Book Review: Here and Not Yet, by Joshua Hopping

What does it mean to live in the now, but not yet–on what is it based on? To what do we hold on to when tragedy happens? How do we react to our daily life situations?

Joshua Hopping’s book, Here and not Yet, gives an excellent foundation for Kingdom Theology. It’s a great read to understand the Kingdom of God. It gives the correct lens to see the world thanks, to what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in us and through us.

Written in a very detailed, historically-based, yet easy to understand manner, Hopping manages to bring the Kingdom theology to life without feeling you are in a classroom.

The first section puts you into the biblical context. It tackles a lot of the historic part; it goes back and forth from Jesus’ time, then to the Garden onwards.  Not to worry–it is all very well explained and comes with great stories and examples that are relatable.

The second one deals with “the now.” How does this apply to my life today, in my context? How even in the midst of pain and suffering, it is all about God, all about love. On moving past just an understanding of what the kingdom is and actually live it and experiencing it. This leads to understanding there’s tension and is a continuous work of patience.

In spite of being a fairly small book, it is packed with a lot of  detailed information. For some who aren’t familiar with the subject, it might be best to go through it slowly. It might spark a lot of questions, some you may have not thought about. This book will help you to not just understand where the theology of the kingdom is based on, but also pushes you to think deeper and challenges to live that missional life.

Amazon link

Review by Daniela Rojas: Current VJN intern, born and raised in a family of Vineyard pastors, her family was lead to do missions in the Basque Country in Northern Spain, where they have been living for the past 16 years.