The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected

Nik Ripken · Gregg Lewis

Jan 2013 · B&H Publishing Group

About this ebook

The Insanity of God is the personal and lifelong journey of an ordinary couple from rural Kentucky who thought they were going on just your ordinary missionary pilgrimage, but discovered it would be anything but. After spending over six hard years doing relief work in Somalia, and experiencing life where it looked like God had turned away completely and He was clueless about the tragedies of life, the couple had a crisis of faith and left Africa asking God, "Does the gospel work anywhere when it is really a hard place?  It sure didn't work in Somalia.

Nik recalls that, “God had always been so real to me, to Ruth, and to our boys. But was He enough, for the utter weariness of soul I experienced at that time, in that place, under those circumstances?” It is a question that many have asked and one that, if answered, can lead us to a whole new world of faith.

How does faith survive, let alone flourish in a place like the Middle East? How can Good truly overcome such evil? How do you maintain hope when all is darkness around you? How can we say “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” when it may not be visibly true in that place at that time? How does anyone live an abundant, victorious Christian life in our world’s toughest places? Can Christianity even work outside of Western, dressed-up, ordered nations? If so, how?

The Insanity of God tells a story—a remarkable and unique story to be sure, yet at heart a very human story—of the Ripkens’ own spiritual and emotional odyssey. The gripping, narrative account of a personal pilgrimage into some of the toughest places on earth, combined with sobering and insightful stories of the remarkable people of faith Nik and Ruth encountered on their journeys, will serve as a powerful course of revelation, growth, and challenge for anyone who wants to know whether God truly is enough.

Ratings and reviews

Never has anything except the Bible had such a profound impact on my thinking, my beliefs, my life, or my faith. I am ashamed of my lethargyas a believer in Jesus Christ. I desire to allow this to change me forever, as only Christ can! Thank you Nikki Ripkin!

This book is absolutely a must read. It puts so many things into perspective, and challenged me to trust God in ALL THINGS. As a high school graduate, the upcoming years seem scary. The stories helped encourage me and change me, and maybe even prepare me to be challenged.

A very challenging book to read, but one that I am so grateful to have read. I don't believe it can be read carefully by a follower of God and not have it change your life for His glory!

About the author

Nik Ripken es un experto con respecto a la iglesia perseguida en contextos islámicos. Es misionero veterano con 30 años de experiencia. Sirvió principalmente en el norte de África y el Oriente Medio. Es el autor de “La locura de Dios” y “The Insanity of Obedience” (La locura de la obediencia) —este último, recientemente publicado—. Nik y su esposa han investigado intensamente el problema de la iglesia perseguida, como así también de los cristianos de origen musulmán, en aproximadamente 72 países.

Nik Ripken is the world's leading expert on the persecuted church in Muslim contexts. He is a missions veteran of 30 years, having served primarily in North Africa and the Middle East. He is the author of The Insanity of God and the new book The Insanity of Obedience. He and his wife have done extensive research on the persecuted church, and on Muslim background believers, in approximately 72 countries.