Eli Landrum. Cleveland, TN: Parson’s Porch Books, 2017. 128 pp. (Paperback).
I wonder how many sermons and Sunday School lessons I have heard (and taught) about the story of the prodigal son. I know that it’s a lot, but here is another take on the story. But wait, there’s more … No, this is not a late-night commercial for a slicer and dicer. It’s a pleasant reaction to the way Eli Landrum presents an old familiar story.
The author notes at the outset that he didn’t start out to discover some previously hidden truth in the passage but to “explore its meaning for me, for people who have received God’s amazing and incomprehensible love, and for others outside God’s kingdom by choice to whom God goes on offering His inclusive grace and for whom He has measureless compassion.”
But why call the story “unfinished”? Many commentaries have noted that the parable leaves us with questions. Ultimately the answer is found in the paragraph above: The missing portion of the story is us and where we fit into God’s family. Maybe not a hidden truth but certainly one worth considering.
Eli Landrum’s name and writings are familiar to most Southern Baptists. He worked as an editor for LifeWay and continues to write for them in retirement. He and his wife live in Nashville.
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Meet the reviewer
Martine Bates Fairbanks, Ed.D., reviews books and movies for The Alabama Baptist. She is a university professor and retired principal. She is a member of Central Baptist Church, Decatur.
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