LOVING GOD

A debut guide offers a foundational call for Christians to revitalize their faith.

The “Greatest Commandment” referred to in the subtitle of LaFountain’s book is found, among other places, in the Gospel of St. Matthew: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” As the author points out, “Getting a rhythm where all three of these are working together can be hard,” and the bulk of her work is dedicated to helping clarify and lighten that difficulty. One easy-to-remember tactic is something LaFountain abbreviates as “PACT”—prayer, accountability, confession, and time, each element of which is carefully expounded, always firmly grounded in Scripture. One of her goals is to reacquaint her fellow Christians (obviously her target audience) with the sheer wonder that’s at the heart of their religion, the boundless love of God that’s available to them through faith and prayer. “He has SO much love to give; limitless, unconditional, passionate, thoughtful, everlasting, protective, self-sacrificing, Holy love,” she writes. “Our joy is complete only when we are fully in love with God.” These essentials are only achieved against what the author views as some formidable inherent obstacles. It’s human nature that inclines the faithful to go against God, she asserts—it’s the result of living in a fallen world. And a pernicious part of this nature manifests in what LaFountain refers to as “Vampire Christians,” the pseudo-faithful who suck the blood out of their version of Jesus for their own self-serving benefit. In a series of forthright, strongly worded chapters, the author alternates between singing the praises of the Trinity and urging her readers to do likewise for their own spiritual salvations. She clearly tells her audience that people can understand the observable world readily enough without the Holy Spirit, but only faith will enable them to see the invisible world. LaFountain’s ecstatic conviction will remind her more fundamentalist readers of the passionate sermons of their childhoods.

Simple faith proclamations for devout Christians.