Fiction
This is the story of Nathan Price, an evangelical preacher who takes
his wife and four daughters to Belgian Congo in 1959. The suspenseful
epic tells of one families tragic undoing and their reconstruction over
three decades.
I'm a quick reader and usually read several books a month but The Poisonwood Bible took me a month to read. There are several reasons for this. One, I've been more busy than usual. Two, I didn't want to rush through the book and I reread much of it. Kingsolver has much to say and I wanted to catch it all. Plus, it's a fairly large book with over 500 pages.
One thought that often occurred to me while reading this book is that many of us Americans are arrogant. We believe our way is the best way. Taking the Word of God isn't enough for us, we want to change their culture to be an American culture. Instead of letting them see God loves them where they are, we often convey that God can only love you if you "Americanize" your lifestyle.
Instead of preaching Jesus word's in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The message often taught is "No one comes to the Father except through me" saith the Missionary (preacher, etc)
I see this attitude from Nathan Price and I've seen it first hand. Nathan believes he's right, eg: his way of planting a garden is right, his way of baptizing is right, he is right, the people of the Congo are wrong. And he truly believes this because he has been "sent by God." Because of this attitude, everyone eventually suffers. The story of Nathan Price is a sad one and I'm afraid all too common. ie: To be forgiven for our past we must sacrifice the present and those we love. This is not at all what God's Word says to us.
The Poisonwood Bible is a good novel, in some ways disturbing. Not one you will easily forget.
I recommend this book but not for everyone.
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