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    The Will of God
    The Will of God
    The Will of God
    Ebook66 pages1 hour

    The Will of God

    By Leslie D. Weatherhead

    3.5/5

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    During the tumultuous era of World War II, the city of London shattered under unrelenting bombs dropped by Nazi Germany. Millions of buildings were destroyed or damaged, tens of thousands of civilians were killed, and survivors were left to ask: How can this destruction be part of God’s plan? What is God’s will in all of this?

    After City Temple in London was reduced to rubble, Rev. Leslie Weatherhead crafted five sermons on understanding the will of God to help his congregation endure religious doubt as their city—and church—crumbled around them. Weatherhead’s sermons were eventually published as The Will of God, a resource that has sold more than a million copies and has been a lifeline for grieving persons seeking to understand God’s purpose for their pain. This revised edition of the classic book includes background information and photos of the historical setting that inspired this book, and a new cover and layout to refresh a timeless message—both for new readers and returning fans.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAbingdon Press
    Release dateDec 1, 2011
    ISBN9781426725029
    Author

    Leslie D. Weatherhead

    Leslie D. Weatherhead s thoughtful and compelling writings brought him worldwide acclaim during his lifetime. He served as longtime pastor of City Temple in London, which he helped rebuild after the London Blitz in WWII. The Will of God is perhaps his best-known work.

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    Reviews for The Will of God

    3.5/5

    22 ratings2 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Rated: C-Purposes 3 wills of God: Intentional, Circumstantial, Ultimate & uses as basis Christ death as God's will for people to follow Christ, will for him to die as good out of evil, will of redemption. Weak premise.
    • 4/5
      This is a good book that I would recommend to anyone striving to answer the question "Why do bad things happen to good people"? I was really struck by the significance of this book - which is actually a compilation of sermons - given the context in which they originated - the 1930's. Undoubtedly, Weatherhead's congregation was dealing with the reality of a brutal war on a daily basis. However, there were some parts of the book that I have issue with. Weatherhead uses "real world" examples to illustrate and support his opinion, but he goes an extra step relating his opinion to the life of Christ that is not supported with scripture and, in fact, seems to contradict old testament prophesy. Had he not gone that extra step, I really don't think I would have had much issue with this book.Linguistically, I like the distinction made here between the "will" of God and the "intention" of God as well. It was a good out-of-the-box thinking exercise to break the "will" of God into the intentional, circumstantial and ultimate "wills" of God.

    Book preview

    The Will of God - Leslie D. Weatherhead

    9781426725029_Cover.jpg

    Half-Title Page

    The Will of God

    Title Page

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    Copyright Page

    THE WILL OF GOD

    Copyright © 1944 by Whitmore & Stone

    Copyright renewal © 1972 by Leslie D. Weatherhead

    New material copyright © 2016 by Abingdon Press

    All rights reserved.

    No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to Abingdon Press, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN 37228-0988.

    ISBN 13: 978-1-4267-2502-9

    Formerly published under ISBN 978-0-687-67482-2, 0-687-67482-7, 0-687-45573-1, 0-687-45599-5, 0-687-45575-8, 0-687-45600-2, and 0-687-45601-0.

    Contents

    Contents

    Foreword

    Preface

    1. God’s Intentional Will

    2. God’s Circumstantial Will

    3. God’s Ultimate Will

    4. Discerning the Will of God

    5. In His Will Is Our Peace:"

    Appendix: Leslie Weatherhead’s London

    Dr. Leslie Weatherhead

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    Dr. Leslie Weatherhead in 1940, a few months before preaching his series of sermons, The Will of God.

    Foreword

    Foreword

    The Will of God

    Inever met Leslie Weatherhead. I never heard him speak in person. But when people ask me which pastors have had the greatest influence on my life, he is one of the first I name.

    Weatherhead’s ministry lasted from 1915, when he was ordained as a Methodist preacher, to 1960, when he retired as the senior minister at the City Temple, London. He began his ministry as a missionary to India and ended it as one of the leading preachers of his time, not only in Great Britain but in the world.

    Yet Weatherhead’s ministry did not stop with his retirement in 1960, nor even at his death in 1976. Through his writings, he continues to speak to new generations. His books largely came from his preaching. He once wrote of preaching, When people gather to worship and listen, a minister must have a message fresh, timely, and, if topical, yet also part of the eternal truth about God. He must balance theological teaching, evangelical appeal, and biblical exposition, and also try to interpret modern events in the light of God’s purposes. This is precisely what Weatherhead’s books did for his readers.

    His books, like his preaching, were an extension of his pastoral ministry. He wrote many of his books to answer questions that keep thinking people from embracing faith and to address doubts that most believers wrestle with from time to time. He provided such thoughtful and insightful answers that many came to faith, or had their faith restored, by reading his books. In his preaching and writing, he hoped to help people follow Christ, to make sense of the world they lived in, and to live their faith in daily life.

    Weatherhead published more than forty books during his ministry. I have more than a dozen in my library, a couple of which are first editions. I’ve read several of his books multiple times, including this one. I don’t agree with everything he wrote, but even where I disagree, I appreciate his integrity, courage, and forthrightness.

    At times Weatherhead was lambasted by his critics. Some claimed his preaching was too liberal. Of course, liberal is a relative term. If he was a liberal, he was an evangelical liberal. His greatest desires were to help nonreligious people find faith and to help Christians build a faith that could stand in the face of a changing world. He sought to challenge, comfort, deepen, and equip his readers. And he hoped to compel them to live their faith in such a way that they not only were praying but working to see that God’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven.

    Of all the books Leslie Weatherhead wrote, the one you hold in your hands is his most widely read and influential. In its pages, over a million people have found help in making sense of theodicy—the tension between belief in a good and loving God and the reality of suffering in our world. Forty years after his death, and seventy years after he wrote the book, it continues to provide some of the best answers to this age-old dilemma. I have given the book to dozens of people. It inspired me to write what I view as a companion to this book, similar in length and in focus: Why? Making Sense of God’s Will.

    I’m grateful that Abingdon is publishing this new edition of Dr. Weatherhead’s work. I hope and pray that this little book is as helpful to you as it has been to me.

    Adam Hamilton

    Preface

    Preface

    Here are five talks on the will of God, given to my City Temple congregation. My friends the Rev. Edgar C. Barton and the Rev. Leslie F. Church thought their publication might

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