Not the Way It's Supposed to Be

A Breviary of Sin
Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

Finally a book about sin that refuses to limit itself to abstract formulations of theological terms. Finally a book about sin that surfaces then inner recesses of the heart to demonstrate in concrete terms the reality of the sinfulness behind all our thoughts, words and deeds. The most helpful aspect of this book, I believe, is the way he fleshes out his definition of sin as a disruption of shalom. When a boy steals a radio for instance, there is a sense in which the boy has broken God's law, and there's a sense in which that act reveals his pride and selfishness. Plantinga's work shows that his act as well demonstrates the fact that the boy considered his desire for that radio as more imporant than the shalom of his classroom. Sin is what vandalizes the shalom of the world. It seeks to disrupt and introduce chaos into the created order. From the initial sin of Adam and Eve to the ways we continue to sin individually, corporately, even culturally and nationally, sin upsets the created order. Plantinga's work is insightful, articulately written, well researched, biblically informed, and simply a joy to read, even if you find yourself wonderfully convicted as you read it.

This book is a must read, I believe, for the missional church. If the missional church desires that the gospel sink into all the cracks and crevices of society, being an agent of transformation in all facets of life in this world, we need to be aware of what we are seeking to transform. This book is a wonderful exposition of the fallenness of creation as well as the human heart. We must be transformed by the gospel, and then be God's agents in this world to bring the shalom of Christ to the cracks and crevices of a lost and broken world.