Review of The Advent of Time
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jfull283
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- Latest Review: The Advent of Time by Indignus Servus
Review of The Advent of Time
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Advent of Time" by Indignus Servus.]
The Advent of Time
Rating: 4/5
The problem of pain (or evil) is a common question that all Christians grapple with. If God is all-powerful, and he is also all-loving, then how can evil and pain be explained? The problem of evil necessitates that either God cannot be all-powerful or he cannot be all-good. In "The Advent of Time," Indignus Servus (pseudonym) gives a compelling answer to this problem.
Servus bases his argument on several presuppositions. Perhaps the most foundational is the assertion that God created humanity so that God and man can experience love with one another. Rather than simply making this assertion, I thought it was really helpful for the author to include multiple studies that demonstrated that sex, money, and success do not fulfill man's greatest desires. It was fascinating to note how these studies consistently showed that these pursuits leave people unsatisfied and empty. Servus points out that these studies find that love within the confines of a genuine and authentic relationship is what leads to the most significant amount of human happiness and flourishing. These studies cause us to naturally question, "If friendship and love are the wellsprings of human happiness, is it possible mankind was specifically designed for the purpose of experiencing friendship and love?" I found this to be a particularly powerful point. The love we desire and enjoy in life reveals that this is what we were created for. However, the problem remains: If God created man to experience love with Him, then why does God allow pain and suffering?
Servus's response to this question is rooted in his definition of genuine love. For relational love to truly exist, five distinct requirements must be met. When all five of these requirements are fulfilled, a genuine and loving friendship is established. I believe this is one of the strongest chapters in the book. In an era when love and relationships can often feel transactional, the author offers a refreshing clarification of the essential components that fulfill the soul in a loving relationship.
Servus concludes his book by using his definition of authentic love to demonstrate that for God to prevent pain and suffering from occurring in the world, God would also need to remove man's ability to experience genuine love. Either man's free will must be removed, or man's existence must be immediately extinguished to stop man from inflicting pain or suffering on others. Suppose the ultimate purpose of the creation of man is for man to experience God's love into eternity. In that case, we must conclude that God has deemed this experience of love with God to be worth the cost of allowing man to choose to reject this love and thus introduce pain and suffering into the world through their sin. I found this to be a unique and thought-provoking argument for the existence of evil. God views pain and suffering as a necessary "evil" to allow man to experience and participate in his ultimate intended purpose, which is to join with God in eternal love.
The only criticism I have is Servus's argument for how Adam's sin affects creation. Servus does take the Genesis account of creation and the fall as a literal historical account, which is good. But I found his explanation for how Adam's sin affected creation to be lacking a solid biblical basis. Servus argues that sin transitioned man from a timeless being to a being now constrained by time. Since man was given dominion over creation, it means that man has the power to reshape creation down to its very molecules. Adam's sin thereby had the effect of reshaping creation itself. I don't see where Servus finds biblical support to make this claim. Adam and Eve were given dominion over creation, but that does not imply they had the power to reshape creation itself. Servus goes on to argue that evolutionary principles are derived from this fall and the introduction of sin, whereas I believe this is an unnecessary conclusion. Man's natural behavior can be explained by total depravity without needing to believe in the scientific theory of evolution.
In terms of editing, I noticed no significant spelling or grammatical errors. The book was well written, the arguments were cogent, and punctuation/grammar/spelling all appeared to be formatted correctly.
In one sense, this book serves as an excellent apologetic. Anyone skeptical of God because they cannot reconcile the existence of an all-powerful and all-loving God needs to pick up this book and read it immediately. Servus offers an intellectually stimulating and helpful answer to this problem. In another sense, this book will help bolster and encourage the faith of any professing believer. I found my own faith strengthened as I delved into this book. Highly recommended!
******
The Advent of Time
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Advent of Time
Rating: 4/5
The problem of pain (or evil) is a common question that all Christians grapple with. If God is all-powerful, and he is also all-loving, then how can evil and pain be explained? The problem of evil necessitates that either God cannot be all-powerful or he cannot be all-good. In "The Advent of Time," Indignus Servus (pseudonym) gives a compelling answer to this problem.
Servus bases his argument on several presuppositions. Perhaps the most foundational is the assertion that God created humanity so that God and man can experience love with one another. Rather than simply making this assertion, I thought it was really helpful for the author to include multiple studies that demonstrated that sex, money, and success do not fulfill man's greatest desires. It was fascinating to note how these studies consistently showed that these pursuits leave people unsatisfied and empty. Servus points out that these studies find that love within the confines of a genuine and authentic relationship is what leads to the most significant amount of human happiness and flourishing. These studies cause us to naturally question, "If friendship and love are the wellsprings of human happiness, is it possible mankind was specifically designed for the purpose of experiencing friendship and love?" I found this to be a particularly powerful point. The love we desire and enjoy in life reveals that this is what we were created for. However, the problem remains: If God created man to experience love with Him, then why does God allow pain and suffering?
Servus's response to this question is rooted in his definition of genuine love. For relational love to truly exist, five distinct requirements must be met. When all five of these requirements are fulfilled, a genuine and loving friendship is established. I believe this is one of the strongest chapters in the book. In an era when love and relationships can often feel transactional, the author offers a refreshing clarification of the essential components that fulfill the soul in a loving relationship.
Servus concludes his book by using his definition of authentic love to demonstrate that for God to prevent pain and suffering from occurring in the world, God would also need to remove man's ability to experience genuine love. Either man's free will must be removed, or man's existence must be immediately extinguished to stop man from inflicting pain or suffering on others. Suppose the ultimate purpose of the creation of man is for man to experience God's love into eternity. In that case, we must conclude that God has deemed this experience of love with God to be worth the cost of allowing man to choose to reject this love and thus introduce pain and suffering into the world through their sin. I found this to be a unique and thought-provoking argument for the existence of evil. God views pain and suffering as a necessary "evil" to allow man to experience and participate in his ultimate intended purpose, which is to join with God in eternal love.
The only criticism I have is Servus's argument for how Adam's sin affects creation. Servus does take the Genesis account of creation and the fall as a literal historical account, which is good. But I found his explanation for how Adam's sin affected creation to be lacking a solid biblical basis. Servus argues that sin transitioned man from a timeless being to a being now constrained by time. Since man was given dominion over creation, it means that man has the power to reshape creation down to its very molecules. Adam's sin thereby had the effect of reshaping creation itself. I don't see where Servus finds biblical support to make this claim. Adam and Eve were given dominion over creation, but that does not imply they had the power to reshape creation itself. Servus goes on to argue that evolutionary principles are derived from this fall and the introduction of sin, whereas I believe this is an unnecessary conclusion. Man's natural behavior can be explained by total depravity without needing to believe in the scientific theory of evolution.
In terms of editing, I noticed no significant spelling or grammatical errors. The book was well written, the arguments were cogent, and punctuation/grammar/spelling all appeared to be formatted correctly.
In one sense, this book serves as an excellent apologetic. Anyone skeptical of God because they cannot reconcile the existence of an all-powerful and all-loving God needs to pick up this book and read it immediately. Servus offers an intellectually stimulating and helpful answer to this problem. In another sense, this book will help bolster and encourage the faith of any professing believer. I found my own faith strengthened as I delved into this book. Highly recommended!
******
The Advent of Time
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Advent of Time by Indignus Servus
