Loving God [Hardcover]

Charles Colson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1996

In his magnificent classic, Chuck Colson shakes the church from its complacency with a penetrating look at the cost of being Christian. Here is a compelling look at the cost of discipleship and the meaning of the first and greatest Commandment.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

It's been over two decades since a ministry was born that would transform the lives of men and women the world deemed hopeless. And it's been over ten years since the ministry's founder, Chuck Colson, shook the evangelical world with one of Christian literature's most powerful and disturbing masterpieces.

Today, having fulfilled all predictions of its ascent to classic status, Loving God is, if anything, more relevant than ever. For those who have wondered whether there isn't more to Christianity than what they've known - and for those who have never considered the question - it points the way to faith's cutting edge. Here is a compelling, probing look at the cost of discipleship and the meaning of the first and greatest commandment - one that will strum a deeper, truer chord within even as it strips the trappings of shallow, self-centered believism. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

What does it mean to love God? Charles Colson's answers are both surprising and inspiring. Loving God, Colson says, does not mean what you may think. The answers spring from the deep traditions of the Christian faith, presented in this groundbreaking book amid a tapestry of richly textured tales and compelling interlocutions. Colson's brave new call to love God takes us on a fascinating journey from a Soviet gulag to an Italian estate, from Augustine to Mother Teresa, from an underworld kingpin to an American POW, from the myths behind the "born again" movement to the pat answers of Christian pop culture. Here, Colson helps us rediscover our religious heritage -- and our own hearts. Loving God will force you to think, to feel, to question. It presents a view of loving God that could alter the makeup of the church itself. It is tough stuff from a Christian whose love for God knows no compromise. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Reprint edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310210674
• ISBN-13: 978-0310210672
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,616,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The well-known story of Charles Colson's transformation from President Richard Nixon's "hatchet man" who was "incapable of humanitarian thoughts" to founder of the Prison Fellowship Ministries and internationally recognized Christian author and speaker is a triumph of God finding a man and a man finding God. His 1973 conversion to Christianity was followed by a guilty plea to obstruction of justice and a seven-month prison sentence in 1974. He founded Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976, fulfilling a promise made to fellow inmates that he would "never forget those behind bars."

Charles Colson's first book, "Born Again," was released in 1976 and instantly became an international best seller. He has authored 16 books that have collectively sold more than 5 million copies worldwide, including "Justice That Restores," "How Now Shall We Live?," "Burden of Truth," "Answers to Your Kids' Questions," "The Good Life," "Gideon's Torch," "Why America Doesn't Work," "Kingdoms in Conflict," and "Loving God."

The phenomenal growth of Prison Fellowship Ministries over the last 25 years leads Charles Colson and some 50,000 volunteers to serve the needs of prisoners in over 88 countries. In addition to Prison Fellowship, he founded Justice Fellowship, Neighbors Who Care, and Angel Tree. Angel Tree is a program that provides Christmas presents to more than 500,000 children of inmates annually. He is also a syndicated columnist, international speaker, and commentator on the nationally syndicated radio broadcast "BreakPoint." He received the prestigious Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1993 and donated the $1 million prize to Prison Fellowship's Endowment Fund.

Charles Colson remains committed to the unity of the church, the relationships between church and state, and the struggle between the spiritual and secular worlds. He constantly encourages Christians to understand biblical faith as an entire worldview and to adopt biblical faith as a perspective on all life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have ever read, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Loving God: (Paperback)

This book gives a simple, yet thorough summary of how to Love God. At the point of my life that I read it - it was crucial. Still one of the best books I have ever read

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much Better Than Expected, October 25, 2002

By 

The Rev. Dr. Daniel J. G. G. Block - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loving God: (Paperback)

Since the early 1970s, I have not been prone to trust Chuck Colson, or any of his colleagues from the Nixon White House. Nevertheless, Colson: the convicted criminal and reprehensible politician, has given us one of the modern treasures of Christian devotional literature.

Colson dares to say what must be said: that loving God with one's whole heart, and mind, and soul is not an essentially emotional event. Loving God has little to do with the heart. Instead Colson, courageously, declares that loving God is an act of the will. It is nothing less than complete obedience to God's revealed Word.

Colson is intelligent enough to comprehend that such obedience is impossible. Still, he has the courage to uphold it as the model: the goal for all who call themselves by the name of Christ.

In a world flailing in a swamp of competing values and rampant relativism, Colson has the strength to stand for the absolute sovereignty of the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus.

Perhaps, I and those like me, who cannot seem to forget Watergate, need to learn to forgive Colson. More importantly, perhaps we need to learn to listen to him.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping book on what it means to love God., October 1, 2002

By 

Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loving God: (Paperback)

Chuck Colson is a great story teller, and he gives many gripping illustrations of what it means to love God in our everyday lives. He then ties it in with relevant Scripture passages. It's a very engaging read, and you won't be disappointed with it.

The big lesson I got from it is that loving God is not just something that we say with our lips. But it's something that we demonstrate with what we do with our time and with our lives. I was especially touched by the story of the woman who shows her love for God by donating her lunch hour every day to leading a prayer and Bible study time at a nearby prison. She has six kids at home. But she felt compelled to do something extra for Jesus each day.

The book is full of examples like this, and it turned out to be very satisfying.