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Carpe Diem Redeemed: Seizing the Day, Discerning the Times
You only live once--if then. Life is short, and it can be as easily wasted as lived to the full. In the midst of our harried modern world, how do we make the most of life and the time we have? In these fast and superficial times, Os Guinness calls us to consequential living. In strong contrast to both Eastern and secularist views of time, he reorients our very notion of history, not as cyclical nor as meaningless, but as linear and purposeful. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, time and history are meaningful, and human beings have agency to live with freedom and consequence in partnership with God. Thus we can seek to serve God's purpose for our generation, read the times, and discern our call for this moment in history. Our time on earth has significance. Live rightly, discern the times, and redeem the day.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published September 24, 2019
83 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Os Guinness
87 books351 followersOs Guinness (D.Phil., Oxford) is the author or editor of more than twenty-five books, including The American Hour, Time for Truth and The Case for Civility. A frequent speaker and prominent social critic, he was the founder of the Trinity Forum and has been a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies. He lives near Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 3, 2019
Carpe Diem Redeemed is a book of kaleidoscopic convergence of different topics pertaining to time. From history, atheism, purpose, salvation, significance, truth to culture, wars, philosophy, anti-intellectualism, chronological snobbery, nostalgia, destiny all came together under one book and was handled with superb care by Guinness setting a path to the God of the Bible who has superior clarity of what it means of making much of our moment. Sure this is one endeavor that is monumental however Guinness gave us the lenses of an intellect and another is for the average Joe.
The Introduction is a bit intimidating because of the multiple quotes from prominent persons which has something to do book. Then again it serves as some appetizer of sort for the reader. It gives you the thought that whoever you are, time is essential to you. Another is that it lets you know that this small volume is filled to the brim of biblical insights on time.
As you step into the ever first chapter, you’ll find how old school Os Guinness in writing (and I think that’s why the book cover looks like something from the 80’s or 90’s cover design). The chapters are large even in this small book and the insights from Os feels like your reading an. There are lots of going on as he unravels his thoughts in the subject matter that are one point engaging then in another you’ll get overwhelm you’ll get lost along the way. In those places I suggest to keep on reading till you get back to the path. Also it will be beneficial if you’ll read this in a slow pace and consider re-reading if you miss out something from this book.
Don’t expect Os Guinness to throw bullet points about time management that easy. He did give some ways to redeem the moment but it’s sandwiched in between. Those takeaways are at “the eye of the storm” of the book, as Guinness unfolds what it really means for a Christian to seize the moment.
I like the way he incorporate his life with his family as Christians in China in this book. You won’t put down this book without being moved or into tears with his story. It’s a fascinating read as you near the end of this book.
Carpe Diem Redeemed is a short read but be prepare as Guinness shares his intellectual and biblical insights that will floor you. Redeeming the time never had this intellectually satisfying taste. So dig in and feast on this great book.
My verdict:
4.5 out of 5
(InterVarsity Press provided the digital copy for this review)
The Introduction is a bit intimidating because of the multiple quotes from prominent persons which has something to do book. Then again it serves as some appetizer of sort for the reader. It gives you the thought that whoever you are, time is essential to you. Another is that it lets you know that this small volume is filled to the brim of biblical insights on time.
As you step into the ever first chapter, you’ll find how old school Os Guinness in writing (and I think that’s why the book cover looks like something from the 80’s or 90’s cover design). The chapters are large even in this small book and the insights from Os feels like your reading an. There are lots of going on as he unravels his thoughts in the subject matter that are one point engaging then in another you’ll get overwhelm you’ll get lost along the way. In those places I suggest to keep on reading till you get back to the path. Also it will be beneficial if you’ll read this in a slow pace and consider re-reading if you miss out something from this book.
Don’t expect Os Guinness to throw bullet points about time management that easy. He did give some ways to redeem the moment but it’s sandwiched in between. Those takeaways are at “the eye of the storm” of the book, as Guinness unfolds what it really means for a Christian to seize the moment.
I like the way he incorporate his life with his family as Christians in China in this book. You won’t put down this book without being moved or into tears with his story. It’s a fascinating read as you near the end of this book.
Carpe Diem Redeemed is a short read but be prepare as Guinness shares his intellectual and biblical insights that will floor you. Redeeming the time never had this intellectually satisfying taste. So dig in and feast on this great book.
My verdict:
4.5 out of 5
(InterVarsity Press provided the digital copy for this review)
May 15, 2023
Audible Plus 5 hours 56 min. Narrated by Os Guinness (A)
Perfect book for listening. 🎶 Os Guinness's lyrical prose helps the listener to see time from the perspective of the One who existed before time and the One who created it! The last chapter (before a collection from various sources about Time) is the most profound as it addresses our current battles in time.
P.S. Os, please read to me a bedtime story. The man's voice is as lyrical as is his writing. Os, read me the dictionary would be no challenge.
Perfect book for listening. 🎶 Os Guinness's lyrical prose helps the listener to see time from the perspective of the One who existed before time and the One who created it! The last chapter (before a collection from various sources about Time) is the most profound as it addresses our current battles in time.
P.S. Os, please read to me a bedtime story. The man's voice is as lyrical as is his writing. Os, read me the dictionary would be no challenge.
September 22, 2024
I never realized how much the clock impacted our modern world, and I also found it interesting to see different worldviews’ ideas of time presented. It wasn’t what I expected the book to be, but I think it will impact my view of time moving forward.
December 18, 2019
Summary: A consideration of how, in our present day, we ought make the most of the time, to properly seize the day.
The collection of epigraphs alone may be a reason to acquire this book. The book opens with fourteen pages of epigraphs on the subject of time spanning the gamut from Lao Tzu to Richard Branson. The epigraphs explore various perspectives on time and our relation to time, and how we live within it. The one thing all of us recognize in our most reflective moments is the brevity of our life span and how rapidly it passes. As the author of this work, it is "the dash between the two dates on our gravestones." The perennial question is what the meaning of this transient existence is and how we might make the most of it.
Guinness interacts with a similarly titled book, Carpe Diem Regained, by Roman Krznaric, who believes there is no transcendent source of meaning, that we must create that meaning for ourselves, and then "seize the day" Guinness argues that carpe diem requires a vision of life that makes sense of time and history, and roots this in the Judeo-Christian account found in the Bible.
