The Insanity of God

If I could I'd give this book 10 stars. God has used the writer to capture and communicate Gods passion in a way I've not known. I want to know and experience The savior in the fullness of Gods plan. I pray God will give courage enough to overcome the fear of rejection as He has to the author and those he encounters in the book. This is a transformational read. God Bless you

If you are looking for another soothing and make yourself better christian book, then this book is not a good choice. This book is call to the action of real deeper and more deeper faith. Thank you Dr. Ripken for awakening my spirit once again, which has been sleeping for a while. I am not sure what to do with all this spirit awakening information which you have supplied through your book, but I am trusting the Holy Spirit to lead my way into the darkness of unfaithfulness in my country. God bless you!

This book will convict you to change your perspective on what it means to follow Jesus in the most dreadful places. Nik Ripken painstakingly describes his own suffering serving as a relief worker in Somalia. The story drastically changes directions after a dramatic wake-up call. The rest of the book is devoted to the Ripkens' journey to explore what it means to follow Jesus in the most heavily persecuted places, what he calls the insanity of God. This book caused me to explore my own thoughts and feelings on faith and suffering. Nik Ripken declares that persecution for faith is not the worst problem for Christians, but rather being silent about the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be silent in not making disciples of Jesus is no different than Muslim persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Persecution will always exist so long as Jesus is being proclaimed in the world. A note on the narration, it was about average. I received this book from christianaudio as part of a reviewing program and was not obligated to write a positive review.

I had heard The Insanity of God by Nik Ripkin (pseudonym) was good. I even had a digital copy of it on my ereader, but I just never got around to reading it until now. It lived up to the hype.

The full title of the book is The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected. Ripkin tells of how he became a Christian, got married, and got appointed as a missionary to Africa. Once there, he ended up doing relief work in Somalia—he was in Mogadishu during the events portrayed in the book and movie Black Hawk Down. The things he experienced doing this relief work and a personal tragedy shook his faith. This led him on a journey through many countries to meet with and learn from persecuted believers around the world, which ultimately breathed fresh air into his faith.

Ripkin’s story drew me in. So many of the stories were heartbreaking or tense, yet there were moments of sudden relief, unexpected humor, and even joy. It’s not surprising that Ripkin struggled with what he was experiencing—feelings of doubt, failure, and being overwhelmed. As I read, I found myself challenged as well. This book wrestles with the problem of evil, miracles, God speaking, and persecution. It’s not systematized like a textbook. It’s stories. Much like the Gospels and Acts, the narrative calls for a response.

I feel invigorated after reading The Insanity of God. I’m in seminary, but I don’t just want my knowledge to grow, I want my faith to grow. This book has reminded me that believing God isn’t merely about knowing certain things and holding certain positions. It’s about trusting in him more today than I did yesterday, and acting on that trust more and more. It may end up having a bigger impact on my walk with God than any other book I’ve read this year. I wish I had read it sooner.

I received a copy of the audiobook from christianaudio for the purpose of review.