Brave by Faith: God-Sized Confidence in a Post-Christian World
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-22 14:30:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alistair Begg
- ISBN：1784986666
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jennifer E。 Crawford
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What an appropriate book for the year that we have just experienced and are continuing to face in the aftermath of the ramifications that have ensued。 Alistair reminds us that nothing and no one is beyond the sovereignty of God and that He will be glorified and His people will triumph， even when we are struggling to imagine how He will overcome evil with good。 And whether we live to see it on this earth or not， our hope is in the God who made Heaven and Earth。 He never changes and His promises a What an appropriate book for the year that we have just experienced and are continuing to face in the aftermath of the ramifications that have ensued。 Alistair reminds us that nothing and no one is beyond the sovereignty of God and that He will be glorified and His people will triumph， even when we are struggling to imagine how He will overcome evil with good。 And whether we live to see it on this earth or not， our hope is in the God who made Heaven and Earth。 He never changes and His promises are true。 。。。more
Panda Incognito
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3。5 stars， rounded up。This is yet another evangelical book about Daniel， but Alistair Begg explores the biblical narrative in a way that keeps God at the center。 Instead of focusing on key parts of the story to highlight moral messages or character-building examples， he goes through the whole story in context， understanding God as the central character。 He emphasizes God's work within Daniel's life and Israel's exile， and instead of telling us to all be like Daniel， he emphasizes that we should 3。5 stars， rounded up。This is yet another evangelical book about Daniel， but Alistair Begg explores the biblical narrative in a way that keeps God at the center。 Instead of focusing on key parts of the story to highlight moral messages or character-building examples， he goes through the whole story in context， understanding God as the central character。 He emphasizes God's work within Daniel's life and Israel's exile， and instead of telling us to all be like Daniel， he emphasizes that we should worship and trust Daniel's God。However， this book includes cultural commentary that I found more frustrating than compelling。 Society has shifted， and some Christians in the West face contempt and discrimination because of their beliefs， but given the amount of social and political power that Christians have in America， some of Begg's statements seemed extreme and unfair。 He could have addressed contemporary issues in a much more nuanced way， and would gain more credibility if he acknowledged ways that American Christians have historically silenced and marginalized others。 Faith-based discrimination is very real， but because of Begg's broad statements and sweeping assumptions， it would be easy for someone skeptical of this to dismiss it entirely。Despite my concerns about the cultural commentary in this book， I would recommend it to people who are interested in a solid exegesis of the book of Daniel。 Begg writes about the first seven chapters， drawing on ancient Near East historical context， engaging with the characters and events， and connecting details from the text to the whole redemptive story of Scripture。 He also shares insight into the apocalyptic content of Daniel chapter seven。 This book gives a fuller representation of the story than what most Christians remember or know， and the true story is bold， bracing， and inspiring。I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Aaron Lee
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Do you find yourself struggling to be brave， confident， and obedient in an increasingly secular society？ In Brave by Faith， Alistair Begg gives God-sized confidence in a post-Christian world。Be as Brave as DanielThe book is set against the background of modern America， where it is no longer applauded to live a life of Christian faith。 Begg calls us back to the Bible， and shows us how we can be as brave as Daniel if we have faith in Daniel’s God。While much of Daniel is familiar to students of God Do you find yourself struggling to be brave， confident， and obedient in an increasingly secular society？ In Brave by Faith， Alistair Begg gives God-sized confidence in a post-Christian world。Be as Brave as DanielThe book is set against the background of modern America， where it is no longer applauded to live a life of Christian faith。 Begg calls us back to the Bible， and shows us how we can be as brave as Daniel if we have faith in Daniel’s God。While much of Daniel is familiar to students of God’s word， Begg is able to break down the main truths and make them memorable。 In Chapter 3， we are called to obey God despite the consequences。 Begg makes a startling and succinct statement by showing how idolatry precedes immorality。 None of us are immune to idolatry， and he specifically calls out how parents may worship their children， and how many Americans worship their politics。 We make sacrifices to our idols， and God calls us back to worship him alone。God Humbles HeartsWhat I most appreciate is how Begg is able to draw parallels from the life of Christ and show the Gospel message in this Old Testament book。 As Daniel was delivered through the furnace， we now see how Jesus went through the cross before us。 We are called to be living sacrifices， offering acceptable worship to God with our lives。This book calls us to faithfulness and boldly proclaim the gospel。 In Chapter 4， we are reminded to speak out because God is king。 Our job is not to convert but to communicate。 If God can humble the mightiest kings， he can absolutely humble the hearts of our families， friends， and even our enemies。Jesus Reigns and Will ReturnBegg helps us see that the whole life of Daniel was one long act of obedience。 Daniel is well over 30 years old when he meets Belshazzar， and Daniel was 80 years old when he was thrown into the lion’s den。 We see that God calls us to faithfulness throughout the duration of our lives。 Begg brings us to Christ， and we remember the tomb of Jesus where he was delivered from death。The book takes an interesting turn in Daniel 7， and we see that the events in this chapter have already happened。 The chapter refers to Jesus’ ascension into heaven， and we see that he is the Son of Man who reigns and gives us reason to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world。 We can be certain of our mission because of what he has accomplished and where he is right now。 But we are also reminded that we are still in a war。 We must trust our powerful and sovereign God。 We will receive the kingdom， and Jesus reigns and will return。I received a media copy of Brave by Faith and this is my honest review。 。。。more
