The Peacemaker Bookreview

Sande, Ken. The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal conflict. Baker Books. Grand Rapids, MI. 2004

I am going to start by telling you about several related materials. Ambassadors of Reconciliation has two fabulous Bible Studies entitled "Blessed are the Peacemakers" and "Go and Be Reconciled: What Does this Mean?" Also, a very similar book to this one is Confession & Forgiveness by Ted Kober.

Sande outlines his book based on the Four G's: Glorify God, Get the Log out of Your Eye, Gently Restore and Go and Be Reconciled. While other books and studies use this as their outline, you can easily forget this. Sande helps to maintain your focus on the big picture as well as the small picture.

Chapter one takes the simple "slippery slope" to remind us of how we can find opportunities in the midst of conflict to glorify God. Chapter Two entitled "Live at Peace" reminds us that Peace starts with Peace with God and flows to Peace with others and Peace with ourselves. Chapter Three has its difficulties but simply focuses on God as Sovereign.

Chapter Four picks up on "Getting the Log out of your Eye" with reminding us to define the issues that really matter as well as our personal attitudes. A highlight in Chapter Five in which the title says enough, "Conflict Starts in the Heart." It is there where Sande provides the progression of Idolatry and a list of questions to help you identify your idols. Yet, Chapter Six provides you with a deeper look at examining yourself and closes with the "Seven A's of Confession."

Chapters Seven and Nine really highlight the dynamic of Matthew 18 and how you go. This simple idea of what should be done between the two of you, and when do we get help from others. Chapter Eight helps identify the ways you should check your action and ability to communicate between just the two of you.

Chapter Ten illustrates what true forgiveness is, even reminding us "Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is an act of the will. … Forgiveness is not forgetting. … Forgiveness is not excusing." Chapter Eleven is based on Philippians 2:4, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Thus, Ken Sande gives us PAUSE (Prepare, Affirm relationships, Understand interests, Search for creative solutions, Evaluate options objectively and reasonably) to identify everyone's interests. Chapter Twelve, finally reminds us the great task we have is to "Overcome Evil with Good" as we do our best to follow the Four G's in every conflict in which we may find ourselves.

The complication becomes when you start finding the various lists. Each Chapter of Sande's book gives you a separate list of things for you to work through and think about in conflict situations or even just opportunities for forgiveness. This can make the book harder to keep up with at times, but at the same time Appendix A is filled with these various lists.

Each Chapter of the book also has a detailed conclusion rightly labeled, "Summary and Application." Sande takes the time to help the reader put these things back together after giving you a large amount of information. He also provides a list of questions to think about in order for you to go deeper into the topic of each chapter.

I would recommend you pick up this book for its various examples and illustrations of how to handle conflict. While I would identify the Bible Studies and Confession & Forgiveness as excellent resource and quick guides, Ken Sande helps you to put a lot more flesh on the bones.


Thank you 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Set Theory on the Trinity

Many Theologians are not Mathematicians. But Theologies are really into Science. For some reason there is a greater cross over between Theology and Science than any other fields unless you Separate Math and Physic into different fields. But Set Theory at its basic is the idea of taking sets of numbers or things and showing relationships. We see this in Matrices or Venn-Diagrams. Now Theologians generally speaking would use a Venn-Diagram to describe the Trinity. A Theologian would usually talk about three circles one being the Father and another being the Holy Spirit and the Other being the Son. Thus, where these circles connect that is then called God. But this means that there is part of the Son which is not God. Part of the Holy Spirit which is not God. And part of the Father which is not God. This is not true. Rather you take a list of Sets. Take Set God which contains all the attributes of God. Then you take a Set called Holy Spirit it would contain all the attributes of God and y...
Read more

The Death of the Holy Innocents

Many people die for what they believe in. Some die for righteous people. But these chosen few die on behalf of the one who will save us all. These children have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. But these children die on account of the Christ Child. Many people have been martyred because they confessed the faith. These children did not stand or even get a chance to stand. They were cut down because they were seen as the threat to King Herod. Rachael mourns for her children. Rachael died giving life to Benjamin near Bethlehem. Rachael now weeps as all the children of this town are slaughtered. But just as Rachael died giving birth to life. These children die to protect the Christ Child who left the town and will die to give all of us life. St Peter once said that he would not allow Christ to go to the cross. St Peter drew his sword in the garden to die for Christ. But only these Children truly give their life for Jesus Christ to live. Their sacrifice should b...
Read more

Biblical Marriage

Marriage is defined in Genesis as a man clinging to his wife and the two becoming one flesh. This definition is standardized even in the New Testament by both Jesus and St Paul. Therefore, we have generally said Marriage is defined as one Man and one Woman being joined together in a life long union. Most people think that this Marriage union is created through a man dressed in black and woman dressed in white walking down an aisle to be joined together before some kind of altar. But this is only a ceremony of marriage. The Bride and bridegroom are actually joined together through what is known as consummation, or proper sexual relations.  Thus, St Paul can even talk in reference to a marriage bed. This concept may be overlooked by a culture that no longer views the bed as the place where a majority of sexual activity takes place. But he states this because the marriage bed is the location in which a man and woman are joined together. Just as it was Rachael or Leah's tent in which t...
Read more