Jack Graham is pastor of the massive Prestonwood Baptist Church which boasts a membership of over 23,000 and is thus one of the world’s largest churches. He has written several books, the latest of which is A Man of God (which releases today). To provide a clear idea of the target audience for this book, one does not need to look much farther than the list of endorsers. The list includes Roger Staubach, Gary Carter and Pat Summerall. Neil Clark Warren (founder of the online dating site eHarmony.com) is added for good measure. And Chuck Norris enters the fray to write the foreward. And if you still aren’t sure, perhaps this quote will bring added clarity. “The Christian life is more important than the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, and the Stanley Cup all wrapped together” (page 12).
This book is obviously intended for the American “everyman” – the average guy with average interests who attends the average church. Graham intends this book to be a wake-up call. He tells us early-on that he has always firmly believed that “if revival was to come to the church, and if the Good News of Jesus Christ was to spread to the nations, it would be because men became godly and began living their faith with passion and integrity” (page 13). He seeks to encourage men to step up to the challenges offered to the faith in the twenty-first century and accept responsibility for the church.
The book is divided into four roughly-equal sections, each containing three chapters. The first, “A Man of God and His Master” challenges men to know, understand and commit to God. Graham teaches that men need to commit to maximum discipleship – discipleship that impacts the whole life. The second section, “A Man of God and His Integrity” challenges men to live upright lives marked by moral purity and free from captivity to temporal possessions. The third section, “A Man of God and His Family” speaks of the importance of prioritzing family relationships. The final section, “A Man of God and His Ministry” challenges men about in the areas of mentorship and evangelism.
The book is written in a conversational tone and is simple both to read and understand. Stories and examples abound. Scripture examples and proof-texts are also in abundant supply.
There were a couple of small theological issues I found with the book, but I can see that these arose because of my Reformed understanding of salvation. On page 201 Graham writes, “People are incredibly interested in something that will fill the void in their hearts.” While this may be true, in no way does this indicate, as he seems to indicate, that unbelievers are genuinelly and spiritually interested in the gospel. But beyond such minor concerns, I found the book quite Scriptural.
I am not convinced that Graham says very much in this book that has not been said before by other authors. In fact, there are probably quite literally one hundred books that deal with this same topic in a similar way. However, judging by the churches of today it seems that plenty of men have still not accepted the challenge, so perhaps this book can serve to wake a few more from their spiritual slumber. If a man in your life is not a reader, and has not already read several similar titles, this may be the type of book that will challenge and motivate him. It is certainly more biblical and more challenging than Wild at Heart and so many others.
| Rating | Evaluation |
|---|---|
| ★★ | Theology/Accuracy Generally strong and in-line with evangelical Christianity. |
| ★★★ | Readability Conversational, fun and easy to read. |
| ★★★ | Uniqueness There is lots of competition in this genre, though this book is better than many of the alternatives. |
| ★★ | Importance Most men could benefit by reading a book or two like this. |
| Overall It was an enjoyable book. If you haven’t already read several like it, you will probably enjoy it too. |
