2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Pastoring is not what you think by Elijah Oladimeji follows Pastor Job’s ordinary dealings with his wife, congregation and the public, and explores how secular and religious duties overlap and interact. The author discusses the conservative Christian perspective on many themes such as mental health, gun laws and immigration.
Oladimeji has inferred some apparent parallels between Job in the Bible and Pastor Job in his own novel as they share a name. Job in the Bible is an upstanding, wealthy and pious man who is tested by overwhelming and difficult circumstances which in some ways match Pastor Job’s; for instance, a faithless wife and poverty. This novel explores how the classic ideas that faith conquers all and God works in mysterious ways resolve the everyday difficulties that pastors and laypeople alike encounter.
This book will be most enjoyed by people who are interested in religion or are religious themselves as it delves into one pastor’s thoughts on various overreaching themes such as faith, relationships, prosperity and politics. I would not recommend this book to someone who is uninterested in a conventional religious perspective or does not find sermons and preaching compelling.
However, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars because the writing style makes the story feel artificial and disjointed. The dialogue is difficult to read, as it is unnatural and disconnected. This makes the book’s intended message less effective and unconvincing. I did not rate it 1 star because it addresses some interesting issues and I did not rate it 3 stars because it is difficult to read given the writing’s poor flow. Even though there were a few grammatical errors such as, misplaced or missing quotation marks and an improper question mark, these minor problems did not affect the understanding of the book.
I most appreciated hearing the perspective of a pastor on timeless and current issues, as I believe the best way to encourage empathy is through thorough understanding. Unfortunately, these discussions were poorly integrated and read more like a patchwork of thoughts loosely related to the plot with little disguise of literary intent. Oladimeji brought up a wide variety of topics which minimized the depth of discussion and discovery for each. All of the subjects could have easily made up an entire novel on their own. This could have allowed for the author to provide more insight and create more of an impact. For example, the political conundrum of gun violence was brought up very early on, but was never touched on again. Very little was said other than the basic stance supporting gun control although this problem, as are most issues, is nuanced as it interacts with freedom, privacy, safety, minorities and mental health.
Although I would have preferred a compelling and well-written story to transcend a pastor’s inner toils and struggles, Pastoring is not what you think does raise many interesting issues and may provide an opening for people to further contemplate their own positions on these subjects.
******
Pastoring is not what you think
View: on Bookshelves
Like Aurelia Rose's review? Post a comment saying so!
