Final part of a review of Samir Selmanovic, It’s Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009).

    In this third and final review I turn to some concerns about the above book. First, it seems to me that the weaknesses of this book are closely related to some of the strengths mentioned in the previous blog. It is true that we can learn from others, both others of faith and others who express doubt and skepticism. But learning from others can also lead us astray. We can learn things from others that are not God or are contrary to God. We can become fascinated by their idols without even realizing it. So I wish the book had focused a bit more on the matter of discernment. While God can be found in the other, God is not always found in the bustle of human activity, but in the “still, small voice” that goes against the popular grain.
    I find that there is some looseness in the way the author handles “truth.” He grounds his view of “learning from others” in the image of God concept of Genesis 1:26-28. The fundamental truth of this conviction is compelling, but it does raise the question of where to draw the line between truth and error, good and evil. Can we learn about God from Adolph Hitler or Osama bin Laden? If the line between truth and error, good and evil, runs down the center of each of our hearts, can we really trust anything that we learn from others? What is the safeguard for this kind of learning that prevents us from falling into gullible nonsense at every turn? Most Christians would find that safeguard in the Bible. Samir seems a little less sure. A little more clarity on how he distinguishes truth and error in his own life would have been helpful.
    For example, the author clearly appreciates the work of the great “mystics” of the Christian church. At its core mysticism is the process of finding God within. There is clearly danger in this. One can find many things within, including one’s own personal confusion, the projected expectations of others, satanic deceptions, etc. One can also find the promptings of the Holy Spirit within. What I don’t see clearly in the book is any kind of guideline as to how to discern right from wrong, or the voice of God from the other voices in our heads and hearts. Traditional Christian faith finds its guidelines in the Scriptures. Dr. Selmanovic rightly recognizes the dangers of bibliolatry, where the Bible (which is “not God” in Samir’s terms) in essence becomes an idol that takes the place of God. We can fall in love with the words of the Bible or our views about the Bible instead of the God to which the Bible points. But the answer to bibliolatry is not an abandonment of revelation in favor of an unfiltered acceptance of what our hearts and the hearts of others have to teach us about knowing God. This is an area that I felt lacked some clarity in the book.
    Second, the book rightly highlights the perils of certainty. Religions help people find certainty in life, but one person’s certainty becomes another person’s threat. When a person or a group “knows” there is an implied criticism of every person or group that differs. So religious certainty tends to divide the world and isolate people from “outsiders.” There is much to be said for this critique of certainty. Paul himself echos Samir when he says “we know in part and we prophesy in part” (1 Cor 13:9-12). Those statements are a key part of the “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13. Evidently, for a human being to be absolutely certain diminishes love.
    Nevertheless, something bothered me as I read this part of the book. Perhaps this is an unfair criticism, but in the post-modern context I get the impression that the author is certain that the certainty of others is more flawed than his own uncertainty. “All certainties are wrong,” is a certainty of its own. So I’m not sure Samir has fully escaped a logical circle here. Having said that, I think he offers a message that the religious zealots of the world desperately need to consider.
    Finally, there is one place in the book where I, as a biblical scholar, just could not follow the author. On pages 238 and 239 he takes Genesis 12:1-3, which describes Abraham being a blessing to the world, as a call to allow the world to bless Abraham and his descendants. While there is much that is appealing about that idea, it simply is not in the text itself, and implying that it is seems to me a leap of faith. I loved the part of the book that follows, where Dr. Selmanovic points out the pitfalls in being a blessing, but his argument there is not grounded in Scripture, it is grounded in life. That for me is enough, I wish he had left the Scriptural claim out of the book.
    Here’s the “life” part I liked. The recipient of a gift is usuallyperceived as the weaker party in a transaction. The receiver becomesobligated to the giver and loses some of his or her independence. Thisexplains the reluctance of people to receive gifts at times. Givingputs us in control of the other to some degree. So a major motivationfor Christians to “bless” the world is that it makes the worldobligated to them. Everyone wants to teach, nobody wants to learn. Theauthor argues that a mature Christianity will offer its gifts in thehumility that accepts gifts in return. It will offer teaching in ateachable spirit. It will learn along with those who learn from it. Theworld will need Christians once Christians learn to need the world.
    Let me offer a small caveat to this challenging argument that cuts to the heart. The blessing which was offered to the world through Abraham is a blessing that came from God and God alone. Abraham could bless others only to the degree that he himself was already blessed by God. It was “bless others as you have been blessed.” In the end, the hero of this story is not Abraham, but God. So if it’s really all about God, it is possible for Christians to “bless” the world without implying any obligation in return. When self is put out of sight, God alone will be honored. When God alone is exalted in the blessing, the world will truly be blessed. And to the degree that Christianity has failed to bless in this way, it has failed in its mission to the world. When the blessing we offer is a tool to gain political and economic advantage over others, whether or not we have intended it as such, it is no blessing at all.
    The author of this book has “blessed” us all with a clearer vision of the one God who is all in all. But he could only give what he has already received. I invite you to embrace the gift and pass it on. Or in the words of a recent movie, “Pay It Forward.”