Perhaps the most difficult questions facing Christians are those that deal with evil and suffering. And we rarely ask these questions in a vacuum – usually it’s because we or someone we know and love is suffering. Pete Wilson’s Plan B is an honest, biblical exploration of how we should respond when our Plan A falls apart and we’re left wondering what happens next.
What’s in the Book
Wilson is the pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, and he draws on his experience as a pastor (and as a human) to shape the book. He connects the worst stories our world has to offer – broken marriages, betrayal, death and more, all pulled from his life and the lives of his friends – to the Biblical narrative. His approach to the Scriptures is more midrash than exegesis, but I found this refreshing. By placing himself in the stories, by imagining what the characters faced and thought, he breathed a life into them that made his contemporary connections stronger.
What I appreciated most about Wilson’s approach to our pain is that he doesn’t settle for easy answers. He thoroughly and fully grounds our pain and suffering in the world of the Scriptures and teaches us to look to the Cross as our comfort (though I would have preferred that he spend a bit more time on the hope of the Resurrection). But he refuses to offer us an easy fix, even when this means he has to throw up his hands and declare that he doesn’t have all the answers.
My only complaint (and it is small indeed) is that Wilson could have spent more time pointing us to the hope of the End, when we find fulfillment in the resurrection and final judgment, when God makes all things new. This is where our hope comes from – not the cross alone, but from the empty tomb.
And most importantly, this book is helpful. Whether you’ve been through a "Plan B moment", you’re in one now or know you’ll face one in the future, this book will help you to trust in God’s work in the midst of your crisis.
The verdict? Plan B addresses questions all of us ask without resorting to cheap, unsatisfying answers. It’s worth your time.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
