Rating: 
Summary: A misguided theology of an impersonal and uncaring god.
Review: Jerry Bridges seems to be stuck in a theology of the middle ages, like telling a child an ugly story to coerse him/her into some righteous behavior. He seems to have little understanding of the context of the apostle Paul's writings, and he takes every Biblical statement that suites his purpose to such a literal extreme that all hope of reality and usefulness is dashed. His writing is abundant with non sequiters and contradictions, and he seems to accept Pharisean philosophy without question, even though Jesus himself rebuked the Pharisees for their sortsightedness and ignorance. Time after time, Bridges himself admits that his Biblical quotes are out of context with their original meaning, so why does he use them, one must ask. Bridges, from this book, seems to have very little focus on the realities or joys of living in Christ, instead choosing to believe that we live in a spiritual vacuum, like a hermetically sealed botanical sphere, controlled through constant manipulations by an uncaring and impersonal god without regard for the natural mechanisms that God has himself put in place. Bridges' theology is cold, unloving, sterile and at times even capricious.Bridges presents a mindless, ignorant approach to understanding the wisdom of God. Bridges' writing style is excellent, skillfully camouflagging his blindness and ignorance with abundant statements of God-praise and God-sovereignty, in the same way that a person might in conversation camouflage their disdain for another by applying many layers of compliments. If I believed that God had the character and qualities ascribed to Him by Mr. Bridges I would have to reject such a god as unloving, uncaring, conspiring and cruel, an abusive father, mishcievious at best and diabolical at worst.
Rating: 
Summary: You MUST read this book if you are hurting
Review: One of my greatest weaknesses as a Christian is trusting God during challenges, problems, and hard times. There are so many people in our religious culture saying "God is in control" or "just trust that God will work things out", but how does a person trust God during true difficulties. The author really does take the time to explain what trust is all about and how to overcome our fears or barriers of trusting God. The scripture references are excellent and applicable to anyone's life. I strongly recommend this book to everyone, especially to those who find themselves worrying and be anxious about anything in life. This book changed my life forever.
Rating:
Summary: Do you struggle with trusting God?
Review: One of my greatest weaknesses as a Christian is trusting God during challenges, problems, and hard times. There are so many people in our religious culture saying "God is in control" or "just trust that God will work things out", but how does a person trust God during true difficulties. The author really does take the time to explain what trust is all about and how to overcome our fears or barriers of trusting God. The scripture references are excellent and applicable to anyone's life. I strongly recommend this book to everyone, especially to those who find themselves worrying and be anxious about anything in life. This book changed my life forever.
Rating:
Summary: GOD IS IN CONTROL!!
Review: This book teaches (better than any other)that God is in tune and does care and is involved behind the scenes in YOUR life. It is a great book if you doubt God's care or observance during the hard times that life can deal. It provides many scriptures to support that God can be trusted and we can find security in trusting God - regardless of our circumstances.
Rating:
Summary: An Encouraging Word...
Review: This is - BY FAR - the best book that I have EVER read on the subject of how to deal with suffering. Mr. Bridges does not simply dwell on the subject of the sovereignty of God, and spend the rest of the book telling people who are suffering that they should just "suck it up" and trust God blindly. The first 7 chapters of the book do deal with the sovereignty of God. But Mr. Bridges goes a step further in the last 7 chapters of the book: he talks about the will of God and the love of God. This book has been such an encouragement to me through some very difficult times. It is a book I highly recommend...and loan out on a very regular basis!
Rating:
Summary: Easy reading but heavy theology
Review: This is a great book if you are grappling with man's responsibility vs. God's soreignty. The author writes well, always showing the basis of his thoughts based on scripture. That is the power of this book. Personally I don't think you could get much from this book if you were in the midst of a personal crisis. I think you should read this book NOW, while things are calm. That way you can store up the scriptures (and concepts) in your heart, and be prepared, for any storms that may come in the future. Get out your yellow highlighter; you will want to highlight this book a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Easy reading but heavy theology
Review: This is a great book if you are grappling with man's responsibility vs. God's soreignty. The author writes well, always showing the basis of his thoughts based on scripture. That is the power of this book. Personally I don't think you could get much from this book if you were in the midst of a personal crisis. I think you should read this book NOW, while things are calm. That way you can store up the scriptures (and concepts) in your heart, and be prepared, for any storms that may come in the future. Get out your yellow highlighter; you will want to highlight this book a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Great book on the sovereignty of God
Review: This is a great book on the sovereignty of God. It is Reformed in its theology, and encouraging in its outlook. It is Bridges best book since "Pursuit of Holiness."
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, both for the personal help and the theology
Review: This is one of the best books I ever read. But the title is somewhat misleading. It doesn't tell you that this book is mainly about the sovereignty of God. But if you're looking for help in handling rough time, this book will be a Godsend. The way to deal with difficult time is by trusting God. And only by understanding His absolute sovereignty can one really trust Him. Bridges presents three reasons why we can trust God: 1. God is omniscient, so He knows what is best for us. 2. God is sovereign, so He is able to bring about what is best for us. 3. God is love, so He wants us to have what is best for us. Most Christians easily accept that God is omniscient and that He is love. But sometimes they don't truly understand the full implications of these two attributes of God. But Bridges does a good job of explaining these implications. But the bulk of this book and where it really shines is in the extensive discussion on point number two. Bridges present many Scripture verses supporting the Biblical teaching of God's absolute sovereignty. And he does a thorough job of bringing out the implications of these verses. In fact, I found this book so helpful that I went back and consulted this book when I was developing the chapter on "The Sovereignty of God" in my book "Scripture Workbook: For Personal Bible Study and Teaching the Bible." I would highly recommend this book for the person going through hard times and for anyone who simply wants to understand the true Biblical doctrine of God's sovereignty. And consult my "Scripture Workbook" for even more Scriptural proof of God's sovereignty in all matters of life.
Rating:
Summary: Truely a great book
Review: This is the most comprehensive and best of the three Bridges books I have read. The authors purpose is two-fold. First, he wants the reader to glorify God by acknowledging God's sovereignty and goodness in the midst of tragedy. Second, he wants to encourage God's people by showing that God is in control of our lives. Bridges purpose is limited. It is not a theological exploration into the origin of pain and suffering, but a book to help the reader deal with pain and suffering on a level of faith, of trusting in God that things do not just happen. Although evangelical Christians often give lip service to the sovereignty of God, many are for all practical purposes are Christian deists. They see God as being too distant our unable to intervene in times of trouble. I appreciate that Bridges does not duck the tough issues. He refuses to wrap up all the theological loose ends when discussing the sovereignty of God. Like Tozer, he recognizes that there are some issues to which there are no neat and tidy answers. Unlike many other authors who write on this subject, he does not slavishly follow C.S. Lewis The Problem of Pain. It is refreshing to read a fresh perspective on the subject rather than merely hearing Lewis arguments parroted again. Although I was very impressed with the book, there were a few areas that caught my attention. Bridges does not deal comprehensively with the idea of spiritual warfare. I would have also liked to see a fuller discussion on the passive will of God. In fact, it is not mentioned in the first one hundred pages or so. It would have been good to have a fuller discussion of the alternative views of God's sovereignty, but then, that would have doubled or tripled the lengthy of the book. This is truly a great book. I could hardly put it down, one of the best I have read on the providence and sovereignty of God. I would also recommend Jack Contrell's volume, What the Bible Says About God the Ruler, College Press, 1884. Although not a Calvinist, Contrell writes one of the most persuasive arguments for the sovereignty of God I have read. He also explores alternative views of sovereignty (pagan, existential, deists, etc.) and their weaknesses.
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