Title: In the Beginning Who?
Subtitle: An Unconventional Guide to Understanding and Knowing God
Author: Charles William Hamilton, Jr.
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 978-1490843360
Pages: 248
Genre: Christian Non-fiction
Reviewer: Ephantus M.
Hollywood Book Reviews
In the Beginning Who?: An Unconventional Guide to Understanding and Knowing God, by author Charles William Hamilton Jr. is an honest, often humorous, and deeply personal exploration that challenges readers to be deliberate about knowing God for themselves, beyond any superficial belief they may have had before. Hamilton wonders aloud whether the people who profess to believe in God really know Him and whether those who don’t believe might come to, if only they understood Him differently. With this concern in mind, he sets out to present another side of God, offering readers a chance to grasp a fuller, more intimate, as well as a more rational understanding of the divine.
Some people, according to Hamilton, reject God not because of who He is but because of negative experiences with people who claim to know Him, yet their conduct and way of living repel more than it attracts. He strongly feels that this among other distorted representations have made many of them form an opinion of God which is false and far damaging, made worse by their widespread unwillingness to dig into the Bible to know the authentic Him. He specifically emphasizes in the strongest words that unlike what many people may expect, God is sovereign. He genuinely wants to be understood and approached by people by faith, a faith not rooted in blind belief but in real reasonable knowledge.
Hamilton looks to challenge superficial or inherited beliefs firmly making the point that religious familiarity is not the same as spiritual intimacy. He also seeks to dismantle the myth faith and reason are enemies, insisting true faith must be based on understanding. With bold clarity he reminds readers God is not threatened by questions or crucial thought. Throughout the book, he profoundly unpacks deep insights on The Trinity, as a relational lens through which humans can understand how God connects with them as well as how the Bible, reason and even human emotion are tools He uses to invite them into deeper knowledge of Himself.
This book is set apart by how Hamilton weaves in personal stories – like his encounter with a young, tattooed woman whose compliment about his cross necklace quickly becomes a metaphor for how symbols speak volumes – and how they also often mislead. There is also a story about his encounter with another woman which triggers a powerful analogy about how God approaches wounded people. His tone is relatable, never talks down to the reader, which is brilliant of him to make comfortable those readers who normally feel intimidated by theology.
In the Beginning Who?: An Unconventional Guide to Understanding and Knowing God by Charles William Hamilton Jr. is a warm and engaging read which skillfully employs humor to lead readers into deeper reflection. It offers an open invitation to think, feel and question in the pursuit of truly knowing God beyond surface-level belief, toward authentic spiritual intimacy. Anyone seeking to grow their faith or deepen their understanding about faith while remaining cautious of religious dogmas will appreciate its thoughtful, fresh perspective and by the end they will be able to discover that God doesn’t hide and He is never silent. That realization is nothing short of revolutionary!