He contends for a covenantal perspective on time in contrast to cyclical or mere chronological views of time. Time has a telos that is shaped by the relation between a sovereign God committed to his creation including human beings created with real freedom to respond in love or rebellion. This freedom involves both real risk and the possibility of redemption. Our lives are neither determined nor part of an endless cycle.
We exist in an era in which the precision and coordination of our time-keeping eventuates in a life of constant pressure. At a deeper level, our modern understanding of time is shaped by a narrative of progress, a presumption that the latest is the greatest, and the paradox of the avant garde becoming the rear guard, an inevitable fatality of progress.
How then does he propose we seize the day within these contemporary dynamics of time. The beginning is not an idea, but a "walk," daily, with God, the daily rhythms of trust and obedience that shape a life and not just an ideology. Secondly, this means discerning the times, understanding what is really happening in them and how God is working in them. Then it means serving God's purpose in that time. Christians practice a kind of prophetic untimeliness or "resistance thinking" against the ways that the culture distorts past, present, and future.
This kind of life may be costly. Guinness relates some of the cost to his own family, former missionaries in China. He lost a brother and sister to starvation during World War 2 and his parents suffered arrest under the communists for several years. It was tempting to wonder what they accomplished, yet there hope was that "the end is not the end," that our hope is in the coming of Jesus.
He summarizes his argument as follows:
Those with the greatest view of time are those best able to use and enjoy the time they have. Life is short, but we are called to rise to our full potential, making the most of it and seizing each day. Within the biblical view of time and history, life offers meaning and opens prospects whose significance far outstrips its shortness. (p. 136)
This is classic Guinness, down to the three alliterated points in many chapters! But there is also something different. There is a personal character to this work as well. Guinness shares more of himself than I've observed in many of his books, and we have the sense of one who has been long at this journey imparting vital wisdom. He speaks into our time-pressured and experience-oriented culture of a vision of carpe diem that is far more than filling one's life with as much experience as we can cram into the brief space of our lives. He reminds us of the biblical wisdom that understands life within our covenantal relationship with a transcendent and yet loving God who makes sense of the flow of time and its ultimate end. This is a God who invites us to walk with Him, to see our times with his eyes and serve his purposes in our generation, and trust that this is enough. We also seize the day, not in a self-fabricated purpose or an endless cycle, but in the faith that the employment of all our energies toward the purposes of God will bring joy and our time and matter for eternity.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
The collection of epigraphs alone may be a reason to acquire this book. The book opens with fourteen pages of epigraphs on the subject of time spanning the gamut from Lao Tzu to Richard Branson. The epigraphs explore various perspectives on time and our relation to time, and how we live within it. The one thing all of us recognize in our most reflective moments is the brevity of our life span and how rapidly it passes. As the author of this work, it is "the dash between the two dates on our gravestones." The perennial question is what the meaning of this transient existence is and how we might make the most of it.
Guinness interacts with a similarly titled book, Carpe Diem Regained, by Roman Krznaric, who believes there is no transcendent source of meaning, that we must create that meaning for ourselves, and then "seize the day" Guinness argues that carpe diem requires a vision of life that makes sense of time and history, and roots this in the Judeo-Christian account found in the Bible.
He contends for a covenantal perspective on time in contrast to cyclical or mere chronological views of time. Time has a telos that is shaped by the relation between a sovereign God committed to his creation including human beings created with real freedom to respond in love or rebellion. This freedom involves both real risk and the possibility of redemption. Our lives are neither determined nor part of an endless cycle.
We exist in an era in which the precision and coordination of our time-keeping eventuates in a life of constant pressure. At a deeper level, our modern understanding of time is shaped by a narrative of progress, a presumption that the latest is the greatest, and the paradox of the avant garde becoming the rear guard, an inevitable fatality of progress.
How then does he propose we seize the day within these contemporary dynamics of time. The beginning is not an idea, but a "walk," daily, with God, the daily rhythms of trust and obedience that shape a life and not just an ideology. Secondly, this means discerning the times, understanding what is really happening in them and how God is working in them. Then it means serving God's purpose in that time. Christians practice a kind of prophetic untimeliness or "resistance thinking" against the ways that the culture distorts past, present, and future.
This kind of life may be costly. Guinness relates some of the cost to his own family, former missionaries in China. He lost a brother and sister to starvation during World War 2 and his parents suffered arrest under the communists for several years. It was tempting to wonder what they accomplished, yet there hope was that "the end is not the end," that our hope is in the coming of Jesus.
He summarizes his argument as follows:
Those with the greatest view of time are those best able to use and enjoy the time they have. Life is short, but we are called to rise to our full potential, making the most of it and seizing each day. Within the biblical view of time and history, life offers meaning and opens prospects whose significance far outstrips its shortness. (p. 136)
This is classic Guinness, down to the three alliterated points in many chapters! But there is also something different. There is a personal character to this work as well. Guinness shares more of himself than I've observed in many of his books, and we have the sense of one who has been long at this journey imparting vital wisdom. He speaks into our time-pressured and experience-oriented culture of a vision of carpe diem that is far more than filling one's life with as much experience as we can cram into the brief space of our lives. He reminds us of the biblical wisdom that understands life within our covenantal relationship with a transcendent and yet loving God who makes sense of the flow of time and its ultimate end. This is a God who invites us to walk with Him, to see our times with his eyes and serve his purposes in our generation, and trust that this is enough. We also seize the day, not in a self-fabricated purpose or an endless cycle, but in the faith that the employment of all our energies toward the purposes of God will bring joy and our time and matter for eternity.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
October 25, 2019
I really wanted to like this book but it was quite disappointing. It's sobering, definitely; maybe even motivating. But…how do I put this? It's not very encouraging. Guinness does not come across as someone who believes that salvation is found in faith in Christ alone.
