When We Say Father by Adrian and Steve Rogers: A Book Review
Adrian Rogers passed away in 2005 and was a pastor I'd heard great things about, but had never heard personally. In Baptist life, he's definitely considered one of the giants of the faith. When We Say Father is said to be his final manuscript that his son, Steve, edited and published as a final joint work. The book focuses on the Lord's Prayer and in it Adrian Rogers breaks down piece by piece Jesus' model prayer for his disciples.
I believe the target audience for this book should be those new to the faith. While there are some golden nuggets that can be found for those who have been walking with Christ for some time, the book stays on a pretty basic level. If someone is unfamiliar with prayer this could be a great starting point for them.
Rogers uses a lot of anecdotes and illustrations, which are at times helpful, but at some points can feel like it's being overdone. After doing some research, I'm unclear if this was Roger's last sermon manuscript or book manuscript, but given the nature of the illustrations, I'm inclined to think this may have been a sermon or sermons compiled into book form.
One shining aspect of the book is Roger's emphasis on prayer being praise of God and praying for, and to be involved in, the will of God. I especially found helpful the chapter titled, Ask, Seek, Knock. He says on page 124, "Prayer is the Holy Spirit finding a desire in the heart of the Father, putting that desire into our heart, and then sending it back to heaven in the power of the cross." What a glorious truth.
If you've been a Christian for some time, this may not be the book on prayer that you're looking for. With so many books on prayer, When We Say Father is great for those who loved Adrian Rogers and may want one last piece of his work, but for a deeper dive into the study of prayer there are probably better places to look. I would recommend this book to newer Christians who have the time to read multiple works on the subject of prayer.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest, fair review.
