WILLING BUT WEAK:
Fighting to put self-control at the heart of
Christian discipleship.
By Paul Williams
10 Publishing 104 pages £4.99
ISBN 978 1 913 278 007
This is a short and very readable book about self control.
It has 18 short, snappy chapters and is clear and to the point. It is also Biblical and down to earth. The chapters cover a basic introduction to the topic and then look at some specific areas of struggle, like speech, alcohol, sex, anger, screens and money.
I could be wrong, but I had the impression that it was aimed at young men, and as a middle-aged woman it didn’t really resonate very deeply with me. It did not feel very nuanced and the psychology, or theology, of why we lose our self-control was not really addressed. I would have expected the teachings of Romans 7 to be looked at, where Paul struggles in that ‘what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.’ Overall it had a rather superficial, simplistic feel to it. ‘Just Don’t Do It’ could have been the title. Also, knowing what a huge issue pornography is, I thought it would be dealt with in some depth, but it was mentioned a couple of times and not really unpacked.
Easy to read
On a positive note, it is very easy to read, he tells amusing stories and it is straightforward, clear and true. The last few chapters are helpful in leading us to God when we feel guilty after losing our self-control.
As a whole it is a useful introduction to the topic, but it is not answering any deeper questions we may have about why we can be embroiled in destructive patterns, or how to disengage from them. Consequently, I found it a little lacking.
