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That You May Know What You Worship
Deepening our relationship with our Heavenly Father is something many of us strive for. How can we grow our personal connection to God as Latter-day Saints to better feel His love, and what can we learn from how other Christians understand Him? In That You May Know What You Worship by Dale Chamberlain, readers will be able to understand their Heavenly Father's divinity on a profound level, not only knowing Him through doctrine, but through experience and revelation. Chamberlain leads readers to a more complex understanding of our Heavenly Father, by • The debates and creeds of Christian scholars and philosophers • The teachings and writings of ancient Jewish leaders • The words and revelations of modern day prophets Through this analysis Chamberlain creates stepping stones toward achieving a personal relationship with God, asking readers to truly consider how each aspect changes their concept of His divinity. This book is sure to not only give you a greater understanding of Christian history, but also reaffirm your understanding of God's everlasting love.
320 pages, Paperback
Published October 10, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 27, 2023
This book is very well-written, well-researched, and thorough. I believe that one cannot have true faith in an unknown being. Hence, the need to know Him! I have dedicated much private time to learning about God. Who He is. What He is. Why he is. What he says. What he wants of me. The author shares in-depth information about the evolution of the idea of God in both Jewish and Christian belief systems. He also includes the ideas about the gods of Greek and other philosophers and how their various thought systems influenced Jewish and Christian beliefs. It is fascinating! Each chapter also includes the ideas presented via modern revelation as taught by the LDS Church. My knowledge of God has expanded from reading this book and, in consequence, my faith in Him has increased. A very sincere thanks to the author for sharing years of research and personal learning.
November 10, 2023
The title drew me in right away. Will it address my questions of “What is God”; and, “If he knows me, can I know Him”? The admonition that life eternal is to know God (Jn 17:3) seems just out of reach. Will this book offer new insights? I was not disappointed.
The book is structured to evaluate, explain, and contrast complex attributes of God. These are not often discussed, perhaps because they are unsettled or differ among Christianity. Chamberlain choose to focus on 11, a chapter devoted to each. He explores each from how philosophy (especially Greek), and Christian scholars have defined and influenced each. Then he ends each chapter with revealed LDS insights, often without making a definitive conclusion on the subject.
After the introduction are two chapters on ancient Israel thinking and Greek philosophy. I think these 2 chapters, excellent as they are, are so dense they become a bit of a road block. They could have been placed as an appendix. The chapters could be skimmed and referred back to as needed, or even a good standalone study.
This is not a ‘feel-good’ read, but a deep study. Each concept needs mediation time to process and digest. It is a well written discussion and summary of some of the great debates of all times, that include some of the core reasons Catholic, Protestant, and LDS faiths point fingers at each other.
Chamberlin tracks how the Greek philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates) influenced the early apostasy, Catholic thinking, and early Christian reformers (Calvin, Luther, Mendelson...). He explores the resulting origins of the often conflicting beliefs about God, tracking how Greek thinking influenced the councils that created the Christian Creeds (Nicene, Athanasian, Constantinople, Westminster etc.).
After all that background, the book focuses on 11 critical Attributes ascribed to GOD. Two of my favorite discussions are: Is God totally omnipotent and how might that limit his work – can he limit himself, could some limits be good? Second, Divine Immutability. Does God not change, at all? Could some change be possible or positive? For this alone it will have a valued place in my library.
So, for anyone ready for a well-reasoned and thought provoking discussion of critical attributions of GOD, this book is for you.
The book is structured to evaluate, explain, and contrast complex attributes of God. These are not often discussed, perhaps because they are unsettled or differ among Christianity. Chamberlain choose to focus on 11, a chapter devoted to each. He explores each from how philosophy (especially Greek), and Christian scholars have defined and influenced each. Then he ends each chapter with revealed LDS insights, often without making a definitive conclusion on the subject.
After the introduction are two chapters on ancient Israel thinking and Greek philosophy. I think these 2 chapters, excellent as they are, are so dense they become a bit of a road block. They could have been placed as an appendix. The chapters could be skimmed and referred back to as needed, or even a good standalone study.
This is not a ‘feel-good’ read, but a deep study. Each concept needs mediation time to process and digest. It is a well written discussion and summary of some of the great debates of all times, that include some of the core reasons Catholic, Protestant, and LDS faiths point fingers at each other.
Chamberlin tracks how the Greek philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates) influenced the early apostasy, Catholic thinking, and early Christian reformers (Calvin, Luther, Mendelson...). He explores the resulting origins of the often conflicting beliefs about God, tracking how Greek thinking influenced the councils that created the Christian Creeds (Nicene, Athanasian, Constantinople, Westminster etc.).
After all that background, the book focuses on 11 critical Attributes ascribed to GOD. Two of my favorite discussions are: Is God totally omnipotent and how might that limit his work – can he limit himself, could some limits be good? Second, Divine Immutability. Does God not change, at all? Could some change be possible or positive? For this alone it will have a valued place in my library.
So, for anyone ready for a well-reasoned and thought provoking discussion of critical attributions of GOD, this book is for you.