Zak Schmoll
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This is a wonderful little commentary on the book of Daniel。 Rather than focusing on how we ought to be like Daniel， the central contention of this book is that Daniel is most importantly about God being in control over all things， even in times of adversity， and we can trust Him。 At every juncture in Daniel's life， God made things happen。 Daniel was faithful， but God provided time and again。Another feature of this book I appreciated was the use of frequent scriptural cross-references。 We always This is a wonderful little commentary on the book of Daniel。 Rather than focusing on how we ought to be like Daniel， the central contention of this book is that Daniel is most importantly about God being in control over all things， even in times of adversity， and we can trust Him。 At every juncture in Daniel's life， God made things happen。 Daniel was faithful， but God provided time and again。Another feature of this book I appreciated was the use of frequent scriptural cross-references。 We always talk about the Bible being the story of God from beginning to end。 That's true， but sometimes commentaries can get so focused on their topic that they don't bring in the bigger picture。 Begg rightly focuses on Daniel， but he continually strives to put the themes of Daniel in their larger Biblical context。This is a very short book。 You can read it in a few hours。 However， I very much enjoyed it。 In a culture that seems to be running away from God faster and faster， it is good to remember that the world has gone crazy before， and God has always been there and always will be。 。。。more
Josh Olds
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This is one of those books that I wanted to like， but made me wonder if there’s just something about the world that I’m missing。 Brave by Faith is subtitled God-sized Confidence in a Post-Christian World。 The primary theme of Begg’s teaching is that， even as the world grows more secular， we should hold on to our faith because God is sovereign to see us through。 My concern with the book is how Begg presents Christianity as a victim of the “culture wars。” This starts in the introduction， entitled This is one of those books that I wanted to like， but made me wonder if there’s just something about the world that I’m missing。 Brave by Faith is subtitled God-sized Confidence in a Post-Christian World。 The primary theme of Begg’s teaching is that， even as the world grows more secular， we should hold on to our faith because God is sovereign to see us through。 My concern with the book is how Begg presents Christianity as a victim of the “culture wars。” This starts in the introduction， entitled “The Wind Has Changed。” Begg writes that American Christians are beginning to find out “how it feels to be outsiders” and posits the life of Daniel as an example of how Christians are to live in a culture antithetical to their views。This isn’t a new association。 “Babylon” has long been used as a symbolic term for any non-Christian culture。 Daniel （along with Hananiah， Azariah， and Mishael） has long been used an example of confronting non-Christian empires。 But it is a bit dangerous to compare any modern Western nation—America， in particular—to Babylon。 Christians in America enjoy unprecedented freedoms and political access。 Evangelicals actually hold disproportionate political and cultural power in relation to their percentage of the population。 It’s simply not an equitable comparison。What Brave by Faith misses is why Daniel is in Babylon。 The nation of Judah has been brought into captivity by the Babylonians as a direct result of God’s supernatural protection leaving them。 One can look back to the prophet Amos—the earliest writing prophet—to see God’s condemnation of the empty religiosity and lack of justice that defined his people。 God’s judgment of them for their behavior and lack of repentance was to be placed in Babylon。The message that Christians need simply to hang on and keep doing what we’re doing fails to account for why we might be ended up in “Babylon” in the first place。 The very point of Daniel is that he wasn’t continuing on in the religious tradition that put Israel in Babylon。 Christians， if we truly want to understand why we have become a minority， need to look at why our faith is no longer compelling to the world。 Further， rather than lament our loss of political and social power， perhaps we should recognize that the Church is usually stronger when it is a prophetic minority。 A book that is similar in topic， but completely opposite in tone is Onward by Russell Moore。 Moore tackles most of the same cultural happenings that Begg does， but from a deeper and more nuanced perspective that accounts for white evangelical Christianity’s cultural failings through its quest for power。Begg is clear， cogent， and straightforward。 Brave by Faith is well-written， passionate， and intended to bring hope to a church that feels increasingly fearful—and is showing that fear through its actions。 But I’m afraid it foundationally misses the mark， creating persecution where there is none， causing white evangelical Christianity to become even more insular and continue to fail in its great commission of making disciples。 。。。more
Nitoy Gonzales
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