Skip to main content

Review: Recapturing the Wonder

IVP, 2017. 180 pp.

Summary

We live in a world that has lost its wonder. Or so argues Mike Cosper in his celebrated book Recapturing the Wonder: Transcendent Faith in a Disenchanted World (IVP Press, 2017). This book has a two-fold purpose: 1) to identify the deficiencies and symptoms of a disenchanted spirituality, and 2) to provide remedies for re-enchanting our worlds. In essence, this book packs a double punch, serving as a spiritual disciplines handbook and a devotional text. He addresses disciplines such as prayer, Scripture meditation, solitude, secrecy, and fasting. By reaching to the Church's historic practices, Cosper maintains, we can restore an enchanted spiritual life.

My ordinary life felt strangely irreligious.

Evaluation

Cosper's book is a fantastic text for Christians who feel skeptical toward acts of wonder in the world. His writing is candid, free, and humorous—yet perceptive and insightful. He draws on an array of relevant examples of our disenchanted world which may cause you to audibly murmur in agreement. Each chapter ends with a "Pathway" toward restoring one's faith. Cosper offers a theological defense along with very practical steps toward gradually implementing ancient practices into one's rhythm of life. Clearly, Cosper has been influenced by the thinking of James K.A. Smith (You Are What You Love; Desiring the Kingdom), Harold Best (Unceasing Worship), Robert Webber (Ancient-Future Worship, Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail) and the like.

I highly recommend this text for spiritually jaded Christians. Indeed, postmodernism can corrode our sense of wonder, but there is hope. And Cosper has some good ideas on how to start.


(My thanks is given to IVP for providing a complimentary review copy in exchange for an honest review.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Product Review: LL Bean Extra-Large Rolling Adventure Duffle

Overview When adventure strikes, the right bag makes all the difference. Too often, however, luggage bags are either large, ponderous suitcases or small, flimsy duffle bags. I have traveled to Central and South America multiple times with terribly large suitcases. It added extra complication to my trip—especially lugging the bag up the steps! This is the problem which LL Bean seeks to rectify in the LL Bean Extra-Large Rolling Adventure Duffle. With a 137-liter capacity, this duffel is able to hold the items of the biggest pack-rat while being easy to transport. It features a telescoping handle, smooth-gliding wheels, and cinch straps. Specifications Capacity: Approx. 8,350 cu. in., 137 L.  Weight: 9 lb. 3 oz.  Dimensions: 17"H x 34"W x 15"D.  Highlights This bag is sturdy. Not only is it capable of holding many items, but it is incredibly durable. It has a reinforced nylon bottom and a thick plastic frame so that the bag does not sag or become weak....
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible

A revised version of the previously published NIV Zondervan Study Bible,  the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible  (Zondervan, 2018) represents the best of biblical scholarship in a compact study Bible. It introduces Biblical Theology (BT), a discipline that is intended for readers to weave individual books and stories into a larger metanarrative that reveals God's redemptive plan through the entire Bible. To that end, this study Bible includes articles introducing BT and articles on theological matters. While the emphasis of this Bible may appeal to a more Reformed/covenantal audience, the contributors span a variety of theological traditions and are respected authorities within their discipline. The verse-by-verse notes—over 20,000—are insightful and suitable for determining the historical, literary, and cultural background of the text with a view to responsible interpretation of Scripture. There are in-text cross references, a concordance, maps, and useful charts. Each bo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Behind The Scenes Of The Old Testament

The biblical drama was situated among a highly complex sociological, political, and geographic backdrop. In particular, the world of the Old Testament was a critical time for human civilization—yet most readers of the Bible tend to imagine that Israel alone was the sole nation on the scene. While most OT surveys identify cultural issues within particular sections of the text, or provide a cursory introduction to the ancient Near East in an opening chapter, Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts (Baker Academic, 2018) provides a comprehensive entry point into the ancient world in the time of the OT. This authoritative tome brings together contributions from the world’s leading biblical and archaeological scholars to offer a variety of articles on OT background issues. It is divided into three parts. The first, “Elements of the Drama,” includes the stage (historical geography), the set and props (archaeology), the scripts (extra-biblical li...
Post a Comment
Read more