Product Description

In THE PRODIGAL GOD, New York pastor Timothy Keller uses the story of the prodigal son to shine a light on the central, beautiful message of Jesus: the gospel of grace, hope and salvation.

Keller argues that the parable of the prodigal son, while Jesus’ best-known parable, is also his least understood. He introduces the reader to all the characters in this timeless story, showing that it concerns not just a wayward son, but also a judgemental older brother and, most importantly, a loving father.

This short but powerful book is a reminder to the faithful, an explanation to the seeker, and finally an invitation to all – both older and younger brothers – to enter in to the ‘unique, radical nature of the gospel’: the reckless, spendthrift love of God.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21442 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Review
‘Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbours, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.’ (Christianity Today magazine )

About the Author
Timothy Keller was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and educated at Bucknell University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary. He was pastor of West Hopewell Presbyterian Church, Virginia, for nine years before founding Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he started in 1989 with his wife, Kathy, and three young sons.

Customer Reviews

Regardless of your experience of Christianity, this book is for you.
The short version of the review is:
This book may transform your life because it presents the only message in the world capable of bringing about such change - namely, the Bible's message of God's extravagant love for undeserving bad people.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE...
Why?

In this book, Keller, in his classic simple yet intelligent way, offers a fresh presentation of the message of the Christian faith - not by devising a new message, but by going back to the Bible (mainly focusing on the parable known as "The Prodigal Son" - or as it should be put - "The Parable of the Two Lost Sons") and showing that its message is sadly quite different from the moralism many religious church-goers present. In this sense, the book challenges and shocks Christians as it reminds them of the wonder of the love God freely shows to bad people. In doing this, the book will also provide the sceptic with a clear presentation of the message the Bible presents of God's free offer of his extravagant yet undeserved love.

All readers - both Christians and sceptics alike - will be pointed to the true heart of the Christian faith in a way that does bring challenge, but also a thrilling sense of refreshment and hope. While it will involve everyone admitting to failure, it is then that it can take all readers to experience and enjoy the free love of God and to see what it cost Him in sending Jesus to pay with his life - buying us back - it's a love that is free for us yet was so costly for him. As mentioned above, this is the only message that can bring real change in someone's life - Keller also explains how and why this is the case is a most helpful way.

Buy this book
Whether you have been a Christian for decades or just interested in the real message of Christianity this book is worth every penny. Keller has the gift of being able to explain the message of the Bible in ways that grip you and challenge the way you think.

Looking at the famous Parable of the Prodigal Son Keller opens up the story to show Jesus' message of the three ways to live, and dismantles misunderstandings that many hold about the message of Christianity.

This book is a very easy read - my two teenage sons couldn't put it down.

Another book every Christian should read!
I was recommended this book by my Pastor, as a resource for a talk on Grace that I will soon be giving. I am so glad I made the time to read this book - and you don't need a whole lot of time!

This is probably one of the easiest books about Grace you will ever read. I found the Discipline of Grace The Discipline of Grace: God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holinessa fantastic read. I have also read Terry Virgo's book God's Lavish Grace. Both are excellent and I highly recommend them as well.

However, this book is almost less theoretical and gets to the HEART of Grace.

You will be challenged to look at your thought process, whether it is about the Parable of the Lost Son, or as Tim Keller calls it 'the Parable of the Two Lost Sons', or your thought process about how God deals with us, how we deal with other people and how we deal with ourselves with regards to grace.

I would recommend buying it because it is a short book and I know that I will get things out of it from a second and third reading, or just dipping into it that I didn't pick up on the first time round.

I agree with one of the other reviewers - regardless of your interaction with Christianity, this is a book you should read.

If you want to get a good understanding of what Christianity is about then this is a great book to start with (other than the Bible!).

If you have been a Christian since you were a young child (like myself) then this is a fantastic book to read to be reminded about Gods amazing love for us and how we need to protect ourselves from the elder-brother mentality.

If you have recently become a Christian then this is a must-read as it will help to prevent you from falling into the trap of becoming an 'elder brother'.

One of the things I really like about this book is its SIMPLICITY. It takes a very famous passage of Scripture and then walks us through it. We get historical insight into the story which helps us with modern application.

I also like that it is EXEGETICAL. It is clear throughout the book that Keller is not using the passage as an excuse for some form of self-help. Rather this book is very firmly grounded in Scripture.

So please, please read it. In fact, spend the few quid and buy it because it will be like a refreshing pool that you constantly find yourself dipping into when the busyness of life starts making things go out of perspective.