This book review is in honor of the life of Richard B Couser. Before I tell you about his book let me tell you a bit about the man. Richard was a lawyer and practiced law at Orr & Reno PA. Richard Couser’s personal faith in Jesus Christ came to him in adulthood after reading through the Gospel of Mark. According to his family, “He gained a reputation for diligence and integrity in the legal profession, which earned him repeated listings in the Best Lawyers in America, America’s Leading Business Lawyers and Best of the U.S”
Richard learned that he could use his legal training to serve God by way of speaking and writing newsletters. Richard Couser wrote Ministry and the American Legal System, followed by Managing Risks: First Steps in Identifying Congregational Liability and a contribution to When a Congregation is Betrayed: Responding to Clergy Misconduct. He then turned to devoting his life to the study of the book of Deuteronomy. Which lead to his last book The Deuteronomy Project. Richard passed away Sept. 23, 2008, after a long battle with cancer. This review is in honor of a man of integrity and who turned his life profession around to serve God.
When I first spied the 505 page book it looked to be as intimating as studying the book of Deuteronomy itself. I have read mixed reviews, some saying it was a bit dry for them. I did not find this to be true. Richard takes the passages from the book of Deuteronomy and weaves them into a novel that will capture your desire to know more. <!–more–>While reading this book I was like Chris, the lawyer who wanted to glean as much knowledge from Hal the retired pastor. Hal teaches Chris to look at the passages of Deuteronomy not only as historical but to also view each story, each map, each historical event with his spiritual eyes.
This is not a book to be read quickly. The Deuteronomy Project is filled with theology and history of Deuteronomy. So if you are a layman like me, it needs to be digested slowly. Chris’ desire to learn and know more, increased my own desire to dig deeper into the book of Deuteronomy for its spiritual depth. When Richard Couser began his study of The Deuteronomy Project his desire was to tell the story in a way lay Christians can understand.
When you walk away from this book you will gain understanding of biblical geography and history, identification with characters, meaning and relevance for laws that many of us say are to old for us to follow today, along with understanding the spiritual depth of the Old Testament. If you are looking for a book that helps you dig deeper I recommend The Deuteronomy Project, but understand it is a book to be read and digrested slowly. I am thankful I have leanred about Richard Couser and thankful for his indepth research into the book of Deuteronomy.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I’d like to read this.