A review by beejai
Lies We Believe About God, by William Paul Young
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.