Dr. Kreider is my favorite professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. I try to take his classes as often as possible, even when they are twice a week at 7:45 a.m. As a night owl, this is the strongest recommendation I can possibly make. When he published God With Us in late 2014, I jumped at the chance to have his wisdom in portable book form.
What makes Kreider’s theology so appealing is the way he condenses controversies and debates to their simplest common denominator. His book continues this practice by covering the entirety of the Bible through the lens of God’s humble decisions to give up his position of authority in order to come to us and relate to us on our level. Although this humility is best seen in the person of Jesus, Kreider convincingly argues that the triune God has acted in this way from the beginning of creation to its re-creation.
Reading God With Us was a powerful encouragement that God is intimately concerned with being in a relationship with humans, with me. The knowledge that God consistently stoops down to be with me infuses life with a rich beauty I often ignore. It is also the best model for relating to other people out of self-sacrifice rather than self-gain. As in his classes, reading Dr. Kreider’s book reminded me that good theology makes all the difference in how I relate to God, to myself, to others, and to creation.
Book Jacket
The humility of God is a mind-boggling concept. The self-sufficient, transcendent Holy One…does he really come down to the level of those he has created?
Yet this is not only true, but in fact a major biblical theme–God’s way of relating to his creatures is by condescending to come to where they are. The ultimate example is Christ’s incarnation–but the Bible is filled with other times when God has humbled himself for his creation, both before and afterward.
Glenn Kreider explores the whole Bible to show us the full scope of God’s active involvement in his creation from the very beginning. This better understanding of God’s humility will affect our own humility and our attitude toward serving those around us.
Release Date: November 2014
It Is Trish 