Review: Reclaiming Love: Radical Relationships in a Complex World by Ajith Fernando

Review: Reclaiming Love: Radical Relationships in a Complex World

Ajith Fernando

Zondervan

2012

This book is a gem among all the Christian literature available, and one of the few that I’ve read that lives up to the endorsements found in the front matter.  It truly is worth the read.  Each chapter opens the idea of love more fully and encourages the reader to look at his own life and to compare where he is now with where he could be.  Nice part---the text that follows will show the reader how to change if change is needed.  

Yes, love is a big deal and the love described in this book is so far removed from most of my experience, and I suspect that of others, it seems a dream.  Fernando shows that this love is more than a dream, but a living reality for those who choose to walk that path.  

The book is an exploration of the “love chapter” in 1 Corinthians.  Yes, the one used at many weddings.  When I began this book for review I nearly yawned at that point, but was so surprised by what followed that I cannot stop thinking about it now.  It is challenging, encouraging, and as one of the endorsements said, empowering.

Each chapter looks full on into patience, kindness, envy, endurance and hope, to list about half of all that is examined.  He gives the reader a full discussion of each and examples from recent and previous generations of how they were able to live the love described in those few verses.  It’s not just pious words, but an actual way to live.  The author does not stop with encouragement, but also includes some of the pitfalls, heartaches, and mistakes that line the trail along this way of life.

If you have ever wondered if there isn’t more to Christianity than what you have seen, get this book and see what key component is missing.  I daresay that you will never be the same after reading this book.  Over the top recommendation?  No, this book is that good.  Let me know if you don’t agree.  After you have read it.

What didn’t I like about this book?  As far as the material presented I can find no faults.  Endnotes give the reader his references.  The only thing I found less than wonderful was that the binding seems to want the first few and last few pages to disappear in the near future as they have broken loose already.  Maybe the next printing will address that issue.  We can hope.

This book was provided by Zondervan via BookSneeze in exchange for this review.