November 2, 2023
Note: Read an Advanced Review Copy of the book - opinions are my own.
“That You May Know What You Worship” provides insights, based on prophetic teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”, about God – His nature and characteristics. Throughout the work, Mr. Chamberlain helps to understand what we know about God, and he shares a strong testimony of the nature of God and his love of us.
But there is more! As Mr. Chamberlain reviews the teachings of the nature and character of God, he takes the opportunity to further explain related historical writings and beliefs. In so many cases, he shows that historical writings and teachings have a thread of truth, but in most cases these are only “threads”, with the understanding of the full tapestry just out of reach.
It was most interesting to learn of historical Jewish and Christian concepts and teachings, and to understand the development over time of these thoughts. Mr. Chamberlain opens a plethora of knowledge, from sources as varied as the Gnostics to the Greek Philosophers, and from Romans to the influences of Einstein and Newton.
So, this is not simply a “standard” outline of what we know of God (although the work certainly covers this). Discovering historical beliefs and concepts, juxtaposed with revealed knowledge, helped me to appreciate even more the valuable gems of revealed knowledge. There is so much to absorb from reading this fresh, most-interesting work. For those with an interest in the historical understanding of God, who also desire to better understand the God that we worship, this is a “must-read” book.
“That You May Know What You Worship” provides insights, based on prophetic teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”, about God – His nature and characteristics. Throughout the work, Mr. Chamberlain helps to understand what we know about God, and he shares a strong testimony of the nature of God and his love of us.
But there is more! As Mr. Chamberlain reviews the teachings of the nature and character of God, he takes the opportunity to further explain related historical writings and beliefs. In so many cases, he shows that historical writings and teachings have a thread of truth, but in most cases these are only “threads”, with the understanding of the full tapestry just out of reach.
It was most interesting to learn of historical Jewish and Christian concepts and teachings, and to understand the development over time of these thoughts. Mr. Chamberlain opens a plethora of knowledge, from sources as varied as the Gnostics to the Greek Philosophers, and from Romans to the influences of Einstein and Newton.
So, this is not simply a “standard” outline of what we know of God (although the work certainly covers this). Discovering historical beliefs and concepts, juxtaposed with revealed knowledge, helped me to appreciate even more the valuable gems of revealed knowledge. There is so much to absorb from reading this fresh, most-interesting work. For those with an interest in the historical understanding of God, who also desire to better understand the God that we worship, this is a “must-read” book.
November 13, 2023
Book review
This book takes a deep dive into a subject that most of us have contemplated whether or not we consider ourselves to be religious. Even though I have given a fair amount of thought to the subject of who God is and how I can best relate to Him, I must admit that I have not studied the thoughts of great thinkers or the evolution of those ideas over time. I believe the author met his goal of giving readers “high-level access to a thought world typically reserved for specialists''. Because of that, this book is not an easy read. Consequently,some of the things I appreciated about the book were: the vast amount of information; definitions and explanation of many of the less familiar words, terms and concepts; careful annotation of references; and the summaries included at the end of some chapters. Reading the summary before I began reading the chapter often helped me to organize my thinking. I expect I will be using this book as a reference not only for myself,but when questions arise from family and friends,
So, the big question is, did reading this book help me draw closer to God and if so how? Yes it did. It increased my understanding of certain ideas to the point I can set them aside and focus more on what God has revealed. Thus,I can focus more clearly on those things the Lord is asking me to do to become more like Him and eventually be filled with light and love.
This book takes a deep dive into a subject that most of us have contemplated whether or not we consider ourselves to be religious. Even though I have given a fair amount of thought to the subject of who God is and how I can best relate to Him, I must admit that I have not studied the thoughts of great thinkers or the evolution of those ideas over time. I believe the author met his goal of giving readers “high-level access to a thought world typically reserved for specialists''. Because of that, this book is not an easy read. Consequently,some of the things I appreciated about the book were: the vast amount of information; definitions and explanation of many of the less familiar words, terms and concepts; careful annotation of references; and the summaries included at the end of some chapters. Reading the summary before I began reading the chapter often helped me to organize my thinking. I expect I will be using this book as a reference not only for myself,but when questions arise from family and friends,
So, the big question is, did reading this book help me draw closer to God and if so how? Yes it did. It increased my understanding of certain ideas to the point I can set them aside and focus more on what God has revealed. Thus,I can focus more clearly on those things the Lord is asking me to do to become more like Him and eventually be filled with light and love.
January 9, 2024
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, "That You May Know What You Worship"-- I learned so much and feel like I do, truly, know the God I worship way better than I did before reading it! It explains attributes and tendacies of our Father in Heaven using in depth scriptural accounts. It also dives deep into historical and religious philosophies and traditions concerning God and either supports or debunks them, so to speak, aligning them with the scriptures. And it does all this in a very simple, easy to read/easy to understand way. It's intellectual without being overly intellectual. I especially loved the end when it talks about God being a social Being. I never thought about it but as this book pointed out scriptural accounts that support this, it really was eye opening and beautiful! I've read those passages a thousands times and never saw these concepts before! This book is full of that kind of thing. I received an advanced copy of "That You May Know What You Worship", but all thoughts in this review are my own.