He seems to believe that ethnic (or religious?) Jews will be saved whether or not they believe that Jesus is the Messiah, God in the flesh, Who takes away sin and gives us His righteousness. At first I thought that maybe I was just reading too much into some of his statements, like this one "Both Jews and Christians owe their salvation entirely to God - Jews in terms of their national exodus from Egypt and Christians in terms of their personal exodus from lostness". But then it became clearer along the way and he made statements like, "There are no more realistic faiths than Judaism and the Christian faith, but Jews and Christians live with an undimmed hope even in the darkest hour." Judaism is not a faith that will save, that takes care of sin. Man is not "justified by the works of the law" (Gal 2:16) And the Epistle to the Galatians attacked those who were trying to make people believe that Judaism saves: "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."(Gal 5:4) If anyone's faith, Jew or Gentile, is not placed in Christ as the solution, the Righteousness, for his sins then his hope is misplaced and will not save him from God's judgment. "We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." - Galatians 2:15-16
Guinness says: "There is a promised time as well as a promised land. (On that great day, the only question dividing Jews and Christians, as a Jewish friend says, will be to welcome the Messiah together, and then ask him whether his coming is his first or his second.)."When the unsaved Jews see the Messiah for the first time, their reaction will not be to ask Him if He had come before, rather it will be mourning, deep grief, because they instantly know that Jesus IS the Messiah who came 2000+ years ago. The Apostle Paul did not believe that Jews who rejected the Gospel were saved, he wanted them to be saved but he knew that if they did not accept the righteousness of God, rather than their own, they could not be saved: "Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."(Rom 10:1-3) Paul acknowledges that God did not spare unbelieving Jews and that He will not spare unbelieving Gentiles either: "Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. (Rom 11:20-23) God saves both Jews and Gentiles by faith in His Son.
GOD BELIEVES IN WORTHLESS PEOPLE WHO DO NOT FEAR HIM AND ARE ENSLAVED TO SIN?Second, Guinness seems to believe that human beings are not all that bad. He says things like, "God loves and believes in us as humans even more than we love and believe in ourselves" . God doesn't believe in us at all. Rather, the Bible describes us as "Dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1) Our 'righteousness' is as filthy rags, worthless and disgusting (Isaiah 64:6). Both Jews and Gentiles are naturally evil, worthless and do not fear God (See Romans 3). There is nothing good to believe in with regard to us humans. That's the amazing thing about the love of God, He didn't believe in us but He loved us and therefore changed us. God's love is shown by His making us New Creations (not by believing in who we were originally) - 2 Corinthians 5:17.
THE FREEDOM TO DO EVIL IS AN ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTE OF HUMANITY?
The author seems to believe that freedom to do evil is the greatest thing we can have and that without it we have an essential component of our humanity taken away. But he warns, Man has a "proneness to corrupt freedom" But, I have a question: isn't freedom already corrupt if it includes the ability to choose wrong? Isn't freedom essentially evil if it includes the ability to defy God?
I quote again from the book, "Made ' in the image and likeness' of God, we humans are exceptional, responsible, and consequential. We are free and capable of real choice - ' I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life' (Deut 30:19). Being free, we could always do otherwise than we have chosen and done, so we are responsible for what we have chosen and done. We are therefore significant and responsible, though we are not sovereign as God is, and we are always limited by our finiteness and by our proneness to corrupt freedom and so to go wrong, do wrong, and even to become prisoners to our freely chosen wrongdoing."
Let me tell you how I understand this paragraph: being made in the image and likeness of God means being able to do evil. That's how I understand what the author is saying. Which gives the implication that evil is just as much a part of God's character as good, if He could choose either one. But isn't that a blasphemous thought? God NEVER changes (James 1:17). He is always good.
Why do we HAVE to have the ability to do bad things? Will we be free to do evil in Heaven? Always having a character that may or may not choose right or wrong? Heaven may not be all that great then since we'll be free to defy God at any point in eternity! I’m being sarcastic of course.
"According to the Bible, an inclination to evil through the corruption of the will now lies at the heart of human nature and its use and abuse of freedom. " But technically it's not an abuse of freedom since the freedom to choose wrong is a moral right, or a good thing to be able to do (I know, that's strange sounding). If freedom to choose wrong is a moral necessity/virtue, then people should not be punished for being free.
But, the Bible indicates that Man is not as free as he thinks. We learn from God's word that man is a "slave to sin"(Romans 6). He cannot truly please God, he never can live up to the mark of God's perfection. We do not want the freedom TO sin. We want to be slaves of God ("But now being made free from sin and become slaves to God…"Rom 6:22), we want to be slaves of righteousness ("and being made free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." Rom 6:18)
Saving world society and particularly, America?
And then, he seems to think that we Christians need to rejuvenate the world, as it were, bring it back to what it was intended to be and to save the United States of America. Let me give you a an idea of his argument: "The end of history as Israel was about to experience it at that moment was explicitly Israel's on direct fault. Sadly, the same appears to be true for the American republic at the moment. If there is no repentance and turnabout, Americans seem intent on bringing down God's judgment and the world's opprobrium on their own heads through their own willful behavior."
America is not and was not a Christian nation. No nation ever has been nor ever will be until the Millennial Kingdom. America may have been founded on Judeo Christian principles, but it is not a Christian nation. Remember what it says in 1 John, "We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies under the control of the evil one." (1 Jn 5:19) America is no exception. In the past, America might have been more strict about keeping some Christian morals and being mono-theistic, but, as in any premillennial age, her people were still ruled and blinded by the 'god' of their age (2 Cor 4:4), even if that "age" looked morally better than ours. For all we know, America was populated by a bunch of self-righteous mono-theists who attempt to keep some of the ten commandments. Satan would be okay with that. And that might be what we get back to if America, as a whole, comes up with a semblance of repentance.
I should end this now. So, to sum it all up: though sobering, this book is not firmly founded on God's Word as its source of truth.
