Blogging "Total Truth"

My latest review project for Mind and Media is Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey. As I was reading the introduction to the book last night, I realized that reviewing this book was going to be unlike any of my previous reviews. For one thing, at nearly 400 pages of text and another 60 pages of footnotes, I knew it would take longer to read through it than any other project had tackled thus far. But more importantly, I knew this was going to be a completely different project because of the importance of the subject: developing a Christian worldview.

The word worldview is one we tend to toss about without fully understanding its meaning. So that it's clear what I am referring to, let me simply quote Ms. Pearcey from the introduction to the book:

Genuine worldview thinkinig is far more than a mental strategy or a new spin on current events. At the core, it is a deepening of our spiritual character and the character of our lives. It begins with the submission of our minds to the Lord of the universe - a willingness to be taught by Him. The driving force in worldview studies should be a commitment to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind" (see Luke 10:27).

That's why the crucial condition for intellectual growth is spiritual growth, asking God for the grace to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). God is not just the Savior of souls, He is also the Lord of creation. One way we acknowledge His Lordship is by interpreting every aspect of creation in the light of His truth. God's Word becomes a set of glasses offering a new perspective on all our thoughts and actions. (Total Truth, page 24)

Once I read those paragraphs I realized that this was not going to be a book that I would want to read quickly. On the contrary, this is a book that I want to be able to really chew on what is being said. Reading the book quickly would not allow me to fully absorb what Ms. Pearcey has written. Because I believe that developing a robust Christian faith is as much a matter of exercising my intellect as it is developing my heart for Christ, I knew I needed to take my time in reviewing this book.

As a result, my approach to reviewing this book is going to be completely different from my three previous reviews. With the other books, I simply read through them and then summarized my thoughts once I was finished. However, I have the feeling as I begin this book that there is going to be much that I am going to find worth writing about as I move through the book. I also believe that in order to get the full impact of the book, it's going to be necessary for me to journal about what I am reading as I go along. So I'm inviting you to join me as I journey through this book.

The book is divided into four parts. My intention is to post a new entry once I've finished each part of the book. However, depending on what I find along the way I might find it necessary to write more than just four posts. That will depend largely on what I find as I read the book.

I also must confess that the idea to approach the review this way did not originate with me. During a recent visit to AllThings2All, I noticed that Catez Stevens also posted her review in four installments. I didn't read any of them. I don't read anyone else's reviews until I'm finished with the book. I want to be able to approach each book with an open mind. But I had a feeling that there was going to be a lot of good stuff in this book and there was going to be too much to cover in a single post. If the introduction is any indication, I won't be disappointed.

One final note: as with all reviews I do for Mind and Media, the only consideration I receive is a review copy of the book. Thank you to Crossway for providing this book.