A Good Read

Yesterday on his blog, my brother, comedian Marty Daniels, recommended a free e-book published by the publishing arm of the Bruderhof, an international group of small Christian communities. In between prayers and visits during an overnight Prayer Vigil in the sanctuary of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, the congregation of which I'm pastor, I was able to read Freedom from Sinful Thoughts by J. Heinrich Arnold.

While I have quibbles with bits and pieces of Arnold's book (and can't quite figure out where the thoughts he attributes to the apostle Paul on page 22 can be found in the New Testament), I recommend downloading this book.

I have found this often to be the case in books that come from Bruderhof: I have minor quibbles, but on the whole deeply appreciate the profound insights into the God of the Bible and how to live with Him at the center of our lives each day.

Our thought life is a powerful thing. While Arnold affirms, with the Bible, that there is another dimension of life, that of angels and demons in which a cosmic battle not only for our eternal souls, but for the life of the universe, is being waged and from this spiritual realm, the devil seeks to hurt God by enticing us to walk away from God for eternity, that doesn't negate our responsibility as rebels against God. God's words to the resentful and self-absorbed son of Adam and Eve, Cain, are words for us as well, "Sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:7). Such mastery entails holding all of our thoughts captive to God aware, as James writes in the New Testament, "one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death."

As Arnold, who died in 1982, says early on in this practical, moving book, "Many Christians do not believe in the reality of this fight [against temptation and their own sin], let alone in the reality of evil. This book will be of no use to them. Rather, it is intended for those who have known sin, who earnestly seek to be freed of its weight, and who long for purity of heart."

Don't waste your time by reading this book if you deny the existence of right and wrong and the need for us to surrender our lives completely to the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

But if you want to surrender and you want to experience the power of reconciliation with God that belongs to those who trust Christ, by all means read Freedom from Sinful Thoughts.