Two things impressed me most about this
book: the warmth and engaging call of the gospel in every chapter,
and Keller’s skillful way of handling complex theological topics
with wonderful precision. Keller’s treatment of the favorite
Christmas passages is complete with God’s sovereign grace, man’s
corruption and sin, the need to respond in faith, the fact that faith
is something only God gives, the Lordship that salvation demands, and
on and on. I’ve never seen it put so humbly, so gently, so clearly,
so accurately, so concisely. But the average reader won’t even know
he’s reading a theological tour de force—it’s just the
Christmas story, well told, suffused with the gospel. Keller writes
like a modern-day C. S. Lewis, wrapping profound theology in the
language of Everyman. There is no jargon in this book.
Keller manages to get beyond the
matters that divide in our current social scene and strikes right to
the heart of our brokenness and sin. You can hand Hidden Christmas
to the most radical leftist, or to a Constitutional conservative, and
neither will be offended by anything but the presentation of the
cross itself.
I’ve read a few, not all, of Keller’s
books. This is the best so far, which is saying a lot since the
others have been so good. In Hidden Christmas the author takes the
Christmas texts from Matthew and Luke and carefully unfolds their
meanings. A Liberty and Westminster grad, I’ve been preaching and
teaching since 1978, and in every chapter Keller is writing about
things I’ve never noticed in these passages of Scripture, and they
are powerful and profound!
Hidden Christmas is the gospel
presentation you’ve been waiting for. Get a copy, enjoy it
yourself, and then pass it on to a loved one. Highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment