The Faith Given Once For All.

Book Review

Colson, Charles. Fickett, Harold. The Faith, Given Once, For All. Zondervan, 2008.

Comment. Henry
Chuck has become very well known for his many years of effective Prison Ministries. In this book he becomes the apologist, defender of the faith. His presentation is powerful and I believe well substantiated. This is a good resource for anyone wanting to have a meaningful relationship with those would challenge Christianity. Chuck’s assessment of the threat of radical Islam to Western civilization and Christianity is very interesting.

Christianity has from its inception been a life-changing, culture-changing force. Two contemporary threats to Christianity are anti-theism and radical Islam. The lack of understanding and presence of biblical truth increases these threats. The two main themes of this book are “God and the faith, and faith and life”.

The first truth that is examined is, “God Is”, and that God has communicated with man. That communication has been in the form of the canon of scripture which has been confirmed as authentic. There is “transformative power” (55) in the message.

Christians believe that truth can be affirmed through the Bible, nature, reason and conscience. Truth is basic to the Gospel. Sin is a fact of life that impacts every human being. God invaded humanity through his son Jesus Christ. This invasion resulted in a huge victory over sin and death. The Trinity is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity.

The ‘exchanged life’ is part of a genuine conversion. Forgiveness creates the reality of reconciliation. Historically that happened between evangelicals and Roman Catholics.

The Church, the body of Christ, is one of the accomplishments of the Cross. The classic marks of the Church are the Word, the sacraments, discipline and community. The Church is to be characterized by holiness. Rom. 12:1 It must be a way of life. “Christians believe in the sanctity of life at every stage, from birth to death.” (171) There are many aspects about our culture that militate against the sanctity of life. The ‘end times’ will bring fruition to many of the hopes and beliefs of Christians. “The rewards of embracing orthodox truth are immense.” (205)