Review:

The owner's manual for Christians

‘Now that you’ve made a mess of things – please start over and read the instructions…’ words that could be found on any instruction manual; well known author Chuck Swindoll uses this idea as the premise to outline some key themes from the Bible to help us live as the maker intended.

The Owner’s Manual… is divided into three sections. Unfortunately by far the weakest is the first which I found very prescriptive; making vast assumptions about people’s understanding of theological terms and using dated illustrations.

The second section took me by surprise as I found myself challenged and encouraged by his words focusing on the nature of our relationship with God and developing our character – a theme that continues into the third section.

This book would be overwhelming for new Christians (perhaps less so in the US context?) but includes some vital sections on less popular themes such as surrender to God and self-control.

HIGH: The chapters on intimacy with God and an inspiring exposition of Romans 6.

LOW: Needing to plough through the first section to reap the rewards of the other two.

Published by: Thomas Nelson