Rating: 
Summary: 2 reasons to read
Review: I have 2 reasons I recommend this book. One is the parable that allows the reader to look at their heart, faith, and life from a somewhat different perspective. I pray more for the healing of hearts now. As a Christian, this alone made the book more than worth the read. The second reason is the story moves along well and is very engaging. Perhaps not a masterpiece - but I was definitely emotionally involved and had to keep reading until the last word.
Rating:
Summary: This would make an awsome Movie!
Review: I heard a rumor that a movie was being made of this book. What an incredible idea! After reading this novel in one sitting, I can understand Hollywood's interest. This is one very cool story, brilliantly told. Dekker has done it again. Only complaint is that I found Nikolous a bit one dimensional, but the main characters were so deep I let it go. Highly recomended.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and Fascinating!
Review: I picked up this book a couple weeks ago on the recomendation of a friend. I've become somewhat disenfranchised with Christian Fiction due to its rather sloppy content and wasn't too eager to dig into this book. I couldn't have been more surprised! The relationships and themes of passion and power are wonderfully woven into a thrilling ride. If you havn't read this book, trust me, it's worth the gamble. After finishing I went out and bought Dekker's newest novel, Thunder of Heaven and have finished it already. Wonderful! I'm surprised I haven't heard more about this writer.
Rating:
Summary: Who Is This Dude?
Review: I read a lot of books (about 250 a year), but seldom have I ever read ANYTHING like Blessed Child. This guy Dekker has written a real lollapalooza of a book. First off, the protagonist, Jason Marker, strikes me as a perfect 21st century everyman. Disillusioned with his Christian heritage, seeking to find meaning through helping his fellow humans, he's the embodiment of modern man's dilemma--following the second part of the great commandment (love your neighbor as yourself) while ignoring the first part (love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind). It all proves futile: the great commandment works only if both parts are kept together. Clad in his burnt-out faith and weary humanitarianism like some worn and ill-fitting garment, Jason struggles to squeeze the smallest bit of meaning out of his shell of a life. Until he meets the boy. Young Caleb, raised in obscurity in an Ethopian monastery, casually manifests the most remarkable powers. Where do they come from? Psychic phenomena? New Age channeling? Christian mysticism? Caleb's uncanny abilities knock a hole in Jason's cynical worldview big enough to sail the QEII through. But how to square Caleb's powers with his (Jason's) own experiences of bitter disappointment? Enter Leiah, a beautiful but misfigured Canadian nurse working overseas. She has her own issues, but at least she's open to the truth. Will she provide the catylist for Jason's turn-around? Wrap all this around a heart-stopping action-thriller and you've got one of the most compelling reads of this or any year. If I were you, I'd stop wasting my time reading this review (great as it is), hit the 1-Click ordering button (or run down to your nearest Borders), and devour this sucker. I plan on getting my hands, pronto, on anything and everything this Dekker dude's ever written.
Rating: 
Summary: Christian is (or should be) a Noun
Review: I tend to avoid products, lifestyles, and media that attempt to use the word "Christian" as an adjective as in; Christian radio (boring), Christian dating (huh?), and Christian humor (oxymoron). I bought this book (which purports to be Christian fiction)on a whim and it confirms me in my conviction. It is probably unrealistic to expect anything theologically valid in mass market paperback but this book goes to the limit of the objectionable. It appears that the authors think that the Holy Spirit, if properly manipulated, can make one a superhero. The title character is a combination of Tom Swift, Obiwan Kenobi, and Jesus Christ. The message I assume is that if you possess the Holy Spirit you can do anything you want, including leap tall buildings in single bound. Not a very edifying or useful notion on which to base your life as a Christian. But what really annoyed me was the authors' scurrilous attack on the Orthodox Church. The villain of the piece is a Greek Orthodox priest. To this character, who is presumably endorsed by his denominational authorities, the authors feel free to attribute every vile motive, every base intention, every evil appetite, known to the western world. They do this in spite of what is a patently obvious ingnorance of what the Orthodox Church is, or does, or believes. The point of the exercise seems to be to convince the weak, the needy, and the credulous that unless you agree with Ted Dekker and Bill Bright on all particulars of what they regard as "Christian" then you are not a "real" Christian at all. I submit that this is not the time in history to indulge in such bashing of one's co-religionists. The Gospel is not scifi/fantasy and Christianity is not a video game played for high stakes. I am tempted to say, "burn this book!" but that would be stooping to the same propaganda techniques as the authors. So I will simply say, "Don't read it." There is enough variety of pornography in the world already. We don't need to add Spiritual Pornography to the list.
Rating:
Summary: That's not the way the Spirit works
Review: I was so sad to see the misleading presentation of the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives. I'm a christian who believes in the work of the Spirit in my life, but I see many problems with the book:
- It gives us a false impression that the work of the Spirit must be accomplished by a special person, with a special mission, and not by anyone with real faith in Christ,
- The experiences the characters have with God are almost exactly like New Age experiences of out-of-body situations, even to the point of seeing a "bright light",
- The book says that people need to see miracles to believe, when we are told we receive faith by listening to the Word,
- Healing and miracles are common in the everyday life of christians with faith in many parts of the world outside the US, but their relationship with God is not this display of Hollywood special effects...it is sometimes hard and boring, until God shows His power and change things. Why do Americans need this much thrill in order to live a life of faith ? The book is so far from reality that instead of encouraging people to develop a solid faith on the work of the Spirit in their daily lives, it makes the whole thing a fantasy experience and people don't understand how to appropriate grace and blessings by faith.
Rating:
Summary: Can't Get Enough of This Dekker Guy
Review: I'm going to keep it short and sweet. I went on a little bit about When Heaven Weeps, but I couldn't help it--it just really got to me. So did Blessed Child, but in a different way. Blessed Child is unique. All of Ted Dekker's novels give us a wonderful picture of the love of God in action, but Blessed Child has this tranquility in the face of extreme danger that is really compelling. I felt like a totally refreshing shower had washed over me after reading this book--an absolutely unique experience, something I've never encountered in any other book I've read. The only thing that comes close is Leif Enger's Peace Like a River, though the two books are very different. I truly felt like a blessed child of God after reading this book. And so will you, I predict.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!!!!
Review: I've just fininshed reading this book, and I don't know what to say. It's just completely mind-blowing. I think it may be the best book I've ever read. The characters, the plot, the message . . . Everything works incredibly well. I don't read that many books, but I enjoy a good story, and this one exceeded all my expectations. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on this book!
Rating:
Summary: Reaching into heaven
Review: I've read 100's of books and The Holy Bible at least 7 times but this book really opened my eyes. I thought that at one point I could actually see into heaven myself. I was totally swept up in the Spirit. Heavy caution to the beleiver! Only God knows what will happen to you when you read this book. Please Mr. Bright and Mr. Dekker continue writing books of this magnitude. God has HIS hand on both of you. Thank you!
Rating:
Summary: It's about Time!
Review: It's about time a writer got down to business and wrote novels the way Ted Dekker is writing them now. Like his previous two novels, When Heaven Weeps and Heaven's Wager, this story really digs deep and spins an incredible story as it goes to work. Too many "Christian Writers" either tell anemic stories with preachy messages, or tell decent stories that don't engage my spiritual sensibilites. Dekker does both and scores a 10 on both counts. Awesome story! It left me dying to touch God.
| 
