Shadows of Things to Come: A Prophetic Look at God's Unfolding Plan

Charismatic Christian author Joyner (The Final Quest and The Call) draws upon years of research into church history to warn modern Christians to embrace an attitude of humility and to repent of their casual indifference to God. If America's church fails to heed this advice, he cautions, it cannot fulfill its biblical mandate of hastening the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Despite this rather startling premise, the book is dry and disjointed, and its historical approach may fail to excite the charismatic Christian audience Joyner is seeking. In his overview of church history, Joyner highlights the importance of apostolic foundations and their value for today's church. He sketches a timeline of significant events and world leaders (such as Constantine) who influenced church history, and discusses their legacy. The historical sections flow together poorly, and Joyner often fails to connect them to the book's ostensible argument, which is that history is supposed to point the way toward understanding biblical prophecy. Joyner seems more at home discussing contemporary charismatic renewal, as when he generously credits revivalists such as Sam Jones and Evan Roberts with igniting mass spiritual awakenings. Joyner's text conveys his obvious passion for God, yet many of the accounts fall flat and fail to evoke a zealous response. (Apr.)