Book Review: Captivated by Thabiti Anyabwile

Captivated by Thabiti Anyabwile is the product of a series of sermons preached at First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman where he pastors.  Each chapter is based on a sermon that was preached as a part of the series.  It definitely had the feel of reading a sermon at times, especially in the way the book was organized.  I am not sure if this is a fault or just a reality that is not surprising due to the nature of the book.

Thabiti intends to motivate the reader to think deeply about the cross and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The introduction states, "Genuine contemplation of these questions requires we set aside our early lessons about politeness for a while and stare into the mystery of the cross and resurrection.  What follows is an attempt to do just that—to stare at Jesus and be captivated by Him."

Pastor Anyabwile, at the beginning of each chapter, presents a question from the Scriptures that charts the direction of the chapter.  1) Is there no other way?  2) Why have you forsaken me?  3) Where, o death, is your victory?  4) Why do you seek the living among the dead?  5) Do you not know these things?  The author answers these questions with thorough attention to Scripture and the heart of a pastor for his people.

The section of the book that ministered to me the most was in chapter four where the author talks about redirecting our attention from the cross to the resurrection.  There is no denying the importance of the cross.  However, we must not forget that the story does not end with the cross.  He writes, "If we get stuck on the cross without contemplating the resurrection, then our faith feels like death rather than life.  Our faith remains stuck on tragedy without triumph.  The resurrection adds triumph to the tragedy!"  While it is certainly not an either/or, this section perhaps offers a helpful corrective to a tendency to neglect the importance of the resurrection.

I found myself asking the question throughout, "To whom would I recommend this book."  Though in some ways it seems to be geared toward unbelievers, it uses a lot of churchy language that most unchurched people would find difficult.  Yet, it is far from a theological treatise intended to greatly challenge the thinking of the mature believer.  None of this is surprising since the book is based on sermons the author preached in his church.  I think Captivated is best suited as a devotional that a believer may use to help him meditate upon the riches of what Christ accomplished through his death and resurrection.

While there is nothing that particularly stands out about this book, it is theologically sound and would make a good resource for churches to make available to their members in the weeks leading up to Easter.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher as a part of the Cross Focused Reviews program.