Colors of God

My book review as a contributor of such for: http://www.theooze.com/

When I first saw the title and cover for this book, my interest (and skepticism) swelled. They always say, "Don’t judge a book by its cover (or title)", but I couldn't resist. Then I read the subtitle, "Conversations about Being the Church" and immediately felt more at ease…I was interested.

“Colors of God” is a thought-provoking, compelling dialogue between 3 men trying to think about the convergence of faith, culture, and application. Author Randall Mark Peters is a former university professor who is now on television hosting a show and teaches at neXus church. He says this book shares his “journey away from religion into a world much larger and mush more beautiful.” Author Dave Phillips left the professional life of counseling and now teaches at neXus church (with Peters). The final author, Quentin Steen, works for the Christian Labour Association of Canada “making sure justice, respect, and dignity” are provided for all workers.

The format of this book is what I found the most refreshing aspect and interesting part of the entire reading. Like the church they are all tied to in one way or another, neXus, the authors use dialogue and conversation as the vehicle for sharing their convictions and message. NeXus church does this as well. The leaders at that church use an informal, conversational context for church teaching. And it has worked well there…it works well here….

The book describes 4 colors of God: Blue (the Gospel of Jesus), Green (Healthy Living), Red (community), and Yellow (Cultural Engagement). Blue is naturally the lead color and of which every other color stems from. The authors drive home the aspects of Jesus (only) as life-giver and definer. To my surprise, quite frankly, they speak of every fact of life only getting meaning from and through Jesus. They speak of grace much like Reformers would. It was quite refreshing. The rest of the book is built on that foundation, and it is good.

I would recommend this book. The format is inspiring and keeps one interested (the even have an FAQ after each section to answer questions critically), and these guys work off one another and complement one another nicely, so that you just don’t get one voice, one perspective on being the church. Granted, they often agree with one another, but it isn’t at detriment to the book because each has a unique story and perspective they bring.