cover image Foolish No More!: Seizing a Life Beyond Belief

Foolish No More!: Seizing a Life Beyond Belief

Ted Haggard. Waterbrook Press, $16.99 (224pp) ISBN 978-1-4000-7028-2

The Apostle Paul didn't mince words when he wrote to new Christians in Galatia nearly 2,000 years ago, calling them ""foolish."" Haggard, pastor of the 11,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and president of the 30-million member National Association of Evangelicals, doesn't mince words either in his latest book. He uses Paul's letter to the Galatians to admonish, encourage and inspire modern Christians toward the ""joy and delight of sharing the heavenly Father's values and pleasing Him."" Haggard lays the foundation in early chapters by outlining sin and our power to overcome it. He speaks of grace as ""God's favor that transforms our hearts and changes our actions,"" as opposed to the ""different gospel"" that lured the Galatians into erroneously believing that adherence to Jewish law was mandatory for salvation. Haggard urges Christians to put their faith into action through remembering the poor, practicing generosity and growing in wisdom. He augments his study with ""Questions for Pastor Ted"" at the end of each chapter-putting biblical teaching into real-life situations-and ""Haggardisms"" throughout. His casual style is easy to read, though the prose tends to devolve into annoying parenthetical chit chat. There's no in-depth exegesis here; there is, however, sound instruction for living with each other and God, who offers ""the power that enables us to be foolish no more!""