David Lawther Johnson

I really wanted to like this book. The author wrote competently and addressed many topics which I am interested in. Ultimately, the book failed to captivate me. Christian maturity should inform Christian exhortation. Although the book is about what Johnson learned from his own father, there would be little point in reading it if included no encouragement to action for other Christians. The maturity found within the pages is that of Johnson's father. His own writing lacks proper Christian maturity, and therefore fails to motivate towards action. The style and length were comfortable. Unfortunately, so were the expectations for Christian living.… (mehr)

This was a book I had somewhat mixed emotions on. Going in I had high hopes for it because Eerdmans generally puts out such quality and the idea behind it seemed great: honor your father through a book that reflects on all the things he taught you. From the beginning we learn about his dad's interesting history and path to the ministry and that he was more academic in tone than most pastors. Since most of what I enjoy reading is biblical studies and theology I thought this would be fantastic and the insights from the book would be outstanding. Instead, many of the ideas in it are not too different than what you would find in books all over. There is definitely good stuff in here but just not necessarily new items. Additionally, it seemed the author would seemingly try and one up his father and add an additional insight to build on what his father had said. All in all, this was still an enjoyable book though I'm glad it was as short as it was because I think I would have lost interest if it was twice as many pages.… (mehr)

This book is a thoughtful, intelligent, and carefully crafted presentation of the author's mainline Protestant belief. Johnson is the late middle-aged son of a Presbyterian minister. He uses letters his father sent to him nearly four decades ago as a point of departure for explaining his own views on Christianity. The book is both easy to read and quite illuminating because Johnson writes so clearly and skillfully. People who want to know what belief can be for a perceptive Protestant who rejects fundamentalism will surely find satisfaction in this book. Readers who are non-fundamentalist Christian believers are likely to agree with much of what the author says. Readers such as myself who are non-believers will gain understanding but are unlikely to change their belief. My only concern about the book is that one would expect a Presbyterian to address the issue of predestination which Johnson fails to do… (mehr)

To understand the faith of modern mainstream American Protestantism, I would recommend this book. I have noticed many non-Christians have a stereotype of all Christians as being like a caricature of Pat Robertson, while many evangelical Christians see what used to be mainstream Christianity as devoted only to secular social issues.
While there are bases for both beliefs, there are still many mainstream Protestants who do not fit either of these negative images, and Johnson gives a good explanation of how an intelligent, educated man in a scientifically oriented profession can still be a practicing and reasonably serious Christian. Much of this he sees as due to his father's influence, though the book is not (as the title might imply) primarily a collection of his father's letters. Rather, it is more a description of how his own life has been informed by the wisdom he learned from his father, a Presbyterian pastor. His father's letters are quoted to support particular points, but they are not the main content of the book. He does not hold up his father or himself (especially himself) as model Christians--he admits he misses chuirch more often than he should, for instance --but he does get across how his own worldly career as an officer in a firm supporting medical research start-up companies reflects the values he learned from his father.… (mehr)