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God Distorted: How Your Earthly Father Affects Your Perception of God and Why It Matters
God is not a bigger version of your earthly father. When you hear the word “father,” do you think of someone who is loving…or angry? Someone who is pleased with you…or constantly disappointed? Someone who is always available…or someone who is too busy, preoccupied, or distant? When you think of “Father God,” what images come to mind? Regardless of the type of father you grew up with—or without—it is likely that your view of God is influenced by the relationship you had with your father. Author John Bishop wants to help you discover that God is not just like your dad. Instead, God is the Father revealed in Scripture, where the truth is clear. God is a father who • always there• up close and personal• fully pleased• in complete control• completely safe Filled with biblical insight and practical tools for reflection, healing, and restoration, God Distorted will enable you to break free from the lies of the enemy and see your heavenly Father as He truly is.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
28 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
John Bishop
192 books46 followersThere is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads catalog. This entry is for John ^ Bishop.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 8, 2013
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” (Matthew 6:9)
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)
“And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9)
These and a plethora of other passages in Scripture describe God as our heavenly Father. He is the one who cares for us, who created us, and who longs to have a relationship with us. Often, our earthly fathers and our relationship or lack thereof as it may be, greatly impacts how we relate to and view our heavenly Father. Those who have or had a caring, loving, and nurturing earthly father will in turn be more likely to view their heavenly Father in a positive manner, seeing Him also as caring, loving, and nurturing. Conversely, those who have or have had a trying, combative relationship with a nonexistent father or one who did not demonstrate godly love and oversight will have a tendency to translate those feelings of apathy and bitterness towards their heavenly Father.
John Bishop, in his book God Distorted: How Your Earthly Father Affects Your Perception of God and Why It Matters, addresses this vitally important relational issue. Bishop divides this book into three sections, with the first section outlining different types of fathers, section two discusses various attributes of God our heavenly Father, while section three identifies ways in which we can begin to experience restoration and healing of relationships with our earthly fathers, essentially the application or where the rubber hits the road section.
As the soon to be father of an adopted child, I am painfully aware of how a deficient earthly father can impact the life of a child. While thankfully through the efforts of a number of caring and loving social workers, counselors, and foster parents, our child has moved on from that painful past, it nevertheless is a prime example of the importance of not only having a good earthly father, but also how negative experiences can warp ones view of God. My wife and I have had a number of conversations with our kiddo concerning God and how He is truly a loving, caring Creator who is watching over her every second of every day.
The reality is, while most people may not experience physical or verbal abuse as a child to the extent they have to be removed from their biological parents, there are no perfect parents. After all, as noted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” So we know God’s perfect standard is holiness to include training up a child in the fear and admonition of the Lord. However, in a fallen world, God’s standard is more often than not something that is fallen far short of.
Bishop rightly notes “If Satan can distort your image of God, he can destroy your life. You will be unable to relate to the father heart of God, and you will never experience the intimacy, love, and complete acceptance that await you. Through his misdirection, you’ll miss the best relationship possible this side of heaven.” This does not mean that because someone experience a poor relationship with their earthly father, that automatically Satan will have a firm hold on your life to the extent where your perspective of God will be forever distorted. What it does mean, however, is the fullness of relationship God desires to have with His children will indeed be impacted by past experiences, at least until those issues have been dealt with appropriately and the distorted view of God that may exist is corrected.
In his descriptions of various types of fathers, Bishop does an excellent job of not just providing clinical definitions, but also bringing into the mix his own life experiences. Some people may not realize their experience with their earthly father actually falls into one of the categories he provides and as such, this may be an eye opener for many. The point is not to provide a means by which people can place blame on their father for all of life’s ills therefore taking no responsibility for their actions or rejecting any effort at making reconciliation and offering forgiveness. What Bishop is doing is providing the means to identify what may be the source of the problem for many people in regards to how they view God, namely that of associating their poor relationship with their earthly father with that of a perfect, holy heavenly Father. So if your father was absent, passive, demanding, enabling, controlling, abusive, accusing, “good” or any combination of these, understanding what that means is the first step to resolving your relationship with your father if it has not happened already and more importantly, it is a vital step to evaluating your view of God.
