The Nature and Character of God

He talks about the nature and character of God. He explains how nature is metaphysical, something you do not choose. But character is moral, something you do choose. The book covers the natural and moral attributes of God. That includes the debate whether God is inside of time or outside of time. That has to do with the nature of God. I enjoyed what I read from this book on that particular issue. He also talks about the moral government of God and the free will of both God and man. It is a very scholarly, thought provoking book. I enjoyed how every topic relating to the nature and character of God had a thorough Greek and Hebrew word study. Winkie also compiled great quotes on each topic from Christians throughout history.

This book is so good, it's ruined me on most other books, being jammed with sparkling, rational, cogent discussion, and offering insights on fundamental issues: the nature of time, existence, reality and God's (and our) relationship to it. The ratio of (ideas+insights)/page is very high and is sustained page after page. Subjects begin with all relevant Biblical quotes on the subject, continue with a short lexical study of the words used in the original languages, a question and answer discussion, then an analysis section which excerpts quotes from history's great thinkers on each subject (say Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Wesley, Lewis, Einstein, Edwards, etc.), comparing the implications of each thought, distilling them into a discussion that will be profitable to a range of readers, not just academics. The book is organized into 3 main parts: #1: "God is Uncreated", #2: "God is Creator", #3: "God is Triune" Each part has subsections that explore different implications, but they are so interrelated, the divisions aren't that strong. You can pick up the book, open to a random page and dive in. Some subjects (such as God's relation to time) appear in multiple areas. The author includes his thoughts, yet avoids being dogmatic. The result is a rich discussion. This book will provide a better education on these issues than most seminary students can get nowadays. It's the book I've had lurking in the back of my mind and wished I had written, but am now glad Pratney did, since he did it so well. A great problem of the church recently has been poor and ineffective teaching. At times, an insistence that people either aren't interested in or lack the the capacity to understand the rational basis of belief and God. This has led to "feel-good/self-esteem" religion and "shopping cart" religion which, in the end, dissolves into apostasy and backsliding and a Christianity unable to defend itself. People say they have "faith in Christ", but have no grounded idea of who Christ was and what it means to have faith. Their faith amounts to words they say but don't grasp, and is easily knocked away. The secular world sees this and is not impressed. The cycle of growing ignorance intensifies and reinforces itself until even church leaders flail aimlessly, lacking any foundation and start to think there is no rational foundation. The corrective to this is to understand that Christ, the Bible, man, history, the natural world are all functions of the nature and attributes of God. There are things that God is and things that He is not; things He can do and that He cannot do. If one doesn't understand what is meant by "God", inevitably there is drift in your understanding of all other things as the currents of fad and society pull you along. God has a specific nature and attributes, many of which have been revealed in the Bible and natural world. Understanding what these are allows you to understand much else about reality in a coherent, producti

This is a great resource for anyone studying the nature of God. It is also helpful in stimulating discussion relating to this subject as there are questions included in each chapter about the characteristics included. The section of questions alone included in each chapter is worth the cost of this book. There are quotes from a variety of different thinkers/theologians relating to each chapter's contents. This book would be helpful to someone trying to come to grips with who God is and why the world is the way it is. Great for those wrestling with the existence and nature of God. Highly recommended.

I first read this book because it was required for a class. I read it again because it challenged me. Winkie Pratney guides the reader along a soul stirring path. That path is a jouney to dicover who God is. Through Pratney's thorough study he brings in different view points from different denominations throughout history. Winkie then applies logic and the Bible to those different perspectives. This proccess helps the reader see a clearer picture of who the God of the Bible is. A challenging and thought provoking book.