<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: The Key to Real Christlikeness
Review: Greg Boyd has come through with great insight into the shortcomings of the try harder method of transformation.It just doesn't produce genuine or lasting results.His answer, "imaginative prayer" introduces the reader to the way of intimacy with God that many of the true friends of Jesus throughout the history of the church have taken and found to be the path to real transformation. There is nothing "New Age" about this. Yes it is different from what we are used to, but a fair evaluation using both wisdom and revelation will reveal that Greg Boyd is only after connecting believers with the real Jesus. Get this book and read it. Then read it again and begin to implement what you read. It is truly transforming.Jesus is real and yes he is with us, literally, in every aspect of our lives.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspired Prayer
Review: Greg Boyd has come through with great insight into the shortcomings of the try harder method of transformation.It just doesn't produce genuine or lasting results.His answer, "imaginative prayer" introduces the reader to the way of intimacy with God that many of the true friends of Jesus throughout the history of the church have taken and found to be the path to real transformation. There is nothing "New Age" about this. Yes it is different from what we are used to, but a fair evaluation using both wisdom and revelation will reveal that Greg Boyd is only after connecting believers with the real Jesus. Get this book and read it. Then read it again and begin to implement what you read. It is truly transforming.Jesus is real and yes he is with us, literally, in every aspect of our lives.
Rating: 
Summary: Boyd is a heretic
Review: I also agree that Boyd is "bad news". But "Christians" are letting him get away with it, because they can believe like pagans and still claim to be "Christians" on Boyd's coattail.
Rating:
Summary: An Exciting and Time-Tested Way to Deepen Your Love of God
Review: Imaginative prayer is a time-tested and true method of experiencing the Lord as never before. As Mr. Boyd points out, imaginative prayer is nothing new, it was used for centuries as one of the main methods of relationship building with our Lord, however its use had dwindled as a more materialistic view of reality began to be favored. Mr. Boyd has done us a great service by reviving this method, and by giving us a solid, comprehensive, and clear explanation of the "how's" and "why's" of imaginative prayer. I devoured the book and began immediately to put what I read into practice, and the results have been exhilarating! I'm recommending it to everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Forgiveness in spirit-inspired stories or historical record?
Review: In his book "Seeing is believing," Dr. Boyd has redefined the words "truth" and "real" to mean different things, they are no longer synonyms. On page 11 he states, "Wondering whether Christianity is real is not the same as wondering whether Christianity is true." On page 13 he states, "Remember, it's not what we believe intellectually that impacts us; it's what we experience as real." Dr. Boyd is telling us that the objective factual evidence that we tangibly discern and process with our intellect is less real than subjective experiences we don't confirm with our senses. Dr. Boyd goes on to define "spiritual truth" as internal subjective experiences. He states on page 15, "We have forgotten the truth that while the imagination certainly can be merely `imaginative,' it can also be the means by which we experience spiritual truths as real." This may sound innocent, if spiritual truths experienced actually conform to objective truth - Scripture and the historical record observed by men. This is exactly what is denied, however, and the process that Dr. Boyd provides us with constructs an "alternate reality" in his imagination that is disassociated with the objective historical record. He constructs a lie and he claims it "real." He implicates his imagined "spiritual Jesus" into his lie and claims it to be true and Scriptural, because it works. I am not exaggerating. Dr. Boyd gives us the factual historical objective truth of an incident in his life. He had a cruel grandmother that didn't give him a present and called him bad which he recounts on page 117, "No, Greggie is a bad boy, and bad boys don't get presents." This incident brings pain to his life. Dr. Boyd discovers the techniques of imaginative prayer and applies them on pages 118 through 122, progressing through a series of emotions from grieving to forgiveness. Dr. Boyd claims that Jesus personally leads him through this process. As the process unfolds, we see that what is happening is that Jesus Himself is changing the objective historical record witnessed by Dr. Boyd's sisters to a different story that never happened. This story evolves into the following account on page 121, "But this time, instead of seeing the angry wrinkled face of my grandmother, I saw the radiant, joyful face of Jesus. He leaned over the bag and peeked in with a wildly excited smile on his face. Instead of hearing my grandmother say, `No, Greggie is a bad boy,' I heard Jesus exclaim, `Oh, of course Greggie gets a present! He is such a good boy!' He rubbed my head vigorously as he