God's Judgments: Interpreting History and the Christian Faith [Paperback]

Steven J. Keillor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2007

What do God's judgments have to do with history? Steven J. Keillor presents the bold thesis that divine judgment can be a fruitful category for historical investigation. In fact, he makes the case that Christianity is rightly grasped as an interpretation of history more than a worldview or philosophy. Grounding his thesis first on a study of God's judgments in the teaching of both the Old and New Testaments, Keillor then revisits two prominent events in U.S. history, the burning of Washington in 1814 and the Civil War, to further explore and test his interpretive principle of divine judgment. He concludes by suggesting the relevance of his thesis to some pressing contemporary concerns.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The clarity of Steven Keillor's theological reasoning as well as the boldness of his historical conclusions demand very serious attention. As myself an evangelical who is partial to worldview reasoning, I am not sure he has entirely convinced me. But I know he has made me think, and think hard." (From the foreword by Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame )

"Steven Keillor is a historian, analyzing events in all their complexity. But he is also a Christian, seeing in his Bible the principle that divine judgment is at work in particular happenings. In this thoughtful but lively book, he brings together the two approaches, drawing out uncomfortable implications for those of all political persuasions." (David William Bebbington, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.Hist.S., professor of history, University of Stirling )

"Steven Keillor is developing one of the most robust and daring visions of a Christian interpretation of history, and he is doing so at a time when the meaning of American history is up for grabs. Keillor puts rebellion against God, rather than providence or covenant, at the center of history. The result is one of the most powerful theological responses to 9/11. He succeeds in the tricky task of retrieving the idea of divine judgment without catering to the political right or left. This is an original and creative theological project that will challenge anyone who has pondered the question of God's relationship to America. This book should cause quite a stir in the evangelical community." (Stephen H. Webb, professor of religion and philosophy, Wabash College )

Product Details

• Paperback: 223 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (January 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830825657
• ISBN-13: 978-0830825653
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #527,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Does God still act in human history?, July 18, 2007

By 

William Muehlenberg (Melbourne Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: God's Judgments: Interpreting History and the Christian Faith (Paperback)

Steven Keillor is an American historian, who also happens to be a Christian. He argues that a primary way of understanding Christianity is to see it as an interpretation of history. The Judeo-Christian religion is indeed grounded in history.

Jews and Christians worship a God who acts, and who is very much involved in the affairs of this world. As such, they reject deism, the idea that God initially created the world but has had nothing to do with it thereafter. No, the Biblical God is one intimately involved in this world, and in human history.

And part of this involvement is the judgment of God. This judgment, which can be understood in part as a sifting process, is a double-edged sword. There is not only judgment of unbelievers, but of believers as well. It is often a testing process, one that allows us either to come nearer to God, or to get further away from him.

And this sifting happens to nations, not just individuals. This is quite clear in the Old Testament. The question is, are nations still judged by God in New Testament times? Keillor believes God still does judge nations today, even though there is relative silence about this in the New Testament.

Such questions especially came to the fore after September 11. Was God judging the US?, many asked after that tragic event. Keillor rejects any simple yes or no answer to that difficult question, and he rejects many of the explanations offered by those on the left, the center and the right. But he does allow for the possibility that God was somehow involved in that fateful Tuesday morning.

Keillor tries to deal with these current situations by first examining what the Bible has to say about judgment. That God is judge is clear, in both Testaments. And Yahweh certainly was judge of the nations in the Hebrew Bible.

Of course modern man is squeamish about the idea of judgment. The Enlightenment did give us deism, and many are unwilling to believe that God - if he exists - is even remotely concerned about the affairs of men. But the Biblical picture is a far cry from this view.

God is overwhelmingly concerned about us and our activities, and is involved in what happens on planet earth. But New Testament believers may still ask if God is the same as Yahweh in terms of judgment. Keillor argues - rightly, I feel - that God has not changed between the Testaments, and is equally a just, holy and judging God, as he is loving and merciful, throughout all of Scripture.

When Jesus was on the scene, his life and teachings constantly brought separation and division to his hearers. Sifting, or judgment, in other words, was the inevitable result of confronting Christ and his claims. As Jesus said in John 9:39, "For judgment I have come into this world".

Says Keillor, "From beginning to end, Jesus' life and teachings involved a sifting-out based on responses to him". And he experienced the judgment of God on the cross, when he suffered for our sins. Moreover, one day he will come back as judge of the entire world. Thus judgment is part and parcel of the life and work of Christ.

After seeking to make the case that God may well still judge nations today, Keillor offers two test cases: the 1814 burning of Washington, and the American Civil War. He notes that many people living during these events did see God's hand of judgment at work. For example, Lincoln was convinced that the Civil War was God's judgment on the evils of slavery, although he saw both sides as sharing in the guilt.

In all this Keillor rightly recognizes that unlike Old Testament times, we have no clear prophetic word from God on the events of the day, so great caution must be exercised here. What Keillor is mainly trying to establish is that God is actively involved in this world, and has not become an absentee landlord in the New Testament dispensation.

This is an intriguing book. One may not agree with every detail found here. But it seems that the general theme of the book is heading in the right direction. And Keillor is quite right to begin his book with a quote from Os Guinness: "The cross of Jesus runs crosswise to all our human ways of thinking. A rediscovery of the hard and the unpopular themes of the gospel will therefore be such a rediscovery of the whole gospel that the result may lead to reformation and revival".

We certainly have shrunk away from proclaiming the whole counsel of God, and his holiness and justice must be maintained as adamantly as his love and grace. Anything less is a distortion and truncation of the Biblical record. Thus Keillor is to be commended for getting us to think more carefully about who God is, and how we are to understand his current dealings with planet earth and its inhabitants.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 stars, March 23, 2007

By 

AK "Bro" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God's Judgments: Interpreting History and the Christian Faith (Paperback)

*** Right after Nine Eleven, there was a host of cries declaring it to be God's judgement on the nation. While much of the hue has died down. the author presents the thesis that such was the situation, citing two examples of "case law," as it were, the Civil War and the burning of Washington D.C. in 1814, as well as the Old and New Testaments, to back up his claim. Though the concept of God judging us is not at all popular, the Bible makes it clear that such things happen. Though the reading will be often uncomfortable, somewhat dry, and slightly esoteric, academics and historians will find it interesting and if its thesis is valid, others might be wise to overlook the lacks and pay attention to the message. ***