Introduction

Drew Dyck wrote Yawning at Tigers: You Can’t Tame God, So Stop Trying in 2014. Nelson Books, a trademark of Thomas Nelson, published the book. Evangelical authors and influencers like Lee Strobel, Philip Yancey, Colin Hansen, and Ed Stetzer recommend the book.

Who is Drew Dyck?

Drew Dyck holds an M.A in Theology and serves as the managing editor of Leadership Journal. He is a speaker, author, blogger, and editor.  His articles have been featured in popular publications like USA Today, Christianity Today, and The Huffington Post. He’s also the author of the book, “Generation Ex-Christian: Why Young Adults are Leaving the Faith…And How to Bring Them Back.” His latest book is titled, “Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science.”

Summary of the Book

Drew’s goal with this book is to help Christians gain a better understanding of God’s character. The book is a response to the trend in Christian circles to minimize some attributes of God like justice, righteousness, and wrath, while emphasizing attributes like love, mercy, kindness, etc. Drew Dyck sees these trends as attempts to tame God by de-emphasizing his holiness.

Drew attempts to recover a reverent fear and awe of God. While God is immanent and he draws close to us, he is also the holy and transcendent God. Drew seeks to help us find the right balance. As he said, “we thirst for transcendence and long to be loved. In the full portrayal of God found in Scripture, we find both.”

He divides the book into two parts. Part one, titled “Tiger Territory,” introduces us to the holy God. The fundamental identification of God in the scriptures is that he is holy. Every other attribute (love and justice, steadfast and faithfulness) flows out of that holiness. God is a consuming fire. When he appeared to Daniel, Isaiah, John, etc. they trembled. When he came down to Sinai, the people trembled. While that holy God draws us into fellowship through Christ, he is still the same holy God, the consuming fire, the transcendent God. He ends Part one by calling us to reflect God’s holiness in our personal lives and the world. We are to live holy lives and strive for justice in the culture.

The second part goes into detail about the holy love of God. His love, like his justice, flows out of his holiness. When God loves, it is holy love. The transcendent God is also the immanent God, and in Christ, he chose to tabernacle with us. Christ went to the cross to die to satisfy the holy justice of God. Therefore, in Christ’s death, holy justice, and holy love meet. One of the most important points he makes here is that we cannot appreciate God’s love and grace enough until we understand his greatness. Our ability to grasp and revel in his love and grace depends on our grasp of his majesty.

What I Like About the Book

• Concreteness

Drew is a skillful writer. The imagery he used in this book makes the concepts he is communicating very clear and concrete. His storytelling skills and preference for concrete language makes it easy to understand his message.

• Theology

Drew presents a sound understanding of God’s holiness. The clarity with which he explains the transcendence and the immanence of God is praiseworthy. He does not allow popular culture (Christian) to taint his understanding of who God is. Instead, he goes straight to the source – the Scriptures and presents a convincing theology of God’s holiness

• Skillful Balance

When you write on issues like this, it is difficult to achieve balance. It is easy to speak so much of God’s justice and wrath that we lose focus of his love and mercy. Drew does not fall into that error. With the skill of a theologian and an expert writer, he carefully navigates a biblical balance on this subject.

• Christ-centered

He keeps a focus on the revelation of God in Christ throughout the book.

• Confronts Popular Christian Culture

Popular Culture has a truncated view of God, and the fault lies with us believers. In our age of consumerism, we have tried to tame God to make him appealing to sinful and fallen men. Drew exposes all of our attempts to tame God and to make him a product to sell to the culture. He exposes our idolatry and points us back to the thrice-holy God who has revealed himself in Scriptures.

Why you should read it

• Clarity

Drew is an amazing writer. He communicates his message with clarity.

• Simplicity

The book is simple to understand. He uses a structure that makes it easy to follow. He divides the book into two parts reflecting the two overarching themes and systematically develops his thoughts.

• Organization

The use of headings, sub-headings, and short paragraphs makes the book readable. Once you start reading, you will not want to drop the book.

• Theology

If you desire to have a sound understanding of who God is, this is a necessary read. If you are tired of the currents attempt to tame God and market him to unbelievers, this is a must-read.

• Concreteness

His masterful use of images will make these ideas concrete in your mind. The stories will make the book memorable for you.

Helpful Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Yawning-Tigers-Cant-Tame-Trying/dp/140020545X

Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/212109653/Yawning-at-Tigers-You-Can-t-Tame-God-So-Stop-Trying

Audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/Yawning-at-Tigers-Audiobook/B00JZW274G

Quotes: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/27186809-yawning-at-tigers-you-can-t-tame-god-so-stop-trying

Website: https://www.drewdyck.com