Five (5) Tips For Reading a Book Thoughtfully (such as 'Becoming Hannah') #LeadersAreReaders December 2024

Many people misunderstand Hannah Yeoh’s book, Becoming Hannah (Sarcastically speaking, some people took 10 years to read it and suddenly decided something was ‘wrong’ with the book!). Some assume it reveals a hidden agenda to make Malaysia a Christian country. This is far from the truth. The book focuses on her personal journey, faith, and challenges in serving as a politician. Unfortunately, many critics haven’t read the book or fully understood its content, relying instead on hearsay.

To avoid misunderstandings like this, here are five tips for reading a book thoughtfully. These can be applied to any book you read:

1) Read the Entire Book - Don’t judge a book based on a few pages or isolated quotes taken out of context. Take time to read the whole book before forming an opinion. This ensures you understand the author's full message. If you haven’t read it, don’t criticize it. Simple.

2) Check the Author’s Purpose - Ask yourself: Why did the author write this book? Look for clues in the introduction or foreword. For example, Becoming Hannah was written to share Hannah Yeoh’s journey and inspire readers, not to push any agenda.

3) Avoid Prejudgments - Approach the book with an open mind. Avoid making assumptions based on the author’s religion, background, or what others say about the book. Prejudgments can distort your understanding.

4) Pay Attention to Context - Take note of the context of any statement or story. A single sentence can be misinterpreted if you ignore the surrounding paragraphs or chapters. Always ask, “What is the bigger picture here?”

5) Discuss with Others Who Have Read It - Engage with people who have also read the book. Sharing thoughts can help clarify your understanding and correct any misinterpretations.

Books like Becoming Hannah deserve to be read carefully and fairly. Avoiding misunderstandings not only helps you gain true insights but also prevents the spread of false assumptions. So, take time to read responsibly! Read widely and with an open mind. Don’t fear strange ideas or foreign beliefs. If your faith is strong and true, and you stay critical and thoughtful while reading books outside your comfort zone, you won’t be easily influenced (Although, I fully recommend you read the Bible or the New Testament too, because “the truth will set you free” 😉)

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

The Man They Crucified: A Portrait of Jesus (1975) by R. T. France, Book Review

 The Man They Crucified: A Portrait of Jesus (1975) by R. T. France

Philip went to look for Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathaniel. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel - a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathaniel asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathaniel exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God - the King of Israel!” (read John 1:45-49). After Nathaniel's personal encounter with Jesus, he turned from being a skeptic to one of His most devoted followers.

Two things will always happen when someone meets the real Jesus of the Bible: accept Him or reject Him. Of course, one can be undecided but not for long because decisions have to be made soon or later when it comes to the person and identity of Jesus (to ignore Him is to reject Him). He demands a verdict! As R. T. France (1938 - 2012), a renowned New Testament scholar, writes about the change that happened to Nathaniel: “That is the sort of thing that happens when Jesus is around. People find their prejudices shaken. Some of them respond by digging themselves deeper into the trenches. Others find themselves, to their amazement, abandoning the preconceptions of a lifetime, and they are never the same again.” By faith, I know why Jesus is irresistible: He is the divine Son of God, the gracious Son of Man, and the wonderful Savior of the world. But these truths, although can be supported by the Scripture, can only be accepted fully by faith. So, what about Jesus in His humanity, in the context of history, that is also irresistible? Or to put it another way, why Jesus was controversial and phenomenal in His lifetime on earth? And why does Jesus still do so today, more than 2,000 years later? This book can help us to understand - as an introduction, not comprehensive studies - Jesus in His historical context and background.

By using the Gospels as France’s main sources for his portrait of Jesus (see Appendix for explanation) and some other reliable materials, he divided the book into 12 chapters, namely, Nazareth, Expectation, Preparation, Disciples, Miracles, Society, Controversy, The Kingdom, Confrontation, Condemnation, Vindication, and Dilemma. The book helps us to explore the life of Jesus as a Jew living in Israel; surrounded by particular religious issues, customs, and ideologies; with unique socioeconomic orders and political turmoils. Examining Jesus’ claims about Himself in these chapters also makes it more meaningful and relevant. These are the things that we must take into considerations when we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus and it helps us to make the decision (that I write earlier) with intellect and awareness NOT just by faith. Well, of course, at the end of the day faith is required to bridge the gap between mere knowledge to saving knowledge. “It would be much more convenient if Jesus could be made to fit the formulas which we are all so good at devising for him, as the ethical reformer, the pacifist, the prophet of the oppressed classes, or whatever. All of these he is, and much more,” said R. T. France in the closing of this highly commended and accessible book, “But he cannot be reduced to any one of them. The only meaningful way to relate to the Jesus of the Gospels is in the totality of the claims he makes on us. If we do not come to him on his terms, we do not come to him at all.”

“Can anything good come from the life of Jesus of Nazareth?” you might ask. I want to invite you to read the Gospel accounts for the first time - or once again - and say, “Come and see for yourself.” And if you need help, this book can be one of your guides 😉☑💡#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #LifeOfJesus #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

I also recommend:

1) The Jesus of the Bible (2009) by Stephen M. Miller ✔
2) Jesus, A Virtual History (2014) by Donald Brake ✔
3) Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ (1996) by Robert H. Stein ✔

 

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Young Men, Consider the Crucified Jesus

“They crucified him” (John 19:18, NIV).

Jesus Christ was unique in His death as in His birth. In a perceptive and picturesque statement of a great truth, Martin Niemoller said, “The cradle and the cross of Christ were hewn from the same tree.” The incarnation was sole with a view of the crucifixion.

Our Lord’s death was unique in that it was the only death that fulfilled the millennia of prophecy. The sufferings and death of the Messiah were not only foreshadowed in meticulous detail in the Jewish sacrificial system, but they were foretold by the prophets. It has been stated that even in His tragic hours on the cross, thirty-three separate Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled.

He was the only person to whom death was not inevitable. “I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:17-18). To Him, death was deliberately chosen. He “gave himself for us,” wrote Paul to Titus (2:14). He was not dragged to the cross but drawn by quenchless love.

To Him alone, death was not a result of sin. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23); but as He did no sin, He did not need to collect its wages. This left Him perfectly free to assume the burden and guilt of the world’s sin and to provide deliverance from its bondage.

His was the only death accompanied by miracles. It was appropriate that a life replete with miracles should conclude with a series of miracles. There was the mysterious darkness which was no eclipse since the moon was then at its farthest from the sun. And it lasted not for a few minutes but for three hours.

There was the miraculous rending of the curtain veil, sixty feet long and thirty feet wide, requiring three hundred men to handle it. “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). A mighty earthquake accompanied His death. Rocks were split, and graves opened. “The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life… and appeared to many people” (27:52-53), conclusive evidence of His power over death.

Finally, His was the only death that made possible the forgiveness of sins – and experience to which myriads can testify.

When Thou didst hang upon the tree

The quaking earth acknowledged Thee

When Thou didst there yield up Thy breath

The world grew dark as shades of death

(Author unknown).

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.