In part 2, Bishop compares the perfect attributes of God with the not so holy attributes of the types of fathers he presents and outlines in part 1. This was a fascinating study as it brought into focus exactly who God is and why there is the need in the first place to understand the frailty and sinful nature of earthly fathers as compared to a perfect, holy heavenly Father. Bishop aptly comments “God is not a bigger version of your heavenly father. As good as your father is or was, God is infinitely better. As difficult as things were for you, God can change the father-image you have and, through that, change your destiny.” He further elaborates that God’s love is perfect, totally unlike any love we can experience on a fleshly level. After all, “The Bible doesn’t just say God loves – although He does – but it clearly states God is love.” God will never leave us nor forsake us. He is omnipresent and thus He is always there even when our earthly father cannot or will not be there for us. He desires a relationship with us which if you think about it, just might blow your mind. The God of the universe cares enough about each one of us that He desires to know us. As Bishop so rightly notes, knowing involves intimacy, a type of relationship we will never experience with human beings.
Furthermore, God is sovereign and there is nothing that is outside His control. Bishop reminds the reader that God will never hurt us. For those who have been abused by their earthly father, this is a tough one to accept at times. Abuse impacts our level of trust and that is often reflected or cast on to our concept of God. Bishop saliently states “If you are an abuse victim, what comes into your mind is the image of a God who is ashamed of you, didn’t protect you, and allowed the abuse to happen.” Those who are His are adopted sons and daughters of the God of the universe and He truly loves and cares for us. When that reality is grasped, our view of God will be altered from one of mistrust to casting our cares upon Him for He cares for us.
God Distorted is truly an excellent book and one I could easily relate to. While my relationship with my earthly father thankfully did not distort my view of God as the heavenly Father, this book nevertheless was very useful given the past experiences of one which we have been given charge to care for. Even those who might not have a distorted view of God will find this book useful as reality dictates we will come in contact with someone who has experienced past hurts in their life. To that end, this is a valuable resource.
I received this for free from Multnomah Books for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” (Matthew 6:9)
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)
“And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9)
These and a plethora of other passages in Scripture describe God as our heavenly Father. He is the one who cares for us, who created us, and who longs to have a relationship with us. Often, our earthly fathers and our relationship or lack thereof as it may be, greatly impacts how we relate to and view our heavenly Father. Those who have or had a caring, loving, and nurturing earthly father will in turn be more likely to view their heavenly Father in a positive manner, seeing Him also as caring, loving, and nurturing. Conversely, those who have or have had a trying, combative relationship with a nonexistent father or one who did not demonstrate godly love and oversight will have a tendency to translate those feelings of apathy and bitterness towards their heavenly Father.
John Bishop, in his book God Distorted: How Your Earthly Father Affects Your Perception of God and Why It Matters, addresses this vitally important relational issue. Bishop divides this book into three sections, with the first section outlining different types of fathers, section two discusses various attributes of God our heavenly Father, while section three identifies ways in which we can begin to experience restoration and healing of relationships with our earthly fathers, essentially the application or where the rubber hits the road section.
As the soon to be father of an adopted child, I am painfully aware of how a deficient earthly father can impact the life of a child. While thankfully through the efforts of a number of caring and loving social workers, counselors, and foster parents, our child has moved on from that painful past, it nevertheless is a prime example of the importance of not only having a good earthly father, but also how negative experiences can warp ones view of God. My wife and I have had a number of conversations with our kiddo concerning God and how He is truly a loving, caring Creator who is watching over her every second of every day.
The reality is, while most people may not experience physical or verbal abuse as a child to the extent they have to be removed from their biological parents, there are no perfect parents. After all, as noted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” So we know God’s perfect standard is holiness to include training up a child in the fear and admonition of the Lord. However, in a fallen world, God’s standard is more often than not something that is fallen far short of.
Bishop rightly notes “If Satan can distort your image of God, he can destroy your life. You will be unable to relate to the father heart of God, and you will never experience the intimacy, love, and complete acceptance that await you. Through his misdirection, you’ll miss the best relationship possible this side of heaven.” This does not mean that because someone experience a poor relationship with their earthly father, that automatically Satan will have a firm hold on your life to the extent where your perspective of God will be forever distorted. What it does mean, however, is the fullness of relationship God desires to have with His children will indeed be impacted by past experiences, at least until those issues have been dealt with appropriately and the distorted view of God that may exist is corrected.
