The Great good thing is Andrew Klavan’s memoir of his long, slow journey to faith. His story begins in a Jewish community in New York, where Klavan grows up in a dysfunctional family that is culturally Jewish. At thirteen, his father forced him to participate in his bar mitzvah. He was deeply resentful and became an atheistic. However, he was an avid reader, particularly of classics and soon realized that Western Civilization was based on Judeo-Christian ethics. While this lead him to investigate Christianity, it was a long time before he came to faith.
Klavan was an angry young man for an extended period and developed some mental health issue. He sought help from a psychiatrist over a five-year period which brought him some peace of mind. However, his real conversion took place when he acknowledged the logic of believing in God and prayed the simplest of prayers, “Thank you God.”
I very much enjoyed reading about Klavan’s journey to faith as it clearly portrayed God’s faithfulness and persistence in pursuing a relationship with Klavan over several decades. I did become a little weary during his “angry young man” stage but in the context of his story, his anger was understandable. The great good thing, is well written and easy to read.
Overall a great read.
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