Book Review: Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl by N.D. Wilson
Take a half cup Donald Miller, 2 Tablespoons of CS Lewis,
sprinkle in a pinch of Kierkegaard, Sartre, Hume, and a handful (no, two) of
Chesterton. Let it simmer for an hour,
then baste with colorful metaphors (earth=a carnival ride, Shakespeare= a
lesson on evil and suffering, kittens=more lessons on evil and suffering).
What you might get is something like N.D. Wilson’s wonderful
book, Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl. We got a free copy at our recent Campus
Crusade for Christ National Staff Conference (Thanks Thomas Nelson!).
One of the problems with writing a review of a book like
this: I don’t write as well as N.D. Wilson and probably never will. If you like books that are more like art than
science, that are more like a meal of words, that cause you to think: “Oh, I
wish I could say things like that.” Then, you’ll love this book.
This book is, at the heart, an “apologetic” (apologetics=a
defense of the faith) book covering questions of the existence of God, the
problem of evil and suffering, intelligent design, why would God send people to
hell, and who’s to say what’s right and what’s wrong? It’s meaty stuff covered
as a poet might, not as a scientist. The
arguments are logical and well-thought-out, mind you (they really, really are),
but N.D. writes in a free form prose that draws on the best of metaphor and
word-picture.
Bottom line: I loved it and can’t wait to read it again…this
time slower, taking in each word, each phrase, each argument. Hop on, I think you’ll enjoy the ride.
Will it taste just as good if I leave out the half-a-cup of Donald Miller? Will it taste even better, perhaps!?
Posted by: Drew | 09/03/2009 at 12:50 PM
I guess it all depends on if you feel like you can taste the Miller or not.
Posted by: Bob Fuhs | 09/03/2009 at 03:53 PM
Heck yes. It tastes like pretentiousness.
Posted by: Drew | 09/03/2009 at 05:34 PM