I love it when God works in my life in ways that I never saw coming. In this book, God takes an Atheist and an eccentric and uses them to accomplish His will. This book is a great example of how God can come along and totally blindside believers and unbelievers alike.
I would like to outline some ways this book surprised me this week:
1. God used this book to affirm my faith this week, which is something I did not see coming. I started reading this book on Monday or Tuesday last week, and was shocked - and gripped - by the claims that Nicholas Mackenzie makes against religion. I don't know of any believer in Jesus that is comfortable with hearing - or reading - words spoken by someone so full of hatred toward God. I often had to stop and pray to thank God for allowing me to know the truth of what He has done for me, and to pray for the many, many people in this world that carry around a very real hatred for God and religion. Also, as this story unfolded, and the truth of what needed to happen to cure the virus introduced to the AI program is realized, I found myself near tears. I saw, in a fresh way, the love God showed in the sacrifice of His son, and this is a work of fiction! I often found myself putting the book down so that I could grab my Bible and read, again and again, the miracles that Jesus Christ worked on Earth, and His death and resurrection. I think this is the first time a work of fiction has spurred me to delve deeper than my "normal" digs into God's word. I am glad Bill Myers encourages this kind of Biblical study at the beginning of this book.
2. One of the messages in this book is love - although this message almost flows in the subtext of the book. It's hard to imagine that a book entitled The God Hater could illustrate love, but that's one of the things this book does very well, and in unexpected ways. I will leave these ways up to you to discover as you read this book, if you choose to do so. I brought up this point because my church is going through a Bible Study called 40 Days of Community. This study, by Rick Warren, is based on 1 Corinthians 13 - "The Love Chapter". This first week, we learned that nothing in life is worth anything without love - even belief. God's word states that
If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. -- 1 Corinthians 13:2
Dr. Nicholas Mackenzie is an Atheist, and a very smart and learned one, at that. He's a Philosophy professor. He knows more than most people will ever learn in a lifetime, but this verse states that knowledge without love is worthless. This verse states that belief without love is worthless as well. All of these - knowledge, faith, and love, entertwine in radical ways during this book. Mackenzie flaunts his knowledge all the way through this book, and claims that is all man needs to survive. Faith is seen through some of the characters in the real world and the AI world, but the AI world struggles with the virus even in the midst of their faith. Love, well, love through a Savior seems to be the only cure for this virus, but Mackenzie has his knowledge and hatred of God to reckon with when it comes to that point. I had not expected that my study at Church would help me further understand the book I was reading in my free time for a book tour. Just one more way that this book supplemented my Biblical learning and growing this week.
3. I sing in the Choir at church, and this Sunday two of the songs we sing vividly proclaim God's love through Christ's death on the Cross. At Choir practice Wednesday night, I had come to the point in the book where Mackenzie and his brother are struggling to figure out how to cure the virus, and the solution of a Savior had been mentioned, but, of course, was being debated. Singing these songs about Jesus taking my sins - my virus - upon himself and dying in my place literally sent chills down my spine as I realized the symbolism in this book. Computers aren't the only things to get viruses - each one of us is born with an incurable virus that can only be cured by accepting Jesus Christ's sacrifice in love. This book reminded me of my own flaws and failings as a human being, and so much better still, this book helped reinforce the truth that through Jesus Christ I am cured of the virus and disease of sin. To God Be The Glory!
I had not known that this book would be such a strong supplement to my spiritual growth this week. Through this book, my times of worship, corporate and small group Bible Study, and personal devotion and prayer time, were all enriched by my reading of this book during the week. Bill Myers has written a great book that I pray will be an eye opener to others, as it has for me.
Legal Necessities: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through my participation in this CSFF blog tour.
