The Great Investment: Faith, Family and Finance

This uneven effort by the indomitable Jakes (The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord) inadvertently contains two discrete books--one on family, and one on personal finance. The sections on family are the best; Jakes compares the ideal Christian family (two parents, one of whom is a stay-at-home mom, and both of whom were virgins when they wed) with the more diverse reality of contemporary America. He quite effectively addresses nontraditional configurations such as blended, one-parent, and grandmother-headed families in a supportive and nonjudgmental tone. Jakes speaks specifically to African-American families like his own, who were left ""emancipated but incapacitated"" after generations of slavery. The finance portion of the book reflects Jakes's desire to avoid preaching the health-and-wealth gospel while simultaneously telling readers that God wants them to be financially comfortable. Jesus, says Jakes, desires Christians to have the kind of worldly influence that only wealth can bring. Much of Jakes's financial advice is typical of other Christian money gurus such as Larry Burkett and Mary Hunt, though without their detailed plans for debt-free living and profitable investing. Jakes stands out with his memorable biblical examples of prudent money management and his clear stance that Christian tithing should be from gross, not net, income. While there are flashes of genius in both the finance and family sections, the whole would be improved by a more narrow focus on just one of its parts. (Nov.) Forecast: This title does not have the female audience appeal that helped to sell more than a million copies of Woman, Thou Art Loosed!, but Jakes's name and well-established television ministry will ensure reasonable success for this volume. Booksellers might consider stocking it under both religion and personal finance.