Thanks to Intervarsity Press for sending me a free review copy of this book (My review did not have to be favorable)
He seems to believe that ethnic (or religious?) Jews will be saved whether or not they believe that Jesus is the Messiah, God in the flesh, Who takes away sin and gives us His righteousness. At first I thought that maybe I was just reading too much into some of his statements, like this one "Both Jews and Christians owe their salvation entirely to God - Jews in terms of their national exodus from Egypt and Christians in terms of their personal exodus from lostness". But then it became clearer along the way and he made statements like, "There are no more realistic faiths than Judaism and the Christian faith, but Jews and Christians live with an undimmed hope even in the darkest hour." Judaism is not a faith that will save, that takes care of sin. Man is not "justified by the works of the law" (Gal 2:16) And the Epistle to the Galatians attacked those who were trying to make people believe that Judaism saves: "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."(Gal 5:4) If anyone's faith, Jew or Gentile, is not placed in Christ as the solution, the Righteousness, for his sins then his hope is misplaced and will not save him from God's judgment. "We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." - Galatians 2:15-16
Guinness says: "There is a promised time as well as a promised land. (On that great day, the only question dividing Jews and Christians, as a Jewish friend says, will be to welcome the Messiah together, and then ask him whether his coming is his first or his second.)."When the unsaved Jews see the Messiah for the first time, their reaction will not be to ask Him if He had come before, rather it will be mourning, deep grief, because they instantly know that Jesus IS the Messiah who came 2000+ years ago. The Apostle Paul did not believe that Jews who rejected the Gospel were saved, he wanted them to be saved but he knew that if they did not accept the righteousness of God, rather than their own, they could not be saved: "Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."(Rom 10:1-3) Paul acknowledges that God did not spare unbelieving Jews and that He will not spare unbelieving Gentiles either: "Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. (Rom 11:20-23) God saves both Jews and Gentiles by faith in His Son.
GOD BELIEVES IN WORTHLESS PEOPLE WHO DO NOT FEAR HIM AND ARE ENSLAVED TO SIN?Second, Guinness seems to believe that human beings are not all that bad. He says things like, "God loves and believes in us as humans even more than we love and believe in ourselves" . God doesn't believe in us at all. Rather, the Bible describes us as "Dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1) Our 'righteousness' is as filthy rags, worthless and disgusting (Isaiah 64:6). Both Jews and Gentiles are naturally evil, worthless and do not fear God (See Romans 3). There is nothing good to believe in with regard to us humans. That's the amazing thing about the love of God, He didn't believe in us but He loved us and therefore changed us. God's love is shown by His making us New Creations (not by believing in who we were originally) - 2 Corinthians 5:17.
THE FREEDOM TO DO EVIL IS AN ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTE OF HUMANITY?
The author seems to believe that freedom to do evil is the greatest thing we can have and that without it we have an essential component of our humanity taken away. But he warns, Man has a "proneness to corrupt freedom" But, I have a question: isn't freedom already corrupt if it includes the ability to choose wrong? Isn't freedom essentially evil if it includes the ability to defy God?
I quote again from the book, "Made ' in the image and likeness' of God, we humans are exceptional, responsible, and consequential. We are free and capable of real choice - ' I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life' (Deut 30:19). Being free, we could always do otherwise than we have chosen and done, so we are responsible for what we have chosen and done. We are therefore significant and responsible, though we are not sovereign as God is, and we are always limited by our finiteness and by our proneness to corrupt freedom and so to go wrong, do wrong, and even to become prisoners to our freely chosen wrongdoing."
Let me tell you how I understand this paragraph: being made in the image and likeness of God means being able to do evil. That's how I understand what the author is saying. Which gives the implication that evil is just as much a part of God's character as good, if He could choose either one. But isn't that a blasphemous thought? God NEVER changes (James 1:17). He is always good.
Why do we HAVE to have the ability to do bad things? Will we be free to do evil in Heaven? Always having a character that may or may not choose right or wrong? Heaven may not be all that great then since we'll be free to defy God at any point in eternity! I’m being sarcastic of course.
"According to the Bible, an inclination to evil through the corruption of the will now lies at the heart of human nature and its use and abuse of freedom. " But technically it's not an abuse of freedom since the freedom to choose wrong is a moral right, or a good thing to be able to do (I know, that's strange sounding). If freedom to choose wrong is a moral necessity/virtue, then people should not be punished for being free.
But, the Bible indicates that Man is not as free as he thinks. We learn from God's word that man is a "slave to sin"(Romans 6). He cannot truly please God, he never can live up to the mark of God's perfection. We do not want the freedom TO sin. We want to be slaves of God ("But now being made free from sin and become slaves to God…"Rom 6:22), we want to be slaves of righteousness ("and being made free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." Rom 6:18)
Saving world society and particularly, America?
And then, he seems to think that we Christians need to rejuvenate the world, as it were, bring it back to what it was intended to be and to save the United States of America. Let me give you a an idea of his argument: "The end of history as Israel was about to experience it at that moment was explicitly Israel's on direct fault. Sadly, the same appears to be true for the American republic at the moment. If there is no repentance and turnabout, Americans seem intent on bringing down God's judgment and the world's opprobrium on their own heads through their own willful behavior."
America is not and was not a Christian nation. No nation ever has been nor ever will be until the Millennial Kingdom. America may have been founded on Judeo Christian principles, but it is not a Christian nation. Remember what it says in 1 John, "We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies under the control of the evil one." (1 Jn 5:19) America is no exception. In the past, America might have been more strict about keeping some Christian morals and being mono-theistic, but, as in any premillennial age, her people were still ruled and blinded by the 'god' of their age (2 Cor 4:4), even if that "age" looked morally better than ours. For all we know, America was populated by a bunch of self-righteous mono-theists who attempt to keep some of the ten commandments. Satan would be okay with that. And that might be what we get back to if America, as a whole, comes up with a semblance of repentance.
I should end this now. So, to sum it all up: though sobering, this book is not firmly founded on God's Word as its source of truth.
Thanks to Intervarsity Press for sending me a free review copy of this book (My review did not have to be favorable)
December 30, 2019
Not quite what I was expecting. Some helpful thoughts within, but like some other Guinness books, I found this to ramble a bit.
Here are a few quotes:-
"...to be a victim and to respond through victimhood and victim playing are quite different things. No people on earth can claim to have been victims longer and more often than the Jews. But while the Jews have every reason to respond as victims, they resolutely refuse to play the victim card, and in their refusal they highlight the flaw in today's rage for victim playing (more victimized than thou). Those who perceive themselves as victims and respond by portraying themselves as victims end by paralyzing themselves as victims. The reason is that in seeking to use the past as an instrument of power, victims remain prisoners of their past and never become free. They become prisoners of their own resentment. The Jews, by contrast, look forward, not back. In short, victim playing is disastrous and counterproductive both to the victims and to the victim's society. Homosexuals may complain of homophobia and Muslims of Islamophobia, but Christians who play the victim card and complain of Christophobia have not understood the heart of their own gospel.
