Godπs Got a Problem

By Earl A. Clampett, Jr.

I must admit that I came to this book with a predisposition. And that was simply not to like it. I think it was because intellectually I was taken aback by the title. There was something ≥off≤ — a man, any man, suggesting that the Almighty might have a problem. I was always raised to believe that people have problems, not God. I always thought God fixes problems, He doesnπt have them. So, letπs just say that I had a problem with that.

But, knowing that the author is not only an ordained minister and jail chaplain, but a lawyer and a judge as well, I felt compelled to plunge ahead, albeit with some trepidation.

As I read, I learned very quickly that this is not a book to be taken lightly despite its brevity (136 pages). Clampett zeroes in on his topics with the eye of a sharpshooter and dissects them with the skill of a surgeon. In the opening pages of the book from Oasis House Ministries, after a beautiful explanation of John 3:16, he boils the entire Bible down to what he calls the ≥5 Rs≤ -- Relationship, Rulership, Rebelled, Redemption and Restore. He only takes the next two pages to explain it, but, believe it or not, it makes complete sense.

I should caution you at this point that you will either like this book and the way Clampett writes or you definitely will not. This is just not the kind of work you can take a middle of the road position on. Clampett just wonπt let you. His style is confrontive, but I think deliberately. He has something to say and he wants to make sure the reader gets it. However, I donπt think Iπd like to meet him as an adversary in a courtroom. When he has a point to make, he knows just how to make it. And, heπs very persuasive at the same time.

As to ≥Godπs problem,≤ Clampett says itπs manπs spiritual rebellion here on earth. With that said, and the history of the problem detailed back to the fall of Lucifer, Clampett spends the rest of the book detailing the solution.

There are many things you might want to take exception to as Clampett anchors down a position on such things as the Rapture, where heaven really is and salvation. But be prepared. This is one of the most Scripture-supported books Iπve read in a very long time. It seems as if he has a verse from the Bible to support almost every word.

This is a book that challenges. It wasnπt meant to entertain. And no matter what your feelings are going in, you will feel that the read was well worth it by the end. Not light reading to be sure. But this is a book that can bring you closer to an understanding of your place in eternity.

Next month Charlie H. Campbell, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel Vista, steps to the plate and knocks it out of the park with One Minute Answers to Skeptics Top Forty Questions. I can hardly wait to tell you about it.

o

Paul McShane of Carlsbad is an author, businessman and journalist. Local authors are encouraged to send us review copies.