In Faith in the Fog, Lucas uses Jesus’ restoration of Peter in John 21 as his scaffold for discussing how Christians deal with life and faith when both are disappointing us.
He covers issues including disappointment with ourselves; when we are disturbed by our lack of faith; and when we feel like quitting this whole Christianity thing. He contends that Jesus embraced failures, while we often do not.
I was impressed by Lucas’ handling of what he calls ‘Christianity’s addiction to the instant’. We have been sucked into our culture’s obsession with the fast, the immediate and the ability to get things fixed quickly. Growth, spiritual maturation and discipleship, says Lucas, take a lifetime. His conclusion is that in Christ we are restored, as Peter was when Jesus served fish for breakfast, with a side order of restorative grace.
Alan Palmer – Head of Religious Studies, Culver School
