A review by alexrea
Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of "and" in an Either-Or World by Jen Pollock Michel
4.0
Generally speaking, we’re a people that doesn’t like mystery. We want clear-cut answers. Michel’s book, “Surprised by Paradox” reminds me of Aslan’s statement at the end of “The Last Battle,” where he charges the other characters to go “father up and farther in.” As we read Scripture and come to know more about God, we also realize that there’s much that remains mysterious. Still, in an effort to love God with our minds, we’re to continue growing in our knowledge and understanding of him. With that, however, we come face to face with a tension of sorts. There are some things of God we’re just unable to wrap our minds around.
Michel uses this book to outline four themes: incarnation, kingdom, grace, and lament. She, poetic in her prose, forced me (multiple times!) to read and reread a sentence or paragraph, and simply meditate on the thoughts (e.g., “Grace is the gravity of our God-breathed world”).
I also appreciated Michel’s transparency throughout the text, as she allows us readers into her history and the lessons she learned through her mistakes. God, as Creator, owns all and is over all. On this, Michel writes, “If the kingdom is good news, it surely isn’t safe. Because there is no square inch of our lives that Jesus doesn’t intend to rule.” (This truth, to me, nearly reads as an amalgam of CS Lewis and Abraham Kuyper.)
“Surprised by Paradox” is challenging, thought-provoking, convicting, and encouraging – all in one. The Christian God is one who is mysterious, but that mystery should drive us to embrace the limits of our understanding, while praising him for his revelation. This revelation, of course, is chiefly shown in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).
I’m thankful for Michel’s work here and am looking forward to reading more of her work in the future.
*Note: I received an advance copy of the text in exchange for my honest review and feedback.
Michel uses this book to outline four themes: incarnation, kingdom, grace, and lament. She, poetic in her prose, forced me (multiple times!) to read and reread a sentence or paragraph, and simply meditate on the thoughts (e.g., “Grace is the gravity of our God-breathed world”).
I also appreciated Michel’s transparency throughout the text, as she allows us readers into her history and the lessons she learned through her mistakes. God, as Creator, owns all and is over all. On this, Michel writes, “If the kingdom is good news, it surely isn’t safe. Because there is no square inch of our lives that Jesus doesn’t intend to rule.” (This truth, to me, nearly reads as an amalgam of CS Lewis and Abraham Kuyper.)
“Surprised by Paradox” is challenging, thought-provoking, convicting, and encouraging – all in one. The Christian God is one who is mysterious, but that mystery should drive us to embrace the limits of our understanding, while praising him for his revelation. This revelation, of course, is chiefly shown in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).
I’m thankful for Michel’s work here and am looking forward to reading more of her work in the future.
*Note: I received an advance copy of the text in exchange for my honest review and feedback.