chiom_ah's review against another edition
4.0
"And frankly, I don’t need a God who knows how to be alone. When I am in the middle of devastation and loss, I need a God who knows how to be with."
~Paul W. Young.
My friend had been asking me to read this book since we became friends. Why it took me so long to do so, I'd never known. But in this beautiful Lord's Year of Mirabella-Paulcia's Deconstruction and Reconstruction, I am forever grateful for this book.
Lies We Believe About God.
Each chapter begins with what Paul will call a lie we've believed about God. For most of them, I'd always known, not as lies but as questions. Questions that I've carried along for years.
In that way, I'd say, what this book has done is given me answers. Answers that let be give a sigh of satisfaction.
Another thing this book did, is to give me a view of God that is love. Love that is crazily unbelievable, without condemnation and that has become one of my pillars or philosophy of life. This has given me a new perspective to life.
The reason I love this book is that each chapter tears me away from a life of Gnostic Dualism. Further reminding me that God is with me. With me in Joys and suffering, in the negatives and positives.
And nothing can separate us from God's love, not even death(we always teach that death can).
God is with me, He's with the next person too. God is not apart from me. Or you.
In reading this book,
My view of God has been enlarged and deepened (In Paul Young's words).
~Paul W. Young.
My friend had been asking me to read this book since we became friends. Why it took me so long to do so, I'd never known. But in this beautiful Lord's Year of Mirabella-Paulcia's Deconstruction and Reconstruction, I am forever grateful for this book.
Lies We Believe About God.
Each chapter begins with what Paul will call a lie we've believed about God. For most of them, I'd always known, not as lies but as questions. Questions that I've carried along for years.
In that way, I'd say, what this book has done is given me answers. Answers that let be give a sigh of satisfaction.
Another thing this book did, is to give me a view of God that is love. Love that is crazily unbelievable, without condemnation and that has become one of my pillars or philosophy of life. This has given me a new perspective to life.
The reason I love this book is that each chapter tears me away from a life of Gnostic Dualism. Further reminding me that God is with me. With me in Joys and suffering, in the negatives and positives.
And nothing can separate us from God's love, not even death(we always teach that death can).
God is with me, He's with the next person too. God is not apart from me. Or you.
In reading this book,
My view of God has been enlarged and deepened (In Paul Young's words).
toribeck's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
If you find yourself in a place of questioning, doubting, deconstructing, whatever word you use — this is a great starting point.
I don't remember who recommended this book so when I picked it up to read it just a few days ago, I was immediately skeptical. It's not a book I had heard anything about but when I read on the cover that it was written by the same author as The Shack, I relaxed a bit.
Mind you, I had never read nor seen The Shack, but I was familiar with the controversy surrounding it. Someone I trust in theological discussions mentioned loving the movie so I felt like I could read this book and get something good out of it.
In fact, it was SO good. This is such a great starting place for someone questioning their faith. It strips away so many of the (false) assumptions we make about God and replaces them with truth. Definitely one of my favorites from this year.
I don't remember who recommended this book so when I picked it up to read it just a few days ago, I was immediately skeptical. It's not a book I had heard anything about but when I read on the cover that it was written by the same author as The Shack, I relaxed a bit.
Mind you, I had never read nor seen The Shack, but I was familiar with the controversy surrounding it. Someone I trust in theological discussions mentioned loving the movie so I felt like I could read this book and get something good out of it.
In fact, it was SO good. This is such a great starting place for someone questioning their faith. It strips away so many of the (false) assumptions we make about God and replaces them with truth. Definitely one of my favorites from this year.
wren_in_black's review against another edition
5.0
Read this book over time, maybe a chapter or two at a time, and let it sit with you. Really look into the questions this book asks and in turn the questions you would like to ask it.
Read the back pages, the list of scriptures and the letter form Bonhoeffer multiple times while reading this book, especially if you struggle with what Young has to say. Don't give up on it just because the reading may not be always comfortable.
There's enough sermon material in this book for a lifetime.
Read the back pages, the list of scriptures and the letter form Bonhoeffer multiple times while reading this book, especially if you struggle with what Young has to say. Don't give up on it just because the reading may not be always comfortable.