January 12, 2024
This is a book that examines the attributes of God by comparing Christian, Jewish and Greek Philosophers views. The text asks and answers very thought-provoking questions backed by scriptural references in the Bible and Talmud and philosophical sources. The book’s premise, If you want to have a better relationship with God, then you must get to know who and what he is. This book helps you discover and dig deeper into who God is by studying his attributes. The book has very interesting historical references that help you gain a great understanding of who God truly is. If you like studying history, philosophy and biblical references, you really enjoy this book. The author gives quotes from the bible, the Talmud, leaders of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and C.S. Lewis, among others. It is a book that you must read carefully and study to appreciate fully. I received an advanced copy of “That You May Know What You Worship”, but all thoughts on this book are my own.
January 6, 2024
I learned so much! I liked the way the author explained what the various beliefs of the character(s) of God & the Godhead are among several religions and then followed with what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believes, with scriptural explanation & support for each statement (why each religion believes/interprets scripture as they do, regarding the nature & character of God, the various conributors to each theory and time frames for when ideologies were adopted/popular/in effect). I had been wanting to know more about the Nicene Creed and others for some time and it was helpful to have it laid out for me in one source.
I received an ARC ebook from Cedar Fort Publications & Media. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.
I received an ARC ebook from Cedar Fort Publications & Media. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.
January 9, 2024
Learning more about the attributes of God, to help in becoming like Him
Learning how to start right in understanding God, so we may build a more correct base in our effort to become like the Father and the Son.
This book help you to study the attributes of an unchangeable God, so we can learn things that we can use in the process of slowly changing ourselves to become like our Father.
This is a book that will require time to think and mediate on each of the various concepts and attributes that are presented. This is not a definitive list of all of the attributes we need to learn about, but a great place to begin our lifelong pursuit in changing our self to become like Him.
This book provides advice and insight on many topics that we need to study.
Learning how to start right in understanding God, so we may build a more correct base in our effort to become like the Father and the Son.
This book help you to study the attributes of an unchangeable God, so we can learn things that we can use in the process of slowly changing ourselves to become like our Father.
This is a book that will require time to think and mediate on each of the various concepts and attributes that are presented. This is not a definitive list of all of the attributes we need to learn about, but a great place to begin our lifelong pursuit in changing our self to become like Him.
This book provides advice and insight on many topics that we need to study.
November 10, 2023
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book with a request for an objective review.
This book is extremely well written and researched. I was surprised by how well it is organized and presented. Although I’m not very interested in studying how others see God or how various views from him evolved I found that discussion to be interesting .
I gained some additional nuggets of insight and revelation and reminders that I believe help me in deepening my relationship with God, in particular the discussion about his holiness. It was a reminder to me that much of the problems I see around me in this day of decline and sin are an attempt to make God ordinary and unholy.
This book is extremely well written and researched. I was surprised by how well it is organized and presented. Although I’m not very interested in studying how others see God or how various views from him evolved I found that discussion to be interesting .
I gained some additional nuggets of insight and revelation and reminders that I believe help me in deepening my relationship with God, in particular the discussion about his holiness. It was a reminder to me that much of the problems I see around me in this day of decline and sin are an attempt to make God ordinary and unholy.
January 10, 2024
Dale Chamberlain has a vast knowledge of both Jewish history and early Christianity which he shares with he reader in detail, with many and varied quotes and references.
This book is definitely one that needs to be studied.
I received an advance copy of "That you may Know what to Worship", but all thoughts on this book are my own.
This book is definitely one that needs to be studied.
I received an advance copy of "That you may Know what to Worship", but all thoughts on this book are my own.
January 13, 2024
Faith comes from a belief in God, to understand who he is and have a true understanding of his character is important to having faith. The author examines the Jewish and christian traditions and compares them to modern day revelation to help the reader better understand God. An enjoyable read.
I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from the publisher however the opinions are my own.
I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from the publisher however the opinions are my own.
January 11, 2024
I thought I knew how & why I worship. Very interesting .
But take time to study what worship is about. I received an advanced copy of that. You may know what you worship and all thoughts are mine own.
But take time to study what worship is about. I received an advanced copy of that. You may know what you worship and all thoughts are mine own.
January 12, 2024
I received an advanced copy of THAT YOU MAY KNOW WHAT YOU WORSHIP, but all thoughts on this book are my own.
Chamberlain draws connections throughout Christian history of God and His attributes. This is a book that piqued my interest for more in-depth study.
Chamberlain draws connections throughout Christian history of God and His attributes. This is a book that piqued my interest for more in-depth study.
January 9, 2024
Very thought provoking would recommend this book to anyone l have received an advanced copy of this book but all opinions are my own
January 9, 2024
Absolutely amazing recommend to everyone. I received an advanced copy of this book, but all thoughts on this book are my own.
January 11, 2024
After reading it I even understand more detail.
December 30, 2024
This has good information to understand better how and why one worships God and Jesus Christ.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews