Customer Reviews

The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows (The Apprentice Series)

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I was very interested in reading this book after hearing James Bryan Smith speak at the Divine Conspiracy Conference. Upon reading the first few pages, I learned that his mentors were none other than Richard Foster and Dallas Willard! I was even more interested and fortunately I was not disappointed.

If you are familiar with Dallas Willard and Richard Foster, this book has similar imprints of these writing, but Smith has his own distinct style.

His style of writing draws you in, entices you to let down defenses, and shares his life experiences with you.

The book is laden with stories about his life and others. How real people are being conformed to the image of God. He talks about trust, by comparing the trust his son has in him. He affirms the Goodness of God even while talking about how he suffered through the loss of his daughter. The book is good, not only because it content, but because it is utterly realistic.

The book has 229 pgs, which consists of 9 Chapters. Each chapter has an addition with a spiritual discipline that should be practiced that week. Furthermore the book has questions associated with each chapter at the back.Which is very useful seeing that one of the purposes of the book is to be used in a group!

How is the content of the book? Here is an excerpt below:

"God loves us so much that he longs for us to be pure and works tirelessly to make us pure. MacDonald points out how God is against sin and thus for humans: 'He is always against sin; in so far as, and while, they and sin are one, he is against them-- against their desires, their aims, their fears, and their hopes; and thus he is altogether for them.'

God is against my sin because he is for me. And if I am for sin, God stands against those desires, MacDonald is saying, because they cause my destruction. I would not have it any other way. To be sure, I am prone to excusing my sin or rationalizing my weaknesses, but God is not in that business. Though we are now reconciled through Christ, God is not indifferent to my sin. It hurts me, and therefore it hurts God--because God loves me."

There are many other ah ha moments, which gives you a new perspective on certain things such as the will, or your identity in Christ, or even the nature of God. To Smith's credit, the book was never dull or boring. At the end the book just left me longing for the next book in the series: The Good and Beautiful Life.

I recommend this book and I think it would work well with other excellent books on spiritual formation such as renovation of the heart, longing for God, the spirit of the disciplines or even celebration of discipline. Buy the book and like me, you will be awaiting the next book of the series!
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Table of Contents
Introduction
How to Get the Most Out of This Book
1. What Are You Seeking?
Soul Training: Sleep
2. God is Good
Soul Training:Silence and Awareness of Creation
3. God is Trustworthy
Soul Training: Counting Your Blessings
4. God is Generous
Soul Training: Praying Psalm 23
5. God is Love
Soul Training: Lectio Divina
6. God is Holy
Soul Training: Margin
7. God is Self-Sacrificing
Soul Training; Reading the Gospel of John
8. God Transforms
Soul Training: Solitude
9. How to Make a Pickle
Soul Training: Slowing Down
Appendix: Small Group Discussion Guide
Notes
Acknowledgments

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Reviews & Endorsements

"The Apprentice Series is the best practice I have seen in Christian spiritual formation."
--Dallas Willard, author of The Divine Conspiracy

"I know from our long relationship that Jim Smith is a fine and trustworthy man, who authentically knows 'the good and beautiful God.' I can think of no higher compliment than this: I would happily trust the care of my soul to Jim and the good and beautiful God he commends to us."
--Todd Hunter, author of Christianity Beyond Belief and pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Costa Mesa

"This first book in The Apprentice Series, The Good and Beautiful God, is a treasure. Dr. Smith has thought long and hard about the process of human transformation into the likeness of Jesus. I urge you to buy this book immediately! Read it and apply it. Then live it out in the context of a loving community. You will not regret doing so."
--Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline and coauthor of Longing for God
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With The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith inaugurates a three-volume "curriculum for Christlikeness. Volume 2, The Good and Beautiful Life, will focus on "inward character, dealing specifically with the vices that cause ruin." Volume 3, The Good and Beautiful Community, will focus on learning "how to live as apprentices of Jesus in our ordinary, everyday lives." Volume 1, reviewed here, focuses on "the character of God and how we move into a life of intimacy with God."

The nexus between who God is, how we live, and to whom we relate lies at the heart of what Smith believes is "a reliable method for changing our hearts." All of us--whether Christians or not--desire to become better people. But we rely on willpower to do this, when the real problem lies in our hearts. If change is to happen, our hearts must change, but we cannot do this directly. Rather, as Bryan puts it, "we change by indirection." Or, put another way: "We do what we can in order to enable us to do what we can't do directly."

But even this way of stating the matter places too much emphasis on what "we can do." In reality, as Bryan points out, is the Holy Spirit who is at work in us, directing our changed narratives, practices and relationships. "Everything that happens to us in our Christian lives," he writes, "is the work of the Holy Spirit." The fruit of the Spirit in our lives is becoming what God created us to be and what Jesus re-created us to be.

The Good and Beautiful God examines the stories we tell about God, contrasting them with the stories Jesus told about him. It turns out that our narratives about God lie at the root of our soul-sickness and inability to change.

For example, with heartbreaking honesty, Smith tells the story of Madeline, his first child, who was born with a rare chromosomal disorder that eventually took her life at age two. During that time, Christian friends "said some outrageously ignorant and tactless things to us [Smith and his wife]." Some of them revolved around the notion that Madeline's disorder must have been caused by some sin in the life of Bryan or his wife.

This narrative of "the angry God"--"God is an angry judge. If you do well, you will be blessed; if you sin, you will be punished"--is prevalent among Christians. But it is directly contradicted by the narrative Jesus tells about God, namely, that he is good (Matthew 19:17), and that sickness is not the result of sin (John 9:2-3). The false narrative "allows us to live in the illusion that we can control our world, which is very appealing in our chaotic existence." Jesus' narrative requires us to trust in God, even though the world is not always good, although sometimes--of course--it is. Smith concludes, "My own experiences of disappointment with God say more about me and my expectations than they do about God." And, "I have grown much more through my trials than I have through my successes." Only faith in God's essential goodness can sustain that hopefulness in the face of tragedy over a lifetime.

In addition to God's goodness, Smith talks about God being trustworthy, generous, loving, holy, self-sacrificing, and transformative. Each chapter exposes a false narrative about God that distorts some aspect of his character, and offers a "soul-training exercise to help imbed the narrative of Jesus more deeply into our minds, bodies and souls."

I read The Good and Beautiful God in solitude, but it is designed to be read in community. In addition to the soul-training exercises, the book includes a discussion guide. The book is ideal for use in Sunday school classes, small groups, and book clubs. Because it contrasts false and true narratives about God, I think it would even be useful in small groups that have an evangelistic purpose.

In conclusion, I have described the book, but let me briefly describe its effect on me. Like many other Christians, I have mental narratives about God that don't jibe with the God and Father of Jesus Christ. This book patiently, biblically, theologically, and spiritually showed me once again that God is good and beautiful. It left me wanting to know that God better and to live more for him.

This is a good & beautiful book about our good and beautiful God. It is wise, easy to read, filled with depth, "thick" and so very enriching. It is one of the best books I've ever read that combines good theology and spiritual formation. This should come as no surprise since the author has had mentors like Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Henri Nouwen. Highly recommended.

James Bryan Smith has put together a wonderful book to help us learn and remember each day who we are in Christ. The narratives that run through our heads each day usually are based in untruths and lies the enemy would love for us to continue to believe. James Bryan Smith's theology is very grounded in the truth of Gods word and he does believe that Jesus is God (the negative review stated that the author doesn't believe in that essential truth is just crazy). I went through this book with a small group of women that met once a week. We read only one chapter a week and practiced the soul training then would come together and share what God had shown us individually and if we were stuggling with anything personal. God was so faithful as usual and this book helped to open up some deep and "real" discussions that are needed in revealing God's truth in our lives!!!

