The God Who Draws Near

by Michael A.G. Haykin

The God Who Draws Near seeks to retrieve the key elements of a biblical spirituality and what they mean for our daily lives. Spirituality is very much a positive buzz word today; but in so many of the ways that it is used, it muddies the waters as to the nature of true spirituality. By going back to the sources, as the sixteenth-century Reformers would advise, namely, the Scriptures, this book draws together the main threads of a biblical spirituality and provides foundations for believers to anchor their lives in truth, love, and a growing relationship with the living God--that very God who has drawn near to us in love and grace through Jesus Christ. May these pages help you to draw near to him.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality

176 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2024

About the author

Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety.

Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book on biblical spirituality, a word that has so many different meanings and connotations, depending on the context in which it's used, that I was not sure what to expect from this book.
The author begins by exploring where the word 'spirituality' comes from and why evangelicals (myself included) can be so hesitant to use the word. The closest thing to a definition that I could find in the book was that 'true spirituality is intimately bound up with the Holy Spirit'. Refreshingly, the author doesn't just focus on the Holy Spirit, but takes a well-rounded approach in this book, emphasising that biblical spirituality is Trinitarian spirituality - ie it involves all 3 persons of the triune God.

As the blurb states, he does indeed 'draw together the main threads of biblical spirituality'. The author's thoughts on what spirituality is tends to be inferred through examples in scripture and of men (mostly baptists!) and are not always explicitly stated, which was something I recall from his book on friendship as well. However, even where I didn't fully follow his line of thought in how it all linked together, each chapter was nevertheless a blessing and deeply enriching. The author's theology practical, exploring what this theology looks like when worked out in the life of the believer, often using the lives of men who believed these things as examplws. You will leave this book with a fuller picture of our Triune God and His awesome work. I would read again and would recommend.

[Bobby James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic book on the Christian life! Especially the chapters on friendship and mission. Surprising since it’s coming from a church historian. But maybe that’s why it’s so good since he pulls from old dead Christians who were way more pious than me.

[Chockletter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not great.