Review: "Clear Winter Nights"

            I don’t normally care for fiction from which one is supposed to learn theology, thought there are exceptions.  Trevin Wax’s book, Clear Winter Nights is a well-done pairing of fiction and theology. 

            The story revolves around conversations Chris has with his grandfather, Gilbert.  Chris had put off marrying his girlfriend, postponed finishing school, walked away from serving in his church, and moved in with Gilbert, for a time, to care for him after his stroke.  Gilbert is a retired pastor.   Gilbert is passionate about his beliefs.  Chris is all doubts.

            The best part of this novel is that it does not hit the reader over the head with theology – it calmly presents and argues the issues that Gilbert and Chris discuss without giving easy answers or a quick resolution.

            They discuss what it means to be a follower of Christ, what it means to know God, being part of the Church and how sanctification plays a role in it, what evangelism means, the misuse of Scripture, how to approach moral issues, such as homosexuality, relationships, the doctrine of hell, eternal life, and heaven – all presented gently, yet hitting the essential question for the reader to meditated on.

            The book concludes with a useful discussion guide.

            Perhaps a book like this will not only get the reader to consider these issues, but to look at how one is discussing these issues with others.

            For both of these reasons, I recommend this book.  We need to consider wisely how we talk with each other – we may not get another chance.

 [This review appears on Amazon.com and on my blog.  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.]