God Does Not...: Entertain, Play "Matchmaker," Hurry, Demand Blood, Cure Every Illness [Paperback]

D. Brent Laytham (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2009

Is God in the business of entertainment, matchmaking, time management, blood sacrifice, or medicine? If you listen to some messages both inside and outside the church today, you might think so. But in God Does Not . . ., several theologians challenge these and other widespread misconceptions of how God works in the world.

A follow-up to the popular God Is Not . . ., this book is both accessible and provocative. In the end, we are left not with a negation of what God does, but an affirmation of a God who does all things well and often far exceeds what our human imaginations can fathom.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

God Does Not . . . challenges several widespread misconceptions of how God works in the world.Joel Shuman reveals that although God does not wear a white coat and always cure, he always heals.Daniel Bell argues that the logic of blood sacrifice permeates today's culture and challenges the notion of redemptive violence.Kelly Johnson shows that the frenetic pace of daily life does not mesh with God's patient peace.Does God write the perfect love story for each of us? Margaret Kim Peterson and Dwight Peterson help us see how our idea of God's plan for love and marriage is distorted by our desire for Hollywood happy endings.Jason Byassee cautions against revering contemporary cinema too highly and concludes that God's church is where the action is.And finally, D. Brent Laytham paints a picture of God's work in the world through the lens of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.A follow-up to the popular God Is Not . . ., this book is highly readable and provocative. In the end, we are left not with a negation of what God does, but an affirmation of a God who does all things well.

About the Author

D. Brent Laytham (PhD, Duke University Divinity School) is professor of theology at North Park Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church and takes special interest in bringing pastors and scholars together to address theological and ecclesiological issues.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587432293
• ISBN-13: 978-1587432293
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #690,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars God is not bloodthirsty, April 19, 2010

By 

5ICM (Shellharbour, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God Does Not...: Entertain, Play "Matchmaker," Hurry, Demand Blood, Cure Every Illness (Paperback)

The chapter "God does not deman blood" challenges us to view Christ's sacrifice on the cross and Paul's New Testament writings in a way not influenced by Hollywood movies where violence is upheld as the means the goodies defeat the baddies. Paul says in Phil 2:2-8 that it was Christ's obedience and faithfulness that saved us on the cross, not a blood sacrifice.

The author of this chapter Daniel Bell Jr, says that we are not let off the hook by a blood sacrifice to satisfy moral law and order. Christians follow another logic. We share in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:17-20). God does not find pleasure in the death of anyone (Ezek 18:32) and was willing to die on the cross because he desires live even for those who crucify him.

5 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sould have paid more attention to the title, November 13, 2009

By 

John Myer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: God Does Not...: Entertain, Play "Matchmaker," Hurry, Demand Blood, Cure Every Illness (Paperback)

At first I thought the book would be a thoughtful dismantling of the mischaracterizations of God by the religious culture. I didn't realize that it set about to dismantle the faith as well. I Should have read the title more closely--"God does not demand blood"--because one contributing author sought to grossly downplay the role of blood sacrifice in the substitutionary death of Christ. Did he do this by circumventing the comprehensive testimony of the New Testament on the subject? No. Instead, he used large servings of human reasoning, and a certain human "visceral" dislike toward it. Perhaps the writer should have remembered that a sinner's "visceral" response to a lot of things related to God is negative. Sometimes Christians also have these reactions, especially when their standards come from theologically liberal camps of Christianity rather than from the Word of God. There might have been good points in other parts of the book, but I was so disgusted with the offending chapter that I went ahead and threw it in the trash. Maybe we could add a further thought to the title--"God does not... write books that diminish the importance of His Son's blood." Don't be fooled by the hip title here. Hold onto your money and your faith.