Book Reviews

The following is a page dedicated to reviewing books related to faith. Please enjoy!

Book Review by Myra McCullough:
“The Daniel Dilemma” by Chris Hodges

The Daniel Dilemma is a book that takes the life of Daniel, who lived around 600 years before the birth of Jesus and demonstrates how the way he lived out his faith can be the foundation for how we can stand firm in our convictions today in a culture of compromise. Daniel was raised in a royal Judah family that instilled in him the importance of worshiping God. However, when Daniel was approximately 15 years old, led by a ruthless ruler, Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and captured many young Jews who were relocated 800 miles away and forced into slavery. While in captivity, Daniel was subjected to strange customs, unfamiliar language, pagan Gods, cultural brainwashing, stripped of his identity and stripped of his masculinity to make him subservient to his new master. Daniel’s situation seemed hopeless, but Daniel glorified God by his character and conduct.
Daniel didn’t conform to the demands of the king or customs, but he didn’t act self-righteous, judgmental or defensive. Daniel discovered the power of God through prayer and at great risk, he maintained his undivided devotion to God by praying three times a day facing the city of Jerusalem. Daniel’s life was threatened because he refused to deny his God and was placed in a den of lions, but God demonstrated His power by intervening to save Daniel. Because of how Daniel conducted himself, he was asked by the ruler of Babylon to interpret dreams, provide advice and eventually the Jews were restored and returned to Jerusalem.

Daniel serves as an example of how we too can stand firm in our beliefs and go into the world, sharing our faith with others. As Christians today, we too can take the message of the kingdom into the world with humility and compassion all the while dependent on God through prayer as we reach out to love people within our culture. Like Daniel, we can impact others by standing firm in our faith, relating to others with compassion and reflecting the lovingkindness in all that we say and do.