There is a fabulous section on how the present can be distorted in something he calls generationalism. In this section he comments on the importance of transmitting what is important to the next generation.
Woe betide the family, the nation, or the church that fails to pass on its best and its wisest to the next generation. There are different ways of transmission, of course, and those differences made a difference too. Most of the ancient world commemorated its achievements in monuments and statues, such as the pyramids of Egypt and the statues of Greece and Rome, whereas the Jews relied on stories and human hearts and on families and schooling. The failure of the former was due to the fact that the monuments and statues long outlasted the societies that created them, so all that was left was fit only for museums. The success of the latter lay in the fact that the way of the habits of the heart, though intangible, has long outlasted the tangible memorials and sustained a people who have outlived their original neighboring nations and survived even the most vicious attempts to destroy them."
Guiness goes onto point out the disparity in Christian circles towards transmission and tradition, with many Evangelicals 'allergic to anything that smells' of traditional. I guess this is something I've thought a lot about lately. There certainly is a rich history that is passed on in some traditions of the church that modern evangelicals seem reluctant to draw from. This is particularly evident in music. After mentioning some of the great sacred music of the church, Guiness writes,
Yet this rich treasury is an unknown world to many Evangelicals, whose worship music often draws only from songs written after 2000 and does not even include the rich heritage of Celtic Ireland, St. Francis of Assisi, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley and Fanny Crosby. Thank God for magnificent exceptions, such as the rich, deep hymns of Keith Getty, Stuart Townend, Matt Redman, and others whose music will join the music of the ages. But much of the run-of-the-mill renewal songs, which are repeated endlessly and constructed more on rhythm than melody, confine Evangelicals within a shallow theology, threadbare worship, fleeting relevance, and historical amnesia. Above all, they deprive Evangelicals of the collective praise of Christians down through the ages as they respond to the grandeur of God in generation after generation. Christians rightly disdain politically correct thinkers who draw up their skirts in horror at anything in the past that offends their current sensibilities. Such thinkers refuse to enter the 'chat room of the centuries' that is the three thousand-year conversation of our civilization. But in a similar way, much contemporary Christian music childishly shuts itself up in the world of post-2000 music and has no idea of the great, rich 'worship service of the centuries' that it is too self-absorbed to join."
He then goes on to ponder whether the Evangelical church plans very well for succession. Will they have Evangelical grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A good question. And I think what happens here will be largely determined by how the Evangelical church responds to the attacks on family and parenting.
The following quote I think aptly summarises the message of the book. Those with the greatest view of time are those best able to use and enjoy the time they have. Life is short, but we are called to rise to our full potential, making the most of it and seizing each day. Within the biblical view of time and history, life offers meaning and opens prospects whose significance far outstrips its shortness. Time is more than cyclical, and its linear progression forms a story in which we come to play a significant and responsible part. History is singular and we are significant, so all that we are and all that we do is consequential. We leave our marks upon the face of time, and our efforts are not in vain. The world has gone wrong, evil and injustice are everywhere, but God invites us to be coauthors of our own lives and partners with him in the wider global reconciliation, repair, and restoration that are underway, So as we strive for freedom and justice in human affairs, we care for our neighbors as well as ourselves. The hope of all that is coming gives strength to what we are doing, just as what we are doing will be a sign of all that we believe is coming......In the meantime, let us seize the day, this day and every day, and seize the day fully, confidently, and hopefully - but not as self-celebrating, grandstanding minigods on the earth. Let us seize the day humbly as we walk before God, endeavoring to read the signs of the times, seeking always to serve God's purposes in our generation, and working together with all who place their hope in the great messianic Day of the Lord that is coming."
As some other readers have noted, Guinness does seem to have perhaps non orthodox understanding of the Jews and salvation. I'm not sure if this is me reading into what he says more than is warranted though.
Here are a few quotes:-
"...to be a victim and to respond through victimhood and victim playing are quite different things. No people on earth can claim to have been victims longer and more often than the Jews. But while the Jews have every reason to respond as victims, they resolutely refuse to play the victim card, and in their refusal they highlight the flaw in today's rage for victim playing (more victimized than thou). Those who perceive themselves as victims and respond by portraying themselves as victims end by paralyzing themselves as victims. The reason is that in seeking to use the past as an instrument of power, victims remain prisoners of their past and never become free. They become prisoners of their own resentment. The Jews, by contrast, look forward, not back. In short, victim playing is disastrous and counterproductive both to the victims and to the victim's society. Homosexuals may complain of homophobia and Muslims of Islamophobia, but Christians who play the victim card and complain of Christophobia have not understood the heart of their own gospel.
There is a fabulous section on how the present can be distorted in something he calls generationalism. In this section he comments on the importance of transmitting what is important to the next generation.
Woe betide the family, the nation, or the church that fails to pass on its best and its wisest to the next generation. There are different ways of transmission, of course, and those differences made a difference too. Most of the ancient world commemorated its achievements in monuments and statues, such as the pyramids of Egypt and the statues of Greece and Rome, whereas the Jews relied on stories and human hearts and on families and schooling. The failure of the former was due to the fact that the monuments and statues long outlasted the societies that created them, so all that was left was fit only for museums. The success of the latter lay in the fact that the way of the habits of the heart, though intangible, has long outlasted the tangible memorials and sustained a people who have outlived their original neighboring nations and survived even the most vicious attempts to destroy them."
