The prodigal God

I have just started reading Tim Keller's 'The Prodigal God.' The first couple of chapters have proved though provoking and the rest promises to be equally so.

Keller begins by establishing what Prodigal means, it is not wayward or lost as we tend to think of it, but it means "reckless spendthrift", to spend until you have nothing left. He makes the point that the younger son is prodigal but so is the Father in the way he loves and welcomes back the younger son.

In Chapter 1 Keller points out that Jesus ministry seemed to attract the Prodigals, those like the woman at the well, or the woman caught in adultery, the tax collector and so. Whilst the religious elder brother types are offended and reject his teaching.

Keller then raises an issue I found particularly thought provoking. Contemporary outsiders don't seem to be attracted to church, rather we attract the moralistic people. If our preaching and people don't have the same effect on people that Jesus did, then we must not declaring the same message Jesus did. He goes on to say: "If our churches aren't appealing to younger brothers, they must be more full of elder brothers than we'd like to think."