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Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but not always Clear
Review: I agree with the other reviewers that this book makes some interesting points, and overall, I think it is worth reading. I wish, though, that I could recommend McCullough more as a *writer*. As a thinker, he clearly has good ideas, but he sometimes has trouble expressing them clearly. There are points in this book that read as though they were written by a college sophomore--awkward sentence structure, lurching thoughts, unclear metaphors. There are other sections that sound almost like poor translations ("Wholly-Other-in-Love" sounds like an untranslatable idea from some German theologian!). Other parts of the book, especially the last few pages, are crystal clear. It's the lack of clarity that keeps me from giving this very good book 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but not always Clear
Review: I agree with the other reviewers that this book makes some interesting points, and overall, I think it is worth reading. I wish, though, that I could recommend McCullough more as a *writer*. As a thinker, he clearly has good ideas, but he sometimes has trouble expressing them clearly. There are points in this book that read as though they were written by a college sophomore--awkward sentence structure, lurching thoughts, unclear metaphors. There are other sections that sound almost like poor translations ("Wholly-Other-in-Love" sounds like an untranslatable idea from some German theologian!). Other parts of the book, especially the last few pages, are crystal clear. It's the lack of clarity that keeps me from giving this very good book 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A Crusade to restore Awe and Mystery to the Divine
Review: McCollough's book reads like a captivating sermon. His foundational premise, that "we prefer the illusion of a safer deity, and so we have pared God down to more manageable proportions," is eloquently devoloped. This is a book which moves the soul to want a God who is bigger, and less safe than the one which our culture tries to peddle to us today. His book takes an interesting turn in the last four chapters. The Chapters are as follows: 1. The Trivialization of God; 2. A Pantheon of Deities; 3. In the Temple of Idols; 4. The Self-Revelation of God; 6. Consuming Fire; 7. Conversion into Community; 8. Community of Worship; 9. Community of the Word; 10. Community of Love; So chapter 7 makes a seemingly awkward transition on the surface. The content flows, however, and the transition is an important one, spiritually. The idea of Community drives the last portion of the book. There is a very compelling image which McCollough borrows from Donald Baillie in chapter 7: t is "a tale of God calling his human children to form a great circle ... In that circle we all ought to be standing, linked together with lovingly joined hands, facing toward the Light in the centre, which is God...But instead of that, we have, each one, turned our backs upon God and the circle of our fellows, and faced the other way, so that we can see neither the Light at centre nor the faces on the circumference...That is what is wrong." This a book well worth reading and sharing with others. It has been a great tool in small group settings. I've shared many chapters of this book with friends, and various groups.
Rating:
Summary: A Crusade to restore Awe and Mystery to the Divine
Review: McCollough's book reads like a captivating sermon. His foundational premise, that "we prefer the illusion of a safer deity, and so we have pared God down to more manageable proportions," is eloquently devoloped. This is a book which moves the soul to want a God who is bigger, and less safe than the one which our culture tries to peddle to us today. His book takes an interesting turn in the last four chapters. The Chapters are as follows: 1. The Trivialization of God; 2. A Pantheon of Deities; 3. In the Temple of Idols; 4. The Self-Revelation of God; 6. Consuming Fire; 7. Conversion into Community; 8. Community of Worship; 9. Community of the Word; 10. Community of Love; So chapter 7 makes a seemingly awkward transition on the surface. The content flows, however, and the transition is an important one, spiritually. The idea of Community drives the last portion of the book. There is a very compelling image which McCollough borrows from Donald Baillie in chapter 7: t is "a tale of God calling his human children to form a great circle ... In that circle we all ought to be standing, linked together with lovingly joined hands, facing toward the Light in the centre, which is God...But instead of that, we have, each one, turned our backs upon God and the circle of our fellows, and faced the other way, so that we can see neither the Light at centre nor the faces on the circumference...That is what is wrong." This a book well worth reading and sharing with others. It has been a great tool in small group settings. I've shared many chapters of this book with friends, and various groups.
Rating:
Summary: "Your God is too Small" for the 90s
Review: The correlation between this book and JB Phillips classic "Your God is Too Small" are obvious as soon as you look at the verses of scripture which begin the work (Isaiah 44:10 & Isaiah 40:25 - both of which deal with the fact that there is none like God and our attempts to make an idol of Him are faulty), yet this book is more than just a rewriting of "Your God...". "Trivialization" takes Phillip's theme and conveys it in modern language and metaphors. Dr. McCullough chips away at the false gods of the 90s and after the dust has clear from the destruction of those false concepts that we try to pretend are God, we find a marvelous vacum that is just waiting for the true and living God to come in a fill. Dr. McCullough brings out the mystery and danger of our God and by doing this helps those believers (and non-believers) who read this work to begin to fathom what an incredible God the Lord is.
Rating:
Summary: Astonishing insights
Review: This book exceeded my expectations. The insights given by McCullough cut to the bare bone on numerous issues. It made me view idolatry in a totally different light, one of which I am often guilty. I finished numerous chapters in which I wondered if my highlighter would hold out.The only draw-back to this book is at times it becomes a bit too "wordy" in places. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in breaking down walls and identifying obstacles that can keep us from truly being open to God and all that He is.
Rating:
Summary: God's Holiness and God's Love; Restoring the Balance
Review: This book hits the nail right on the head when its author states that, at one time we were taught that man exists in order to please God. Now we are being taught that God exists to please man. The author McCullough also points out that a separation from this world may also lead to abandonment of the world, a position directly contrary to Christ's teaching about reaching the world for Him. It seems that, in every age including ours, we must strike a balance between the awesomeness of God, on one hand, and the fact that God cares about every detail in our lives, on the other. This balance must also extend to avoiding the extremes of the severity of God (God watches over our every move and is ready to punish us) versus the tender loving mercies of God (God is much too sweet to send anyone to Hell).
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