Guiness goes onto point out the disparity in Christian circles towards transmission and tradition, with many Evangelicals 'allergic to anything that smells' of traditional. I guess this is something I've thought a lot about lately. There certainly is a rich history that is passed on in some traditions of the church that modern evangelicals seem reluctant to draw from. This is particularly evident in music. After mentioning some of the great sacred music of the church, Guiness writes,
Yet this rich treasury is an unknown world to many Evangelicals, whose worship music often draws only from songs written after 2000 and does not even include the rich heritage of Celtic Ireland, St. Francis of Assisi, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley and Fanny Crosby. Thank God for magnificent exceptions, such as the rich, deep hymns of Keith Getty, Stuart Townend, Matt Redman, and others whose music will join the music of the ages. But much of the run-of-the-mill renewal songs, which are repeated endlessly and constructed more on rhythm than melody, confine Evangelicals within a shallow theology, threadbare worship, fleeting relevance, and historical amnesia. Above all, they deprive Evangelicals of the collective praise of Christians down through the ages as they respond to the grandeur of God in generation after generation. Christians rightly disdain politically correct thinkers who draw up their skirts in horror at anything in the past that offends their current sensibilities. Such thinkers refuse to enter the 'chat room of the centuries' that is the three thousand-year conversation of our civilization. But in a similar way, much contemporary Christian music childishly shuts itself up in the world of post-2000 music and has no idea of the great, rich 'worship service of the centuries' that it is too self-absorbed to join."
He then goes on to ponder whether the Evangelical church plans very well for succession. Will they have Evangelical grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A good question. And I think what happens here will be largely determined by how the Evangelical church responds to the attacks on family and parenting.
The following quote I think aptly summarises the message of the book. Those with the greatest view of time are those best able to use and enjoy the time they have. Life is short, but we are called to rise to our full potential, making the most of it and seizing each day. Within the biblical view of time and history, life offers meaning and opens prospects whose significance far outstrips its shortness. Time is more than cyclical, and its linear progression forms a story in which we come to play a significant and responsible part. History is singular and we are significant, so all that we are and all that we do is consequential. We leave our marks upon the face of time, and our efforts are not in vain. The world has gone wrong, evil and injustice are everywhere, but God invites us to be coauthors of our own lives and partners with him in the wider global reconciliation, repair, and restoration that are underway, So as we strive for freedom and justice in human affairs, we care for our neighbors as well as ourselves. The hope of all that is coming gives strength to what we are doing, just as what we are doing will be a sign of all that we believe is coming......In the meantime, let us seize the day, this day and every day, and seize the day fully, confidently, and hopefully - but not as self-celebrating, grandstanding minigods on the earth. Let us seize the day humbly as we walk before God, endeavoring to read the signs of the times, seeking always to serve God's purposes in our generation, and working together with all who place their hope in the great messianic Day of the Lord that is coming."
As some other readers have noted, Guinness does seem to have perhaps non orthodox understanding of the Jews and salvation. I'm not sure if this is me reading into what he says more than is warranted though.
December 6, 2023
A good work on the theology of time. Not the debate over that Hebrew word “Yom” or something like that, but rather over whether God has instructed us how to best use the time we have and what it should be allocated for throughout our days, weeks, and years. We do of course have instructions for doing just that and Guinness provides ways that we can seize the day while still recognizing He who gives each day to us.
February 4, 2022
One’s view of time greatly impacts one view of meaning and purpose, one’s definitions, one’s actions. Christianity calls us to look back, be present, all while looking forward. There are ends (fin), but only one End (telos). Our calling is for love, for obedience, for faithfulness to God and His Word. All else will fall into place.
February 22, 2022
Not my favorite book. There are a lot of words to describe what is a pretty basic concept and what should already be a natural byproduct of our faith.
March 4, 2022
Fantastic Overview of a Christian Believers’ Attitude Toward Life
This book helps me articulate the Christian view of time and history. The Covenantal view of time empowers us with choice, dignity, agency, and purpose. In an age that encourages us to live for the moment, Os Guinness encourages us, “let us seize the day, this day and every day, and seize the day fully, confidently, and hopefully—but not as self-celebrating, grandstanding minigods on the earth. Let us seize the day humbly as we walk before God, endeavoring to read the signs of the times, seeking always to serve God’s purposes in our generation, and working together with all who place their hope in the great messianic Day of the Lord that is coming.”
This book helps me articulate the Christian view of time and history. The Covenantal view of time empowers us with choice, dignity, agency, and purpose. In an age that encourages us to live for the moment, Os Guinness encourages us, “let us seize the day, this day and every day, and seize the day fully, confidently, and hopefully—but not as self-celebrating, grandstanding minigods on the earth. Let us seize the day humbly as we walk before God, endeavoring to read the signs of the times, seeking always to serve God’s purposes in our generation, and working together with all who place their hope in the great messianic Day of the Lord that is coming.”
October 15, 2019
On the other side of mid-life I am feeling time racing by me like a bullet train into the sunset. I think of it regularly. I’ve already spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired, and now I’ve spent 20 years in Christian ministry, and my head is reeling a bit from the speed of it all! In many ways Os Guinness, prolific author, insightful social diagnostician, and one-time guest scholar and senior fellow of numerous institutions, has provided the public a valuable and venerable dossier built from his experiences and perceptions. “Carpe Diem Redeemed: Seizing the Day, Discerning the times” is a 176 page sobering hardback reminding readers that each of our lives is short and, realistically, will barely make a ripple in the cosmic pond. Further, that the sun doesn’t rise or set around our star. And yet, in spite of the brevity, we have the opportunity to do our part; “we humans are significant agents for either good or ill. Thus those who respond to God’s call, who come to know him and walk with him, become entrepreneurial partners with him in advancing his purposes in the world” (34). Written simply and sincerely, it is readable by anyone who will plunge into it’s depth.
Guinness takes up the task of deciphering what “carpe diem” should mean for men, women, girls and boys of all walks of life. Instead of being a motto for self-centeredness, or a meaningless mantra for absurdity, it is a valuable perspective for Christians. That “seizing the day, making the most of life and understanding the meaning of life are inseparable. All three require that if we are to master time, we must come to know the author of time, the meaning of time, and come to know the part he calls us to play in his grand story” (9). The author, without mentioning it, is filling in the Apostle’s injunction, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5.15-17). One important healthy way this manifests itself is by truth “well-lived“ which “outweighs both a truth well-stated and a truth well-argued” (79). How important that thought is! Instead of fighting, scratching and clawing to win virtual debates and sound-byte skirmishes, come to recognize that life is short and the better approach is to actually reach a hand out to help a flesh-and-blood neighbor; to take a home-cooked meal to an acquaintance who has just returned from the hospital after her latest chemo session; to give a few moments a week aiding a local food bank; and the list could go on.