There's enough sermon material in this book for a lifetime.
oceanagottareademall's review against another edition
4.0
Very very interesting and thought-provoking. I love how W. P. Young writes. Several chapters I agreed with. Some I’m still thinking on.
booklife97's review against another edition
This is absolute non biblical nonsense if you believe that the Bible is the word of God and you do not get to choose what sounds nice and what doesn’t you can just change it to something that sounds better then this is NOT the book for you.
al180n's review against another edition
3.0
parts of this were really amazing, but i do disagree with the author on some things and it bothered me a lot that he kept talking about his other book..
beejai's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, I probably would not have even picked up this book if not for one simple mistake. For some reason, I deluded myself into thinking that this was a book by William Lane Craig, the brilliant Christian philosopher. Nope. It is William Paul Young, the author of the Shack.
Now don't get me wrong. I loved the Shack. It was probably the best book I read the year it came out. And I have no shame in admitting that it had me bawling like a baby, in public. This is in a Barnes & Noble that I patronized almost daily. So everyone there knew me. But some of WPY's out in left field ideas could be excused for one reason and one alone... The Shack was a work of fiction.
In this book, WPY lays down 28 "lies" and then writes a short chapter on each. Some of these lies are things that nobody would ever believe. Like "God is a Magician". But even still, he uses the lie as a springboard for a very relevant discussion. Others are lies nobody would admit to believing but so many of us actually do. Like "God loves me, but He doesn't like me."
Then there were some lies where I initially disagreed with his statement but once I saw where he was going with it, I ended up agreeing. Like "God wants to use me." We all believe this. And it is true. But Once WPY defines what he is meaning with "use," it is a very, very solid conversation.
Finally, there are some lies where Mr. Young is just plain wrong. They absolutely, definitely are not lies. Like "Sin separates us from God." WPY goes so far as to say that this statement is never found in the Bible. Perhaps he should read again Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear." The same idea is found over and over again in the NT as well (Eph 4:18 is an example that immediately comes to mind.)
But even in his error, William Paul Young is presenting a conversation that needs to be had. Even when we do not change our minds, it is good for our assumptions to be challenged and WPY does an excellent job of doing that. So I would encourage you to read this book. You are not going to agree with everything he says. Gosh, I hope not. Mr. Young is a borderline heretic at some points. But I would encourage you to examine his fresh perspective on issues we often don't dig deep enough. So read it slowly, with each chapter check it against what scripture says, and let your faith grow deeper.
Now don't get me wrong. I loved the Shack. It was probably the best book I read the year it came out. And I have no shame in admitting that it had me bawling like a baby, in public. This is in a Barnes & Noble that I patronized almost daily. So everyone there knew me. But some of WPY's out in left field ideas could be excused for one reason and one alone... The Shack was a work of fiction.
In this book, WPY lays down 28 "lies" and then writes a short chapter on each. Some of these lies are things that nobody would ever believe. Like "God is a Magician". But even still, he uses the lie as a springboard for a very relevant discussion. Others are lies nobody would admit to believing but so many of us actually do. Like "God loves me, but He doesn't like me."
Then there were some lies where I initially disagreed with his statement but once I saw where he was going with it, I ended up agreeing. Like "God wants to use me." We all believe this. And it is true. But Once WPY defines what he is meaning with "use," it is a very, very solid conversation.
Finally, there are some lies where Mr. Young is just plain wrong. They absolutely, definitely are not lies. Like "Sin separates us from God." WPY goes so far as to say that this statement is never found in the Bible. Perhaps he should read again Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear." The same idea is found over and over again in the NT as well (Eph 4:18 is an example that immediately comes to mind.)
But even in his error, William Paul Young is presenting a conversation that needs to be had. Even when we do not change our minds, it is good for our assumptions to be challenged and WPY does an excellent job of doing that. So I would encourage you to read this book. You are not going to agree with everything he says. Gosh, I hope not. Mr. Young is a borderline heretic at some points. But I would encourage you to examine his fresh perspective on issues we often don't dig deep enough. So read it slowly, with each chapter check it against what scripture says, and let your faith grow deeper.
sophierayton's review against another edition
4.0
I love how William Paul Young is willing to engage and wrestle with hard topics and isn't afraid to be braving the wilderness in his beliefs. His works help people to experience God and I'm grateful for all he's put out there. This is another great book that challenges some long held beliefs that some people have about God and gives an alternative narrative of who 'He' really is.
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