4.0 out of 5 stars - A Christian Perspective
December 10, 2019
My Career As A Book Reviewer Defending The Faith by Maurice A. Williams is an interesting compilation of the author's best book reviews over a twenty-year writing career. The book combines Williams' personal views of the Christian faith with well-written critiques of an eclectic selection of books - both fiction and non-fiction, discussing topics ranging from creation to evolution of the universe, to science and technology.
For most of the book, Williams expresses his personal views on Christianity concerning the theme of a selected book, explaining some of the fundamentals as well as some of the more intricate aspects of Christianity. Most of the reviews are more like critiques about what the other authors are saying and their ideas. One review for example, of the book Cosmos by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan, contained several pages of what could be seen as a sermon or lecture about Who God is, what He has done, His Sovereignty, etc. Williams is mostly matter-of-fact - although sometimes his attitude seems to be very narrow-minded, self-righteous and critical of the other authors' words, but then more lenient (and forgiving, and even dismissive) toward some Christians who have committed atrocious acts in the name of God - as in the Crusades. When Reza Aslan, of How To Win A Cosmic War, mentioned the things done back then, Williams says he could neither confirm nor deny, because they happened a thousand years ago, but then called the author's bringing the events up as inciting hate, and a "diatribe of lies and half-truths."
I didn't care for how if a few authors wrote or said anything he didn't agree with, Williams simply considered them wrong, rather than saying he doesn't agree. While the compilation is well written, much of it was of his own opinions and experiences while reading - which is fine, since it seems this was the intention. But Williams didn't provide very many Scriptural quotes to defend some of the things he mentioned - such as Joan of Arc defending or speaking for or praising Mark Twain before the Almighty. According to Scripture, no one will be defending anyone before the Almighty except for Christ, Who stands as an Advocate (1 John 2:1) so I am not sure why Williams would think Joan of Arc could complete such a task. Also, Williams says: Hatred does not come from God who is merciful and long-suffering because he is putting up with our sins. But this directly contradicts Amos 5:21, Prov 6:16, Rev. 2:6, and Psalm 5:5 - among several others - where God specifically hates something or someone. While Williams does praise a few of the books as good reading material, most only receive such accolades if they are directly in line with his personal views on a topic. I appreciated that some of the reviewed works were so very well-reviewed, such as Hank Hanegraaff and Sigmund Brouwer's The Last Disciple Series, that they intrigued me enough to want to read them, and that isn't the only one!
This book is best for those who would enjoy reading commentary on the fundamentals of Christianity, in between a few standard book reviews. Williams was certainly true to his purpose in defending the Christian faith in this book. Combine that with the well-written reviews and pretty good editing, but lack of Scriptural quotes, I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars.
Return Home