In the The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith addresses many of the "false narratives" that Christians believe about themselves and God. These narratives (such as "I change by my own willpower", "God is angry with me" or "God blesses me when I'm good and punishes me when I'm bad") shape the way believers live their Christian life and can quickly lead to failure and disillusionment. Speaking of Jesus' teachings and parables, Smith suggests "If we adopt Jesus' narratives about God, we will know God properly and right actions will follow". In other words, orthodoxy in the believer will lead to orthopraxy.

I liked the premise of the book and more than a few of his corrective narratives (I hope you can tolerate that word, by the way, he uses it a lot). I think he pinpointed many of the imbalanced views that many Christians have of God and made some good arguments from a counter-narrative.

However, I was disappointed at a couple of points with the seeming lack of balance in his counter arguments. While the false narratives he addresses are caricatures of God (exaggerations that are popular because they are at least somewhat true) it seems his corrective narratives could also be caricatures on the opposite end of the spectrum. If you are turning the magnifying glass on the bad theology (and thus bad orthopraxy) of some Christians, you better be ready to have the magnifying glass turned on your theology as well.

I noticed this particularly in the area of mankind's sin. As I hear more about the idea of "therapeutic moralistic deism", I see more of it's influence in the way people talk about their sin. For instance: "God does not want us to sin, and God does want us to do well. But that is only because sin harms us, and acts of goodness are healing both to us and to the recipients of our goodness" or "God hates sin because it hurts his children". I would suggest that God hates sin and doesn't want his children to sin primarily because of who He is (holy, righteous, and the One whose image we bear) and not because of what it does to us.

I also had a couple red flags go up in the chapter entitled "God Is Holy". While he had some very interesting things to say about God's wrath as being pathos and not passion, he also said that God's wrath is a temporary and just verdict on sin and evil. Smith also says, "Hell is simply isolation from God. A person--even a person others think of as decent and upright--who rejects God is experiencing hell on earth". Neither of those sound like the narrative I read from Jesus.

While I do have a couple concerns about the ideas of sin and hell that Smith suggests as a correction to "false narratives", he overall has given us a worthwhile read on spiritual formation. In the end, he does have a lot of good (and beautiful) things to say about our God. I know . . . that was terrible.

This book was a free review copy provided by InterVarsity Press.

great book about the wonders of an amazing God. This is a must have if you really want to be transformed by Christ. This book also needs to be read in community. Get a group of people to go through it together. It was shipped really quickly, and the shipping was upgraded for me without any extra payment. Really nice.

This is the best all around 'curriculum' I have seen for spiritual growth. His approach of not only teaching core truths but incorporating the spiritual practices is a marriage that has long been needed in discipleship material. The gracious tone of the book is different from many 'legalistic feeling' workbooks. I am leading a ladies group through it right now. I think it would be great for a churchwide venture.

What an inspiration this book was!! Our church conducted a "growth group" using this book. Our group had about 18 people meet every Sunday, and we followed the Leader manual which gave wonderful, deeper-digging activities for the group that enhances each chapter's focus. This book was 'meaty'! His writing style flows, using personal examples and quoting other religious greats. The author profoundly writes of God's love. Some of us need a reminder!
Each chapter has practical training exercises to deepen the understanding of that chapter's content.. and as the author puts it, "heal your soul".
If the above few sentences don't encourage you to give it a try, let me add: This is the best book I have read in 5 years or so, it gave me understanding, longing for more and I would buy one for every one of my believing friends!!!

I belong to a small bible study group, and this book was recommended to us.
My bible study has read 5 previous books in our journeys, but this book
has definitely been the best. When I would start each chapter, the amount
of reading seemed great, but once I started reading, the time would fly.
I truly looked forward to reading a chapter each week. The concepts the
author suggests about our relationship with God, how those preconceived
notioned came to be, and suggestions for new perspectives are awesome.
The author also gives excellent examples for everyday application.
If your objective is to improve your relationship with God and live a
happier life, then this book is for you. I can't wait to read the
author's next book with my study group.

Love the layout and the honesty that James brings to the table... I am actively calling your men and women to apprenticeship to Christ and this book has been a huge blessing in making that happen! I am a big fan of DW and James seems to be able to put things into simple terms for me to understand! Very good book and recourse!