Hand in hand - Randy Alcorn

 The beauty of God's sovereignty and meaningful human choice. The argument between man's free will and God's sovereignty has been going on for a long time. The two main camps are Arminian and Calvinism. This book may not change your mind no matter what side you fall on, but it is an interesting read on the subject. The capital H and small h are intentional in the title.  They represent God and man and the specific roles each play in salvation.
Randy Alcorn is one of my favorite authors, so I was anxious to read this book and what he had to say on the subject.  I found it to be a well thought out, well written treatise, something I would expect from Randy. The author has stated that he intends the reader to take this book as a whole, rather than individual chapters that my make the case either way. The author's own stand is of a "4 point Calvinist," which he states is only popular among other 4 point Calvinists.
Questions such as Does the Arminian belief in free will mean God is not sovereign? a question that does not have an easy answer.  To even attempt to write a book on these subjects is a brave task indeed.  No matter what he writes, the author is sure to have some cry heresy.  He includes the humorous skit by the comedian Emo concerning denominational differences, which if you haven't seen you need to.  Just about every church goer will be able to relate. Randy also states that "Throughout history Calvinists and Arminians have weighed in, often disagreeing, but sometimes agreeing more than we suppose." He gets into some church history with quotes ti prove his point by Spurgeon, A W Pink, and Charles Simeon.
The use of charts and graphs help the reader compare and contrast the ideas, and helps in understanding. With chapter titles such as The Sovereignty of God, Free Will and meaningful choice, and Does Open Theism resolve the Sovereignty/Choice Paradox? the author tackles a tough subject at lot of authors avoid.
Randy is founder and Director of Eternal Perspective Ministries. The book is published by Multnomah Publishing and available from his web site.
All in all I would highly recommend this book.
I have been provided a complimentary copy of this book for review.