Not the Way It's Supposed to Be

If you're the type of person who judges a book by its cover or title, you might not ever pick up the book "Not the Way It's Supposed to Be, a Breviary of Sin." After all, what the heck is a "breviary?" 

If you're one of those people, and skipped over this one, you would miss out on a really great book. 

"Not the Way It's Supposed to Be" was written by Cornelius Plantinga Jr., and is a brief summary (breviary) on the topic of sin. Plantinga is the president of Calvin Theological Seminary, but writes with a simple style that is easy to understand. 

In "Not the Way It's Supposed To Be," Plantinga describes how all sin is an interference with the way things are supposed to be; God-ordained shalom. Sin is an offense to God not just because it assaults him directly, but also because it assaults what He has created and designed. Sin is described as a corruption, perversion, pollution, disintegration, as well as a parasite, masquerade, foolish attack against Who God is and What God has created. 

It isn't much fun to talk, think, or read about sin, because you and I are guilty. But without an honest understanding of what sin is, we can't come close to a true understanding of the Gospel. 

If you're looking for a book that has some meat on it, but is delivered in accessible language, this breviary would be a good one to pick up.