Saturday, November 26, 2016

Book Review: The Romance Of Redemption by Dr. Warren Gage

Dr. Warren Gage has written a wonderfully powerful book, a devotional book that stirs the imagination and points the Christian to Jesus, the royal bridegroom. The book is called  The Romance Of redemption: Your Story As The Bride Of Christ. The book is 143 pages, broken up into six main sections including an introduction to the book (titled: The Romance of Redemption) and an Epilogue on Mary Magdalene. The stated theme of this work, Dr. Gage says, "... is about the romantic heart of the Redeemer God."[1] The book clearly depicts the love that Christ has for us and how the sovereign God has planned, from the beginning, to rescue us from sin, Satan, and death. .

            Dr. Gage opens the book with an introduction that reflects upon the fairy tales told to children. Those that involve a mistreated maiden who is rescued by a handsome prince. The two are married in a castle and live happily ever after. He goes on to say "So we must ask ourselves whether these folk tales point us towards some greater truth. Are they reflections of a grander story? Does their imaginative fiction point us towards a factual tale?"[2] Within the pages of The Romance Of Redemption Dr. Gage answers those questions.
            I have to mention that from the moment I began reading I couldn't stop. The way Dr. Gage exquisitely retells familiar biblical stories not only increases the enjoyment, but also depends the way we understand these texts. He is not only a biblical scholar, but also a master poet; weaving biblical theology and poetic beauty throughout this work, the end result is a wonderfully rich devotional that is easy and enjoyable to read.  
            Dr. Gage's insight is astonishing. He draws out many parallels and illuminates the biblical text masterfully. One parallel that caught my attention was on Page 30 where he discusses the similarities between Moses and figures like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

"Like Noah, Moses was delivered from the waters of death by an ark daubed with pitch. Like Abraham, the Lord vindicated Moses by bringing plagues upon the house of  Pharaoh. Like Isaac and Jacob, Moses discovered the woman he was to marry at a well."
There are some connections that he makes that I am still not sure are true parallels, but there are only a very few and they may well turn out to be valid. These too are wonderful because they cause me to think long and hard about the biblical text and about Jesus.

            In the end let me say that this is a book well worth reading and rereading. Get a copy for yourself and one for a friend. You will be enriched and your friend will thank you.

You can get a copy HERE or HERE.


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Disclosure of Material: I received this book free from St. Andrews House Publishers/, LLC as part of the Book Crash review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR Title 16, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”




[1] Dr. Warren Gage, The Romance Of Redemption. Saint Andrews House, LLC. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 2016. 6


[2] IBID, 4.