Growing Up into the Children of God: Exploring the Paradox of Christian Maturity

Readable, enjoyable, and at the same time challenging and provocative. This book explores the idea of Christian maturity by asking what it might mean to "find the path between certainty and unbelief" so we can "retain a belief in a real God who acts in our world, and also be true to the reality of human experience, especially the reality of suffering and death."Newman does this by engaging honestly and thoughtfully with some of the great paradoxes at the heart of Christian experience: Why do we pray if God knows what we need - and why do so many of our prayers apparently go unanswered? If God is loving, why do we suffer? Why does God sometimes seem so powerfully present to us, and sometimes so heart-achingly absent? Is there any place for morality if, in the end, we're saved by grace? If obedience means always surrendering our free will to God's will, why bother having free will in the first place? And more ...It's tempting to collapse these difficult paradoxes into simple answers by asserting just part of the truth: God is always present! My style of church is the God-mandated style! We suffer because of sin! Newman carefully avoids these paths, encouraging instead a commitment to Christian maturity, to understanding ourselves as God's trusting, inquisitive children, but children who are invited to grow up and embrace the complexities of a world with no easy answers.It's clear that a lifetime of reflection and experience lies behind this book; there's a lot packed into a relatively modest number of pages here (it's definitely a book worth reading more than once). I particularly enjoyed Newman's ideas about dependence, independence and interdependence, and I found the chapter on the presence and absence of God particularly powerful - a difficult subject handled well.This isn't a book for everyone. A clergy colleague asked whether I'd recommend it for a confirmation candidate - well, I don't see this as a book for a new Christian, just finding their way into faith. But it's a great book for those who already have some miles behind them in their Christian discipleship and are looking to explore some of the big questions in a more grown-up way. And it's not a book of answers - more a book of questions carefully framed, thoughtfully engaged, and with some sensitive responses. But, in the end, the questions remain ... which is just as it should be.There are also a handful of discussion questions at the end of each chapter which could either fuel your own continuing reflection or be used by a reading group or housegroup to spark conversation around the themes.All in all, a thoughtful and thought-provoking book - highly recommended.(Full disclosure: I'm a friend and work colleague of the author. I've tried hard not to allow this to influence my review - but it really is a good book, so I just had to say so!)

David Newman draws on his deep experience of ministry, spirituality and Christian living to write this excellent book. Living as a child of God calls on us to balance a depth of conviction with an enquiring, questionning attitude that, far from waylaying or misdirecting our Christan faith draws us ever deeper into the meaning of ourselves as "Children of God". This book can be read simply on one's own or with others as a group activity. It is a compact book that packs a punch and encourages a second reading to draw even more from its wisdom.

Would recommend to anyone who wants a fresh perspective on Christian maturity. David Newman is a credible guide through the paradoxes of how to live as 'grown-up children'.