Synopses & Reviews
As Christians we believe that God speaks -- that God has spoken to people down through the centuries and still speaks to us today. But just how does God speak to us? Has his speech changed over time? And how do we bhearb the voice of God? In this insightful book Ben Campbell Johnson explores the subject of divine speech, highlighting its importance to faith and leading Christian believers into the practice of listening for Godbs voice in daily life.Johnson first explores the biblical foundations of divine communication, tracing the ways that God has spoken to humankind from the calling of Abraham, to the appearance of Jesus, to the continuing work of the Spirit in the early church. He then gleans important lessons about Godbs language from a wide range of Christian figures throughout history -- Polycarp, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Cvila, Henri Nouwen, and others.As this historical record shows, God communicates with us in a variety of ways. In exploring these different modes of bGodSpeech, b Johnson,deftly guides readers into the practice of bintensive listening, b a way of posing issues to God and discerning his response. Numerous anecdotes illuminate Johnsonbs discussion, and each chapter ends with questions for reflection and discussion as well as suggestions for journaling. Johnson concludes the book by recounting a number of personal experiences that vividly illustrate the value of learning to listen to Godbs voice.At a time when many Christians hunger for a more personal, meaningful connection with God, this book shows readers how to discern divine language and forge a closer, richer relationship with bthe God who speaks.b
Synopsis
The foundational insight of belief in God is that he speaks. Without God's self-revelation, neither his presence, nature, nor will would be known. This book explores the subject of divine speech, highlighting its importance to faith and leading believers into the practice of listening for the voice of God in daily life.
Ben Campbell Johnson begins by tracing the ways that God has spoken through the centuries, from his calling of Abraham, to the appearance of Jesus, to the continuing work of the Spirit in the church age. Two chapters of the book identify a line of divine speech from Paul in the New Testament to Henri Nouwen in the twenty-first century. As Johnson shows, the historical record reveals that God uses two different modes of communication. In primary speech God directly addresses us, and in secondary speech we articulate to ourselves and to others what we believe God to be saying.
Johnson does not stop with such insights but shows how they can be applied in practical ways. He introduces the notion of learning the language of God and guides readers into the practice of intensive listening, a way of posing issues to God and discerning his response. Johnson includes thirty personal anecdotes that illustrate the value of learning to listen to God's voice.
Synopsis
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. As Christians we believe that God speaks -- that God has spoken to people down through the centuries and still speaks to us today. But just how does God speak to us? Has his speech changed over time? And how do we "hear" the voce of God? In this insightful book Ben Campbell Johnson explores the subject of divine speech, highlighting its importance to faith and leading Christian believers into the practice of listening for God's voice in daily life.
Johnson first explores the biblical foundations of divine communication, tracing the ways that God has spoken to humankind from the calling of Abraham, to the appearance of Jesus, to the continuing work of the Spirit in the early church. He then gleans important lessons about God's language from a wide range of Christian figures throughout history -- Polycarp, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Henri Nouwen, and others.
As this historical record shows, God communicates with us in a variety of ways. In exploring these different modes of "GodSpeech," Johnson deftly guides readers into the practice of "intensive listening," a way of posing issues to God and discerning his response. Numerous anecdotes illuminate Johnson's discussion, and each chapter ends with questions for reflection and discussion as well as suggestions for journaling. Johnson concludes the book by recounting a number of personal experiences that vividly illustrate the value of learning to listen to God's voice.
At a time when many Christians hunger for a more personal, meaningful connection with God, this book shows readers how to discern divine language and forge a closer, richer relationship with "the God who speaks."