A Book Review: The Home Team

The Home Team by Clint Archer is well-written, freshly illustrated, challenging, and engaging book on the family.  The subtitle, God's Game Plan for the Family, demonstrates the purpose of the book.  Clint Archer has done an excellent job in writing a book on the family that will be a blessing to families and a useful resource for the church of the Lord Jesus.

When I first picked up the book, my first thought was, "Do we really need another book on the family?"  My answer to that question before reading this book was, "No."  There are a wealth of good gospel-centered resources for the family that have come out recently.  After reading this book though, I am confident that Clint Archer has made an important contribution in this area.

Archer begins the book where the Bible begins.  He goes to Genesis 2-3 to set God's design for the family in the context of creation.  He then points out that the problems and discord that exist in families are a result of the Fall.  The effects of the Fall are widespread and can only be pushed back by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One of the things that stands out about this book is Archer's use of illustrations.  The book is full of sports illustrations and athletic metaphors, potentially making the book engaging for dads who are not big readers.  These are not illustrations just for the sake of having illustrations.  Each illustration helps drive home the point that is being made.  Also, while the illustrations are from sports, one does not have to be a sports fan to understand the things that are being communicated.

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to think more deeply about the family from a gospel-centered perspective.  This book should prove to be a valuable resource to the church as we seek to preserve God's plan for the family in a day of shifting cultural priorities.


I received this book as a part of the Cross Focused Reviews program.