Fearfully and Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God's Image
by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey
This is an updated edition, combining two earlier books Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and the sequel In His Image. It's a brilliant book, describing the body of Christ and how it should function through the metaphor of the human body.
Dr. Brand studied as a carpenter, then served as a missionary doctor in India, mainly treating those who suffer from Hansen's disease (leprosy). His words and thoughts have been brought together and organized by Philip Yancey in a seamless way. All you hear is Dr. Brand, even in sections that were updated after Dr. Brand passed away.
Pain, so often viewed as an enemy, is actually the sensation most dedicated to keeping us healthy. If I had the power to choose one gift for my leprosy patients, I would choose the gift of pain. (p. 180)
One of the main goals of the book is to encourage Christians to reach out more to others in the world, those who are hurting physically or emotionally.
Not all of us can serve in parts of the world where human needs abound. But all of us can visit prisons and homeless shelters, bring meals to shut-ins, and minister to single parents or foster children. If we choose to love only in a long-distance way, we will be deprived, for love requires direct contact. (p. 22)
It is best for more mature readers. There are mentions of promiscuity, drug use, and other issues, always from within the Christian lens, but heavy topics nonetheless.
We have learned that what seems attractive and alluring may in fact prove damaging, and that some guidelines on behavior exist for our own good....The state God desires for us, shalom, results in a person fully alive, functioning optimally to the Designer's specifications. (p. 105)
The book is written by non-Catholic Christians, but I didn't see anything concerning in terms of theology. The few comments regarding communion are ones my kids would recognize immediately as Protestant beliefs and therefore not confusing. Catholics are always mentioned with respect. He also touches on his experiences as a Christian in non-Christian countries and in secular environment like medical school in a practical way. Here, he's using the skeleton as a metaphor for his faith.
As I have grappled with these and other issues, I have learned the value of accepting as a rule of life something about which I have intellectual uncertainties. In other words, I have learned to trust the basic skeleton and rely on it even when I cannot figure out how the various bones fit together and why some are shaped the way they are. (p. 113)
He even ends the book with a quote from Teresa of Avila.
Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.
There's a discussion guide at the end that some students may find helpful. I would also like to point out that the dust jacket for the hardcover is beautiful. It's a little busy for my taste, but it's embossed and reflects light from the images and the lettering. The pages feel very nice, too. It's always satisfying to see a publisher create a quality product in both the content and the package.
This book has been discussed in the Mater Amabilis Facebook group many times. Some people suggest it for biology or health, but it's really not sufficient as a biology book. While it does explain some aspects of the human body, it only does so in parts, using those parts to uncover a truth of the universal church. I believe it fits best as spiritual reading, but will be most useful in that place for someone who has already learned a little about biology and the human body.
I loved this book. The insights brings aspects of God's kingdom into focus. I intend to recommend it as an option for First Son (twelfth grade) for spiritual reading. First Daughter may begin anatomy and health this year (ninth grade), but I think I'll recommend it to her when she has finished those courses, in tenth or eleventh grade.
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I purchased this book.
