Title: Our Father
Abraham (Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith)
Author: Marvin Wilson
Pages: 395
Year: 1990
Publisher: Eerdmans
My rating: 4 out of 5
stars.
In the journey of discovering the Jewish roots of my
Christian faith, I have read many books.
Some were very helpful and other books weren’t for various reasons. However, Our
Father Abraham is a gem because the author takes great pains to explain
various topics in a way that can be easily comprehended while also leaving the
reader wanting more. At the end of each
chapter, there are discussion questions that give people an opportunity to
cement the information learned while also exploring the topic in the Bible. Other books may have a few discussion
questions, but the author here gives each chapter over 20 questions. Plus, at the end of the book, there are
footnotes that point to other sources for further study and contemplation.
What makes reading the book enjoyable is, of course, the
material and having an opportunity to discuss the material with a friend. If you have never tried doing this with a
nonfiction book, I hope you will as it helped me remember what I read and
clarified some points of the material I had trouble digesting.
While the book is not a recent work, don’t let that put you
off from reading it. I am not sure how
much Messianic Judaism has changed since the book was published, but I look at
some of the material as being helpful to understand the subject at the time. The most recent chapter I read helped me
understand the way Hebrews view education and how other cultures do as well. Plus, it helped me see how that influences
the society I live in.
The book will remain on my shelf in the hopes that my
progeny will read it and find the information helpful plus spur them on to seek
more understanding and growth in their faith.