said, `It's a very special gift. That's why I saved it for last.' I began hopping and flapping my arms even more excited than before as I looked again into the paper sack. And there I saw a huge red toy airplane." Dr. Boyd has imagined, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and Jesus, a new historical record without witnesses that he now believes to be "real" and a spiritual experience of the truth. This is how the imaginative Jesus enabled Dr. Boyd to forgive his grandmother and find healing. It is the process of building a story that opposes objective reality, believing that it is inspired and therefore "real" and experiencing relief from the historical record that is now "unreal" so that forgiveness is possible. He states on page 123, "It is crucial to note, however, that forgiveness usually comes at the end of the healing process (i.e. imagined story believed as true), not at the beginning. Scriptures tell us of a different path to forgiveness which doesn't consist of my creating inspired "subjective reality." When I realize that I am utterly sinful and undeserving, with a monumental debt towards God I am incapable of paying, destined to damnation - and God comes and dies for me and forgives my mountainous debt and gives me eternal life instead, the antithesis of anything I deserved or merited - the gratitude that whelms up in my heart and mind at this realization enables me to forgive the puny debts that grandmothers owe to me. This is the gospel. This doesn't require spirits to create freestyle historical records so I can forgive. It simply believes in the work that God, as a tangible man, did for me on the cross. This is where we find the true and real power to forgive, in objective history that was seen by witnesses and written down for us to read and understand.
Rating:
Summary: Response to another reviewer on this site
Review: Looks like Pastor Boyd has embraced the old Gnostic heresies of seeking to divine special insights or knowledge by practicing imaginative or contemplative methods. (The epistles of Peter and John warn about the false teachers. So does the Book of Galatians (Paul.)) With all due respect..... this is New Age Hinduism with Christian terminology. And I am very disappointed that Boyd, with all his education and background in Baptist General Conference theology, has turned away from simply preaching the gospel. (1 Cor Ch. 15:1-6). Pastor Boyd's new book follows in the footsteps of Richard Foster, Brennan Manning and a host of others who have invaded the church and convinced undiscerning Christians that mere bible study is not enough. Imagine the possibilities. Visualize God. Health and wealth. Intimacy with God. Repeat "Jesus, Jesus" over and over and get closer to Him. Why do preachers sell this heresy? Because seekers are bored with simply studying the bible which teaches perseverance, suffering, and the fact that Christians will have trials in this life. Instead, in our McDonald's instant gratification culture, they demand more experiences, feelings, and self-fulfillment in the here and now. Pastors get rich and can build big churches spewing this rubbish to unsuspecting, bible-illiterate seekers. And these seekers have found teachers who will teach such garbage to their itching ears. (2 Timothy 4:3). I expect Boyd's next book to be co-written with Deepak Chopra. God help this world. We are fast approaching the one world church predicted in the Book of Revelation and one can start to predict who will be its leaders.
Rating:
Summary: Imaginative 'prayer' simply unbiblical; popular in paganism
Review: One thing that strikes the reader page after page is the fact that the notion of imaginative or 'mental imagery' sort of praying is not found in any prayers of the Bible. But visualization techniques are popular in paganism.
You need to discerningly decide if you want to pray like Jesus and Paul and David and Hannah, or like mystical shaman, sherpas and shenanigansters.
Please read your Bibles closely and ask your pastor if what is promoted in this book is Christian or charlatan.
Rating:
Summary: A Refreshing and Helpful Book
Review: Since I became a Christian, I've often wondered why God gave me an imagination. Dr. Boyd's answer is that God gave us all imaginations to experience Him with. This book is so helpful because it exposes the myth that the solution to emotional problems, sin patterns, and even mental illnesses is to try harder. Rather, it is to rest in Christ. This book reminds me of others by Neil T. Anderson with the exception that it goes beyond the "repeat Bible verses until you get who you are in Christ" approach. Dr. Boyd teaches you how to actually rest in Christ, to let Him supply your identity, and to experience transformation out of that experience.
Another really helpful aspect of the book is that Dr. Boyd shows clearly the Biblical basis of imaginative prayer and experience of God as well as it's historic roots in the church, both ancient and more modern.
The only reason I give the book only 4 stars is because I feel like there are two or three books that should have been written rather than this one volume. The whole aspect of grace and experiencing grace could have been explored more fully, as could the area of emotional healing, and finally, the area of sanctification. All in all though, this is a powerful and exciting read.
<< 1 >>
| 