One of the other values of “Carpe Diem Redeemed” is how Guinness maps out the three major views of time. The eastern, cyclical view sees all time revolving unendingly in a circular fashion and the only hope is to escape. There is also the strictly modernist linear perspective, that all time progresses on without any meaning other than that which humans fabricate to sooth their angst. But then there is the covenantal outlook that sees how God began it all with a goal, how he guides time and creation and people toward that objective, and will bring all to their telos, their purposeful end. To have this final view of time becomes liberating and purpose-filling. I especially appreciated his unpacking of Sabbath and sabbaticals, their value, and how embracing these keeps us free of becoming modernity’s “time slaves” (39-40).
The sagacity between the covers of this book is rich; and in view of a quick and brief life, it is deeply wisening! As Guinness dealt with time and our place in it, he mentions how we handle the past: remembering the past with clearheadedness, keeping the door of forgiveness open so that our past (personally, socially, nationally, ethnically) does not tyrannically rule our present or future. That we then can be liberated from playing the more-victimized-than-thou card. For those “who perceive themselves as victims and respond by portraying themselves as victims end by paralyzing themselves as victims” because those who seek “to use the past as an instrument of power” causes them to “remain prisoners in their past and never become free...they become prisoners of their resentment” (92). Poignant and perceptive at several levels!
“Carpe Diem Redeemed” is a valuable book, and important in the face of each of our transient lives. Preacher, pastors and parishioners should run out and snag a copy quickly. It would be ideal for book reading groups, and personal reflection. I highly and happily recommend this volume. Seize the day and seize a copy!
My grateful appreciation that IVP was willing to send me a copy, at my request, used for this review. The publisher made no demands on me, and gave me no ultimatums. Ergo, all analysis In this short report is mine, freely penned and happily given.
Guinness takes up the task of deciphering what “carpe diem” should mean for men, women, girls and boys of all walks of life. Instead of being a motto for self-centeredness, or a meaningless mantra for absurdity, it is a valuable perspective for Christians. That “seizing the day, making the most of life and understanding the meaning of life are inseparable. All three require that if we are to master time, we must come to know the author of time, the meaning of time, and come to know the part he calls us to play in his grand story” (9). The author, without mentioning it, is filling in the Apostle’s injunction, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5.15-17). One important healthy way this manifests itself is by truth “well-lived“ which “outweighs both a truth well-stated and a truth well-argued” (79). How important that thought is! Instead of fighting, scratching and clawing to win virtual debates and sound-byte skirmishes, come to recognize that life is short and the better approach is to actually reach a hand out to help a flesh-and-blood neighbor; to take a home-cooked meal to an acquaintance who has just returned from the hospital after her latest chemo session; to give a few moments a week aiding a local food bank; and the list could go on.
One of the other values of “Carpe Diem Redeemed” is how Guinness maps out the three major views of time. The eastern, cyclical view sees all time revolving unendingly in a circular fashion and the only hope is to escape. There is also the strictly modernist linear perspective, that all time progresses on without any meaning other than that which humans fabricate to sooth their angst. But then there is the covenantal outlook that sees how God began it all with a goal, how he guides time and creation and people toward that objective, and will bring all to their telos, their purposeful end. To have this final view of time becomes liberating and purpose-filling. I especially appreciated his unpacking of Sabbath and sabbaticals, their value, and how embracing these keeps us free of becoming modernity’s “time slaves” (39-40).
The sagacity between the covers of this book is rich; and in view of a quick and brief life, it is deeply wisening! As Guinness dealt with time and our place in it, he mentions how we handle the past: remembering the past with clearheadedness, keeping the door of forgiveness open so that our past (personally, socially, nationally, ethnically) does not tyrannically rule our present or future. That we then can be liberated from playing the more-victimized-than-thou card. For those “who perceive themselves as victims and respond by portraying themselves as victims end by paralyzing themselves as victims” because those who seek “to use the past as an instrument of power” causes them to “remain prisoners in their past and never become free...they become prisoners of their resentment” (92). Poignant and perceptive at several levels!
“Carpe Diem Redeemed” is a valuable book, and important in the face of each of our transient lives. Preacher, pastors and parishioners should run out and snag a copy quickly. It would be ideal for book reading groups, and personal reflection. I highly and happily recommend this volume. Seize the day and seize a copy!
My grateful appreciation that IVP was willing to send me a copy, at my request, used for this review. The publisher made no demands on me, and gave me no ultimatums. Ergo, all analysis In this short report is mine, freely penned and happily given.
October 15, 2019
When Os Guinness has something to say, I’m ready to listen. All of his recent releases (Last Call for Liberty, Impossible People, and Fool’s Talk) have said something so needed for our day – don’t think trendy but timeless. This latest release, Carpe Diem Redeemed, which takes an old phrase meaning “seize the day” and does a play on a book from the philosophic world entitled Carpe Diem Regained takes that same sort of piercing look into our world today and pulls out how a Christian ought to think anyway. Fortunately, this book about “seizing the day” has nothing to do with the typical motivational tripe that floods the market in our day and yet says nothing. In fact, you won’t figure out the profound thing he is saying until he is finished saying it.
In presenting his thesis, Guinness must delve into and explain time from many angles. Even when you expect him to explain the obvious, he will express something that has stopped being obvious in our lives. In this first chapter alone, his introduction to time will pull in the concept of human freedom. Read it: it makes sense. His next chapter on the survival of the fastest explains time in our culture and the pressure it presents. Chapter 3 on the hidden tyranny of time is a treat. His explanation of the power of labeling should be proclaimed throughout the land. I’ve never read a better explanation of progressivism either. While he writes a book that strikes a chord with a conservative like me, he is not after a political system but a biblical view. That means he will step on any toes necessary to explain the truth.
Over the last few chapters, he will move to explaining how to “seize the day”. After he tells us the importance of understanding our times, you will be tempted to predict his final conclusion. And then you will be wrong. He will shock you and then you will agree with him and be encouraged in doing so. We don’t usually worry about spoilers for a book of this type, but I’m not going to spoil the surprise for you. Just read the book for yourself! You will be glad that you did.
