How is it possible that an infinite God should ever find himself lonely or wanting anything? What in the world was He doing when He created this world and put man on it? What is the purpose for mankind? Is it possible to understand God? Yes, but only on His own terms, and only by His own revelation. When we try to go beyond what He shows Himself to be, we risk creating God in our own image. But God has not left us in the dark.
The Lonely God is about understanding and knowing God as He wishes to be known, not necessarily as we wish to know Him. The picture that emerges is disturbing, God is not only kind, merciful, forgiving, and longsuffering. He is dangerous. This is why the Bible speaks of the fear of God. This insightful first book by Ronald L. Dart, The Lonely God, will change the way you think about God.
A Review of The Lonely God by Toni Coffee
Anyone who has heard and enjoyed Ron Dart’s Born to Win radio program – or his sermons or seminars – will certainly welcome his first and newly-published book, The Lonely God. Its publication begins to fulfill my desire for more of Mr. Dart’s printed word, previously available primarily through his booklets addressing various aspects of Christian doctrine and practice. Mr. Dart’s sermons and radio programs have long been available through an extensive library of audiotapes, but the book satisfies the needs of many who prefer the personal pacing of the written word.
The Lonely God condenses a subject of vast scope--ranging from God before the creation of the universe to the final judgment--into a slim volume. The book consists of twenty-six chapters, each addressing some aspect of God, His creation, or His plan of salvation. Its organization and chapter length make it easy to read as well as to move directly to subjects of particular interest. Mr. Dart plainly states his thesis in Chapter 1, “The Paradox,” which also serves as the introduction to the book:
“This book is not an attempt at a unified theory of God nor an attempt to argue for this or that dogma. ... My objective is to share the journey toward understanding, to walk alongside you and talk about God. And perhaps, dare we think it, to find friendship with God.”
He then proceeds to talk with us, in his easy, familiar style, about a number of subjects of great interest and concern to anyone who is seriously considering his walk with God. You might be drawn to a chapter dealing with an issue of personal interest – for example, “How Many Gods?” (Chapter 4) dealing with trinitarianism, or “Talking With God” (Chapter 17), about prayer. For me, the price of admission was repaid by Chapter 8, “Liberty.” Mr. Dart succinctly resolves the problem of how a righteous and loving God could allow evil in His creation:
“God is good, man is free. And if you’re not free to do evil, you’re not free at all. ... We have the freedom to do good. We have the freedom to harm, and if we have it, so do others. If others have that freedom we have the freedom to suffer from what they do.”
What grabbed my attention about the chapter on “Liberty” in particular was that it was so ... well, sensible. After reading it, I came to see that it was so obvious in its simplicity that I really should have understood it that way before. Much of the book is like that – Mr. Dart has applied his talent for making the difficult become readily understandable, and in the process helped me to clarify my muddled thinking about many subjects.
The Lonely God is filled with insightful, thought-provoking presentations of subjects that could be contentious, but are presented with a non-confrontational approach. That makes The Lonely God an excellent vehicle for introducing Christians of any church affiliation to a new appreciation of our awesome God. The book captures the tone of the Born to Win broadcasts, a friendly, conversational approach to the great questions that puzzle many modern Christians. After reading this book, I felt like I had in fact had a long, probing talk with a friend as we walked toward a better understanding of God.
Also available on Audio CD.