Chad Bird has been a pastor and seminary professor. Now, he is a truck driver. His work has led him to befriend all kinds of people. He's seen both the good and bad in folks and in himself. He has a graduate degree from the school of hard knocks. He's not afraid to write about his failures.
His latest book, "Upside-Down Spirituality," comes with the sub-title, "The 9 Essential Failures of a Faithful Life." In each chapter he writes at how we fail at life - ourselves, our lives & our churches. According to Bird, until we see how completely we fail at life, we'll never be the people who completely rely on God for living a faithful life.
But the book was frustrating and, at times, hard to read. For example, on page 35 he writes: Like the king (Nebuchadnezzar) we are natural born believers (in ourselves). It's just that we always gravitate toward believing the wrong thing. We perform quite well in putting our faith in everything but God.
Bird paints with such a wide brush. You mean that "we always gravitate toward believing the wrong thing?" Is there never a time when the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to lead us to look to the Lord for strength, help and salvation? Do we always put "our faith in everything but God?" When going to the hospital do we always put our faith in the surgeon instead of the Savior? That's not what I find when I make hospital calls. People are eager to pray for God's protection and healing. We might pray for the surgeon. But "our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8).
If we are truly the complete failures that Bird pictures, he doesn't seem to explain why this is so. Surely he is pointing to the original sin in which we are all born. But it seems to me that you don't assume that your readers understand this doctrine. With that foundation in place, then the rest of what is written makes sense. Maybe I missed it but I didn't find this doctrine articulated in "Upside-Down Spirituality." And you need that understanding to really appreciate this book.
It doesn't take a lot of law to show a person how much they need the Gospel of Jesus for forgiveness, new life in Christ and salvation. CFW Walther, the first president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod said that where Law and Gospel is preached, the Gospel must predominate. I didn't find that to be the case with "Upside Down Spirituality."