I received this book free from the publisher. 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.
In presenting his thesis, Guinness must delve into and explain time from many angles. Even when you expect him to explain the obvious, he will express something that has stopped being obvious in our lives. In this first chapter alone, his introduction to time will pull in the concept of human freedom. Read it: it makes sense. His next chapter on the survival of the fastest explains time in our culture and the pressure it presents. Chapter 3 on the hidden tyranny of time is a treat. His explanation of the power of labeling should be proclaimed throughout the land. I’ve never read a better explanation of progressivism either. While he writes a book that strikes a chord with a conservative like me, he is not after a political system but a biblical view. That means he will step on any toes necessary to explain the truth.
Over the last few chapters, he will move to explaining how to “seize the day”. After he tells us the importance of understanding our times, you will be tempted to predict his final conclusion. And then you will be wrong. He will shock you and then you will agree with him and be encouraged in doing so. We don’t usually worry about spoilers for a book of this type, but I’m not going to spoil the surprise for you. Just read the book for yourself! You will be glad that you did.
I received this book free from the publisher. 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.
November 29, 2020
Os Guinness is a wonderful author, and always has good and important things to say. The book was no exception. In the book he investigates how one looks at time depending on how they look at the larger questions of life. To an atheist time only points to our irrelevance, while to a pantheist we are only ever going through another cycle. It is only from a Christian perspective that the idea of time can be redeemed and made sense of. Unfortunately, while undoubtedly important, the majority of the book did not connect with me. I understood what he was writing, but it sounded (mostly) like old news. Near the end, as usual, there were flashes of brilliance. These were usually in the form of useful warning in how to avoid being unintentionally swept up into our cultures wrong use of, and attitude towards time.
April 23, 2020
(3.5) An interesting dive into a territory I haven’t spent much time in: Time!
Fascinating to learn about how perspectives on time have changed drastically throughout history and philosophy, and how hugely influential it is to a culture how they view human freedom and will, responsibility, fate, or karma. Add to that the pitfalls of determinism, generationalism, chronological snobbery, and more!
From the title, I expected the book to be mostly about our individual lives and making the most of our personal time. But I suppose our broader sense of past/present/future have more consequence for our daily lives than we think.
Fascinating to learn about how perspectives on time have changed drastically throughout history and philosophy, and how hugely influential it is to a culture how they view human freedom and will, responsibility, fate, or karma. Add to that the pitfalls of determinism, generationalism, chronological snobbery, and more!
From the title, I expected the book to be mostly about our individual lives and making the most of our personal time. But I suppose our broader sense of past/present/future have more consequence for our daily lives than we think.
January 11, 2020
Enjoyed this new book by Os Guinness. He is a sound astute thinker. His cultural analysis is spot on. It is important for Christians to read his books and learn from this wise teacher. I’ve never read an Os book I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. This one is an excellent treatise on the Christian worldview of time, our place in it, and how to seize the day in a Christian context. Truly excellent. Every Christian should read lots of Os Guinness. And for an even greater treat listen to him speak!
February 10, 2020
As one would expect of Guinness, there's lots of insight and wisdom in this book. Of particular importance and resonance for me was being reminded that how I truly think about time and eternity shapes how I react to frustrations (with, say, the political landscape), fears (the risk of pandemic growing in the East), and the mundane (day-to-day parenting).
(full disclosure: the literary agency I work for represents Os on this book)
(full disclosure: the literary agency I work for represents Os on this book)
February 14, 2021
This book contrasts cyclical, Biblical, and humanist views of time which is a more specific way to highlight differences between worldviews. He argues that the Biblical worldview makes the most sense and calls Christians to review their understanding of time to make sure it doesn't comport with the humanist or modernist view. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who wants to understand the Biblical worldview through the lens of time.
March 23, 2021
Guinness has some fantastic insights into our modern culture, and some excellent critiques. The fact that he's trying to address a broad cultural range of readers makes him stretch for some squishy ecumenical arguments at times when solid biblical reasoning would have done the job better. Overall though, the way he takes on our preoccupation with clock time, our "generationalism," and our wholesale rejection of tradition makes this book well worth the read.
April 11, 2021
Os Guinness has, to me, always been one of the most clear minded and helpful thinkers about the Christian faith and the times we live in. In this book he gives a distinct view of what "seizing the day" means in the Christian worldview and an ultimately hopeful vision of past, present and future. The personal struggles of his early life serving with his family in China add credibility and confidence to his words. Highly recommended.
March 1, 2021
This probably should have gotten 5* from me, and it was excellently written. I just don’t like philosophy and while Guinness does a more user-friendly and thought-provoking job than others I’ve read it’s still, at its core, a book about thinking about time and how to make the most of it (or thinking about it).
August 21, 2023
I have given this book four stars. It is a intellectual book. I know this because I didn’t understand half of it. If I were to give it more than four stars that would indicate that I understood the ideas and thought they were well expressed. If I gave it less than four stars that would indicate that I understood but felt the ideas could have been better stated.
November 12, 2024
A solid work which thinks much about time and its significance throughout history. The Christian can look forward to the end of time with Christ coming, but the person without faith struggles to find purpose for time.
December 18, 2019
Another fantastic book by Os Guinness!!
May 2, 2020
Os Guinness is always worth reading and listening to! Reading this book gave me a new understanding of how time works in our world. I would recommend this to anyone!
Read
May 19, 2020Excellent book, very relevant to the times in which we, as Christians, are living. Realist about the challenges, but never despairing because of Christ.
June 13, 2020
Typical book by Os Guinness...in other words, full of insight and wisdom. He will give you a lot to think about. Also, I listened to the audiobook, which Dr. Guinness reads - an added bonus!
November 11, 2020
I was hoping for it to be more immediately applicable to my life but it was an interesting look at time (historically and present) and did inspire me to live FOR something.
February 21, 2021
Guinness is fantastic as ever.
May 13, 2021
Polemical, a bit meandering, but absolutely packed with sincere wisdom absolutely necessary for the modern follower of Christ.
February 13, 2022
I am becoming a huge Os Guinness fan.
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