Intended for Good

The Puritans used to say that providence is the last refuge of the saints. Melvin Tinker's personal experience and work as a pastor have led him to believe that the doctrine of God's providence should be amongst the first refuges for the Christian seeking strength and comfort. From the early church right through into the nineteenth century, belief in providence was part of the staple diet of professing Christians. For various reasons, the doctrine was eclipsed in the nineteenth century, and yet it still lies on the edges of much Christian thought and practice today. However, rightly understood, the providence of God shines as a glorious jewel in the crown of the Christian faith. Melvin Tinker's exposition of the wonderful facets of that jewel is both pastoral and practical. 'Is anybody in charge around here? Does anybody care about me?' The answer to both these questions is 'God' and that is the Christian doctrine of providence. In this easy-to-read book, Melvin Tinker brings home to us what that means in practice as we see God working his purposes in our lives. There are no simple answers, but Tinker can make hard things clear and help us understand who is watching over us and why. Highly recommended. --Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham, AL Melvin Tinker has the gift of making difficult doctrines accessible. Here he does it with the 'mystery' of the Bible's teaching on providence. There is no dumbing down, nor going further than the Bible itself takes us, in order to make matters simpler than they are. . . . Intended for Good deserves a big welcome! --Paul Helm, Regent College, Vancouver, BC, Canada In this book, Melvin Tinker strives for biblical faithfulness. Equally, he shows how the doctrine of providence ought to function in a believer's life: this book is pastorally shrewd and sensitive . . . it will provide a framework of mature Christian reflection that will stabilize us as we focus with joy and trust on God's perfections and reliability. --D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL Melvin Tinker is Senior Minister of Saint John Newland Church in Hull, England. He was chaplain to Keele University and is a well-known speaker and author of numerous articles on theology. His books include Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?, Reclaiming Genesis, and What Do You Expect? Ecclesiastes for Today.