathetic friend.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who like myself has always had an urge to believe that there was a God and that life is not as meaningless as many modern scientists seem to think it is but are unable to believe in the God presented in most conservative and even mainline protestant churches. Although the author doesn't elude to it in the title, this book is definitely written from a very Christian(liberal Christian) perspective, which is what I was looking for. Especially of interest to me was Easterbrooks proposed explanations for some of the appauling events in the Old Testament that had always been a stumbling block to my belief in Christianity. Also facinating was the possibilities he raised regarding the omnipotence of God. Of course there is probably nothing in this book that could not be found in other volumes by other authors but I quite liked the way that Gregg Easterbrook put it all together and made it very accesible. Although I don't quite agree with all of the authors propositions I would definitely recommend this book highly.

This book begins with a wonderful identification of the current state of spirituality. It does however get bogged down into a longer than necessary prooftext against omnipotence. What is a shame is the fact that I thought Phillip Yancey's exploration and explanation in Disappointment With God on the same subject was heartfelt and plausible. The theory in this book meanders a bit and is not as interesting and heartfelt.

I respect the fact that it is virtually impossible to write a book on spirituality without your own bias surfacing, but the author does seem to have a works-oriented bias. His criticism of Luther's "Salvation exclusively by faith" is perhaps among the oldest criticisms of faith in grace and forgiveness vs. punishment and judgment. If grace runs around loose we fear some might take advantage of it and we won't have any reason to work on our "moral" behavior. This is the ever-present gray area of Christianity. I would love to see a book on this subject that addresses this gray area head on. For excellent books on grace, refer to Max Lucado, Phillip Yancey, and Brennan Manning.

I will have to give the author credit for a conclusion that is practical - whether you prefer it or not. For a book on spirituality, that is not an easy task. Then again, it sure beats a lifetime of contemplation.

Easterbrook tackles the lofty subject of God from the Bible and pulls Him down-to-earth in a way that can be understood by ordinary lay folk. You don't have to be a priest or a religious nut to enjoy and benefit from this book. A great read for anyone interested in spirituality, religion, and the question as to just who/what is God? A great companion to the Bible, with its interesting character analysis of God from the Old Testament and New. I recommend this book as an entertaining, provocative history of God.

A somewhat selective reading of the Bible that perhaps doesn't properly explain the import of some of the passages cited, this book is nevertheless fascinating and well written. Most important for me as a reader was Easterbrook's enthusiasm for his subject and his intelligent and moving description of what is so compelling about Jesus. So, although I can't agree that it makes sense to say that "God is slooowww ...." I read the book in only a few nights, learnt a lot and came away with plenty of questions about a lot of received wisdom. For all of which I am thankful...

I became familiar with Mr. Easterbrook'.s book through a newsweek editoral on "Meaning in the age of Doubt" by George Will. Reading as a line book ( chapter 1 than 2, 3 etc.) proved impossible. I began savoring the chapters out of order and saw them as gems of spiritual insight.

This book is a spiritual journey. It begins with some of the many valid reasons for questioning Faith, including the history of thoughts and concepts, the current state of scientific knowledge about how the Universe was created. It continues on into what the Bible says and what it does NOT say about some important Faith concepts which we generally assume are supported in the Bible because they are repeated so often today, but were actually created by people for the convenience and sanctioning of church and state leaders politics and power.

It continues on to show how God evolved in relating to humans from the Genesis through the early and middle Old Testament where God was very jealous of other gods, greatly interested in religious rituals, and regularly used miracles to accomplish God's work, much of which was savage in killing of thousands of people, including even appearing in and leading battles for the Nation of Israel. (This is NOT a pretty story, but it is the HIStory of the same God we worship and adore today for unbounded love for each of us.) In the late Old Testament, culminating in the New Testament, God, and Jesus, as God's voice on Earth, evolved to using only healing miracles and messages of God's love and Need for love from all people.

Having become aware of Gregg Easterbrook through his writing on, of all places, espn.com, I looked forward to reading this book for two reasons. First and foremost, it seemed perfectly suited to me, based on the editorial review comment, "those who seek the spiritual center--whose hearts are open to higher purpose but whose heads are aware of the many valid objections." Perfect. Second, I have found Easterbrook to be a good read in forums as diverse as the aforementioned espn.com and in the National Review, for which he is a senior editor.
However I was very disappointed in this book. I had hoped to learn about a way to "bootstrap" faith in this overtly secular world. What I found was a series of old arguments, mostly based on the argument from design. The argument from design, if you are not familiar with it, proposes that God must exist since we are so incredibly well-suited to our environment. This ignores the obvious issue that we evolved in our environment, so clearly are well-suited to it. We evolved to fit the environment; the environment was not created to suit us.
So I got little out of this volume. I'll continue to read Easterbrook on espn.com, but I'll skip his spiritual musings in the future.