Book Review: Nine Words by Allen R. Hunt

Nine Words: A Bible Study to Help You Become the Best-Version-of-Yourself® by Allen R. Hunt

Christian self-help books always seem a bit awkward to me. The Christian genre is usually all about our dependence on God and our need for His grace to make our lives better. The self-help genre is usually all about our ability to make our lives better if only we had the method that the author has discovered. On the face of it, the genres look incompatible and books that combine the two generally fall on one side or the other. This book offers a way to be your best through a Bible study. Where does it fall or does it find a graceful middle ground?

The nine words of the title are taken from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians: "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." [Gal 5:22-23] Each chapter of the book discusses one of the words using both biblical and personal examples and insights. Each chapter ends with five practical and concrete tips for improving that particular fruit in one's own life.

The introduction has the reader rank himself or herself from one to ten on each of the nine fruits. The reader circles a number on a chart for each one. At the end of the book, presumably after study and application, another chart is available for the reader to assess progress. The last couple of pages have study questions for groups using the book.

I have mixed thoughts about the book. The tone of the book is off-putting for me. The phrase "the Best-Version-of-Yourself®" is used a lot (though not always with the registered trademark symbol) and gives the text an infomercial feel that doesn't mesh well with the theological intention. The book lands a lot on the self-help side, especially when the author confesses his own challenges and triumphs with the methods he recommends. A personal witness is great and he is very bible-focused but I still get more of a corporate salesmanship vibe than I ought to from this book. On the other hand, the practical tips are good. They are concrete and challenging in the right way, like "Serve a person who cannot possibly benefit you in return." [p. 31] The book does land mostly on the self-help side.

Slightly recommended.