Book Review: God And Men: No Holds Barred

God And Men: No Holds Barred: Life-Changing Verses About Men, by Carlton Lee Arnold

[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Author Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review.]

In some ways, this book could be considered either a devotional [1] or a collection of short blog-length Bible studies [2] dealing with subjects of special interest to men. If one compares this novel, for example, with Piper’s A Godward Heart, one will see some quite striking parallels as well as differences. Both books feature a large amount of short articles that are somewhat thematically organized about getting our hearts right with God. Piper, of course, is vastly more friendly to intellectual matters and more concerned with larger issues of social morality. Arnold is blunt and direct (speaking in HWA-style all cap words for emphasis) and far more critical about rational thought. This book has 52 verses and passages that are examined, some of them multiple times, and is very tightly organized.

That is not to say that this book is perfect. As a self-published book, there are some minor flaws that this book has that show somewhat careless editing, such as the error on the number for devotional #37 on how fathers should not exasperate their children (a lesson many parents should learn [3]), as well as a note at the end of Section one to add the artwork. These are minor flaws that can easily be corrected with some patient and attentive editing. What the book does possess in spades is a passion for exhortation as well as a blunt honesty about his own faults of temper, his weakness for pornography, and the fact that during his children’s early years he preferred football to spending time with his wife and family. Those who appreciate blunt honesty and appreciate his desire to focus on issues of practical Christianity (as well as rather harsh views of judgment and the afterlife) will find much to spur them in this book. Those who do not appreciate that will likely find this book preachy and even meddlesome, and will wonder why a man who is candid about his faults is so harsh on the faults of others. I happen to appreciate the honesty and candor of this book, but it will not be to everyone’s taste.

Like many books on related subjects [4], this book has a few characteristics that are notable, including an extreme focus on the legitimacy of the authority of parents and others. Even though this author clearly admits his own flaws in being distant from his children and being more than a little bit of a hothead, there is no hint here that his failures as a father would negate any of the respect that he is due for being what appears like an overprotective type of parent that I am somewhat familiar with (one of the many revealing stories is of his leaving a meeting at work in order to retrieve his teen daughter from spending time at a bowling alley with an unsuitable guy, something I could totally see some parents I know doing). Likewise, this book seeks to straddle a difficult line between defending the justice of God and also the grace of God, showing itself, paradoxically enough, to be radical and severe on both positions. This is, however, undoubtedly a sincere and passionate work that ought to find an appreciative audience.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/book-review-take-time-to-be-holy/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/book-review-40-days-of-grace/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/book-review-psalmist-i-am/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/book-review-ranbows-for-rainy-days/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/book-review-limitless/

[2] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/book-review-a-godward-heart/

[3] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/do-not-provoke-your-children-to-wrath/

[4] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/book-review-paul-apostle-of-the-heart-set-free/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/book-review-love-and-respect-in-the-family/