Authority in Review
A Crossway book review
Welcome back to The Workbox. I am glad you returned or arrived here for the first time. This post is the first book review in the Crossway Review Program. I received this book free from Crossway Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Which I consider to be a superb trade, a free book for a word? Fantastic!
The book I am reviewing is titled Authority. Jonathan Leeman, an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church in Washington D.C, writes it. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book as it provides several clear insights into the nature of authority. The book also does not shy away from presenting the ugly side of authority, something that I appreciated. The book explains authority in two significant concepts. Immanence and Transcendence.
These two can be viewed on a spectrum, with immanence being on one end and transcendence on the other. Immanence is the immediacy of a particular authority. They are close at hand, guiding and loving; they are present. Transcendence, on the other hand, feels farther away, powerful, over us and possessing all authority. The author does an excellent job of defining terms and making clear distinctions in his examples.
The author also outlined two kinds of authority: the authority of counsel and the authority of command. If you are a leader in any capacity, this section is beneficial. Especially if you are a husband and a father, I recommend this book to read. But any leader will benefit from reading this book. These two significant sections bookend the book, which felt fitting. However, this does lead me to my next point.
I believe the book could have been shorter. The author was fond of making many lists when describing applicable groups or scenarios. It made sections of the book very repetitive. I think he over-explained several of the concepts of the book. It falls to personal preference, but I enjoy one clear example, and then I feel okay with moving on to another idea. Others may not be the same. If so, then you won't mind the technique used in the book.
Overall, the book is good and a worthwhile read. I recommend this book to those looking to learn more about the nature of authority. Other aspects of this book are agreeable as well. The author inserted graphs and tables that helped me grasp the concepts better and created a sort of reference to go back to when trying to remember parts of the book. If you are leader, this is a good starter book for leadership. If you are not in leadership then I also encourage you to read this book as it is important to understand the nature of authority.
If you are interested in reading more on authority, I wrote an article on the authority of Jesus. You can find it here by clicking on the link below.
