Where to start.I'll start with my initial feelings toward the book. All I knew was that it was supposedly written by a Christian, it was a best seller (usually those two things do not go together), & God was an African-American woman. Okay. So, I may not have read it if book club had not voted to read it.
I'm quite glad I did.
The plot: I'm going to try to be vague. The main character is Mack, & he goes through a tragedy early in the book, then gets a note from God, asking Mack to meet God at the place where the tragedy happened. Mack goes, & most of the book is about the time he spends there with God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit. (As for God being an African-American woman, God gives an explanation for why He chooses to reveal Himself in that way to Mack, & I really liked that part.)
What we talked about in book club: Everyone at book club (which this time was a big group, 17 people) loved the book. Most people had a part of the book that they didn't like, or could have done without, & the book provided many topics to discuss, such as the Trinity, why bad things happen, what God desires from us, etc.
Recommendation: If you love the Lord & have a thorough knowledge of the scriptures, I *may (see edit) recommend this book. Know that this book is fiction & cannot be taken as full truth. Only the Bible is full truth. Someone cannot read this book & then know what it is to know God & know how to love Him. I think it is a good guide, or a tool, along with scripture, because it discusses a lot of important things & makes some great points, but it does not explain itself fully in some degrees so some things could be taken the wrong way.
I really enjoyed the book & would love to hear your opinions as well.
**Edit: read the comments. I retract that people that love the Lord should read the book, now I have no idea if I recommend it. Although I enjoyed it & was not tempted to take any of it as truth, that is not the case for all & I do not want to cause anyone to be confused about REAL TRUTH.
Glad to hear you and the book club enjoyed it! I'm about half-way through and excited about finishing. Also, if you all are interested, a Web site I work with, Abunga.com, is hosting an online chat with the author of Oct. 22 from 2-3 p.m. EDT. You all should join if you can (Abunga.com/AuthorsAtAbunga)!
ReplyDeleteQuite honestly... I was entirely too swept up in this story. I think it can be quite dangerous for believers... at least it was for me. I love the relationship portrayed by Jesus and Mack... but other than that... I don't know. I've done some research, and I would recommend reading this article... http://www.crosswalk.com/books/11575218/ by Chuck Colson... and listen to this small 8 minute clip of a sermon by Mark Driscoll (who by the way is a phenomenal pastor... who's theology is right on)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK65Jfny70Y
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful story... but like you said Court which I thought was great... it's not the Word of God. It's just a fiction story. That's all. Just a story. We can not base our theology on this book.
Thanks for letting us share our opinions!! I'm glad that y'all had great conversation... I want to be in your book club!!!
im glad to hear your opinion, so I know for some believers it is dangerous. i agree with the article & video, it is not to be taken as truth!! people should DEFINITELY know that should they read it.
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