Official Review: God II by Jon Fogelberg

Jordan David · Post by **Chelsy Scherba** » 09 Oct 2019, 23:10

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "God II" by Jon Fogelberg.]

3 out of 4 stars

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God II by Jon Fogelberg is a book written to meld science and faith through a complete study of Jesus’s parables. God is not eternal. He is not all-knowing. God only exists in the here and now and for the duration of our individual lives on earth. This concept is virtually identical to the scientific idea of “spiritual entanglement”, which embodies God’s impermanence and humanity’s gift of free will. God exists inside each and every human being universally, which can be observed through a series of positive (or negative) behaviors that either draw us closer to God’s image, or farther apart if we stray. Jesus’s parables are meant to guide us through life via lessons like kindness, persistence, generosity, among others. This book provides each of the parables Jesus told with the opportunity to read them in more than one translation. Additionally, the author supplies notes on science, his own biblical commentary, and various thoughts from religious scholars.

As a Christian, I think I’m very open-minded to different ideas about our faith, but some of the author’s concepts were a struggle for me to fully embrace. One argument that I actually liked and agreed with was spiritual entanglement. Each day we are given the free will to do right or wrong. We are judged based on our choices in that moment, rather than waiting until death for judgement day to commence. Based on our decision, we either strengthen our bond with God, or detach from Him completely. This concept seemed plausible and went very well with the parables the author provided from the Bible and a few other sources. On the positive side, re-reading the parables (with the author’s brief commentary) was straightforward and understandable. His positive tone was comforting and upbeat, keeping any harsh criticism of those he might not agree with to a minimum. He made a point to also add contemporary examples with some of his interpretations, which I also liked. The other non-biblical sources were also interesting, and he did an excellent job organizing all of the content and helping make sense of the lessons he drew from each parable.

I don’t agree that God is not all-knowing or eternal, but the author did a pretty good job of establishing why he believes this idea through both scientific and religious sources. However, Fogelberg made the claim that none of the authors of the four Gospels were actually eyewitnesses of Jesus’s ministry. I don’t recall seeing a source for this claim which made it difficult for me to establish if this was the author’s opinion or a statement of fact. It is my understanding that Mark was an actual eyewitness whose parents hosted Jesus, Luke was a convert who interviewed eyewitnesses, and Mathew and John were actual apostles. I don’t understand why it matters if the Gospels were written years after Jesus was crucified or why the author believes none of the biblical authors were eyewitnesses.

Another thing that bothered me about the author’s stance on the Gospels, was the way he didn’t think as critically about the scientific view of how earth began. Including articles about science was fine, but it seemed hypocritical to criticize the Gospels for not being written at the exact moment Jesus lived, while in the same breath taking everything scientists from the twentieth century discovered to be irrefutable truth, even though they wrote about events that happened millions of years ago (with not one person to witness it). Personally, I feel the same argument should apply. Even if none of the authors of the Bible witnessed Jesus themselves, they may have heard the story from someone who knew someone who did, and who was still alive during their lifetimes. It just seemed inconsistent to me, and a little surprising given how much of a critical thinker the author is.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Despite my criticisms, I really did enjoy this book. There were a lot of minor errors throughout the text, which is why I deducted a star. Anyone with an interest in science and how it matches with the Bible, will enjoy learning about the concept of spiritual entanglement. Jesus’s moral lessons never get old, and the author manages to simplify their meanings and describe them succinctly. If you’re not interested in combining science with faith, this book probably isn’t for you, but personally, I found it enjoyable to both learn from the author as well as establish my own counterarguments to his ideas. The book would make a great addition to a study group to encourage more religious and scientific debates.

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God II
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Y0landa · Post by **Y0landa** » 11 Oct 2019, 05:23

I agree with you in that, even though the author claims the apostles did not witness Jesus's ministry, neither has man witnessed the scientific truth sought by man. It would be great if everyone kept an open mind like you. There is plenty of scientific evidence that backs up God's Word, and it should equally be given a fair chance. You expressed yourself very well and I really enjoyed reading your review! Great job!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 11 Oct 2019, 17:51

Well, it doesn't sound like my beliefs would line up with the author. If you want a great book on how science and God agree, read The Case for a Creator. Very scientific. Thanks but no thanks.

bigdave36 · Post by **bigdave36** » 12 Oct 2019, 13:52

Love the book its very interesting. Having faith in God is important u have include him in your life. Were suppost to be like the savior of the world Jesus Christ.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 14 Oct 2019, 16:02

I think that, like you, I would struggle with some of the author's views. Your review is a fair evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the author's position. Even though I don't agree with the author, I enjoyed your review.

Agnes Masobeng · Post by **Agnes Masobeng** » 15 Oct 2019, 05:49

Thanks for an honest review and I qm very glad that you are open-minded. Not that I am being biased but as a Christian I am not interested in reading books that un-teach me what I have been taught. Like now when the author says God is not all knowing.