Were the characters in the Old Testament's Book of Genesis losers? Such is the question at the heart of a new book published by an Airdrie-based pastor.
Tim Callaway, the pastor of DayBreak Community Church, published his third book Nov. 11, titled God is Loser Friendly – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Me. According to Callaway, the book explores the thesis that characters in the Book of Genesis – seen as some of the most heralded personalities in the world's largest monotheistic religions – are anything but perfect.
“What I’m suggesting is that, contrary to popular notions that these people, who are great icons of the faith, when you actually stop and read what the biblical text says about them, they don’t come across looking all that good,” Callaway said. “In fact, I call them ‘losers.’”Callaway noted he defines “loser” in his book as someone who fails repeatedly.
“I can relate to that, and most people, if they’re honest, can relate to that,” he said. “We’re always screwing up and messing up. These characters from Genesis were the exact same, in that regard. Nonetheless, God, for whatever reason, chose to bless and use these characters at a particular point in history.”
The 218-page book includes 10 essays that support the thesis, according to Callaway, as well as an introduction and conclusion.
“If we’re honest with ourselves, all of us know we have significant failings as human beings,” Callaway said. “But based on what we’re told in Genesis and throughout the whole of scripture about some of these characters, nevertheless, God loves us and uses us to spite ourselves. There’s the encapsulation of what I write about in this book.”
Writing the book was an arduous process for Callaway, who said it was a project he had in the works for roughly a quarter-century. He said the idea first came to him after watching a PBS program in 1996 featuring a panel of theologians, who focused their discussion on the same ideas he explores in the book – that characters in the Book of Genesis are flawed.
With the idea behind the book born, Callaway said God is Loser Friendly was something he chipped away at sporadically over the years, repeatedly losing and then regaining his motivation to continue working on it.
“It’s taken me 25 years to get this thing done, so I’m finally relieved to have it done, because I’m actually working on two other manuscripts now,” he said. “It was high time I finished the thing.”
Callaway, who in addition to his career as a pastor has worked as a journalist, media commentator and college professor, said the book is his way of turning a 21st-century spotlight onto the ancient stories depicted in the bible.
“There are going to be some people who don’t like that, but I try to live in reality,” he said. “Over the years, as I’ve preached, taught and spoken with people, I’ve seen so many practical applications from the lives of some of these characters in the Book of Genesis.”
He said he hopes the book encourages people to re-read the Book of Genesis and consider the idea the characters are flawed.
“If you put aside your presuppositions, assumptions and just read what the text says, I think you can’t help but conclude – as I have – that these people definitely had a dark side that really wasn’t all that pleasant,” he said. “And if we look at ourselves in the mirror, we can say, ‘Yep, same goes for me.’”
God is Loser Friendly is available for purchase on Amazon. The Kindle version is $10, while the paperback version is $15.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