In his descriptions of various types of fathers, Bishop does an excellent job of not just providing clinical definitions, but also bringing into the mix his own life experiences. Some people may not realize their experience with their earthly father actually falls into one of the categories he provides and as such, this may be an eye opener for many. The point is not to provide a means by which people can place blame on their father for all of life’s ills therefore taking no responsibility for their actions or rejecting any effort at making reconciliation and offering forgiveness. What Bishop is doing is providing the means to identify what may be the source of the problem for many people in regards to how they view God, namely that of associating their poor relationship with their earthly father with that of a perfect, holy heavenly Father. So if your father was absent, passive, demanding, enabling, controlling, abusive, accusing, “good” or any combination of these, understanding what that means is the first step to resolving your relationship with your father if it has not happened already and more importantly, it is a vital step to evaluating your view of God.
In part 2, Bishop compares the perfect attributes of God with the not so holy attributes of the types of fathers he presents and outlines in part 1. This was a fascinating study as it brought into focus exactly who God is and why there is the need in the first place to understand the frailty and sinful nature of earthly fathers as compared to a perfect, holy heavenly Father. Bishop aptly comments “God is not a bigger version of your heavenly father. As good as your father is or was, God is infinitely better. As difficult as things were for you, God can change the father-image you have and, through that, change your destiny.” He further elaborates that God’s love is perfect, totally unlike any love we can experience on a fleshly level. After all, “The Bible doesn’t just say God loves – although He does – but it clearly states God is love.” God will never leave us nor forsake us. He is omnipresent and thus He is always there even when our earthly father cannot or will not be there for us. He desires a relationship with us which if you think about it, just might blow your mind. The God of the universe cares enough about each one of us that He desires to know us. As Bishop so rightly notes, knowing involves intimacy, a type of relationship we will never experience with human beings.
Furthermore, God is sovereign and there is nothing that is outside His control. Bishop reminds the reader that God will never hurt us. For those who have been abused by their earthly father, this is a tough one to accept at times. Abuse impacts our level of trust and that is often reflected or cast on to our concept of God. Bishop saliently states “If you are an abuse victim, what comes into your mind is the image of a God who is ashamed of you, didn’t protect you, and allowed the abuse to happen.” Those who are His are adopted sons and daughters of the God of the universe and He truly loves and cares for us. When that reality is grasped, our view of God will be altered from one of mistrust to casting our cares upon Him for He cares for us.
God Distorted is truly an excellent book and one I could easily relate to. While my relationship with my earthly father thankfully did not distort my view of God as the heavenly Father, this book nevertheless was very useful given the past experiences of one which we have been given charge to care for. Even those who might not have a distorted view of God will find this book useful as reality dictates we will come in contact with someone who has experienced past hurts in their life. To that end, this is a valuable resource.
I received this for free from Multnomah Books for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
July 7, 2013
From the very minute I started this book, I was drawn into John Bishop's personal life and how he was going to turn this into a study of our heavenly father. The book was be especially helpful to new young fathers to be and people who struggle with their past because they were raised by abusive fathers.
Rev John Bishop has a large congregation of over 5000. Living Hope in Vancouver WA. It is filled with excellent Biblical insight and practical tools for reflection, healing and restorations.
It is unbelievable to me that John Bishop could have had 4 fathers in his young life, but they give him the background for the study of the many types of fathers. His original father died when John was 4 in a car accident, when he was drunk. This was followed in 18 months by a very abusive step father and then number 3, with his retired grandfather, Pop, who took the 2 boys in as his own, and then father number 4, when he was an older teen.
He did not just stop with the 10 chapters on the various types of father: absent, passive, demanding, enabling, controlling, abusive, accusing and good but not God. Each chapter causes the reader to try to see their own earthly father in one or more of the categories. This part is called the Perception, it is followed by God's Perfection which opens your eyes to how our Heavenly father treated his disciples and followers in individual and unique ways and how he can meet you where you need him. John Bishop does not pretend to have all the answers, as his own son is in prison and he shares some of his hard written communications especially in light of the topic of forgiveness and support. The Study guide at the end is called My Progression; letting go of the Daddy damage. The questions having to do with the the fears of abandonment, rejection, disapproval, entitlement, failure, being hurt and being blamed. These applications will lead you through a period of hard discernment and will release you from the shame and guilt you might be harboring. They bring the whole study into restoration.
I found the book to be excellent and think any counselor or minister who wish to have excellent Biblical insights as well as moving examples and excellent notes will be blessed. I intend to visit his church and meet this excellent writer in person very soon.
October 20, 2017
Reviewed on my blog: Babbling Books
John Bishop has such a wonderful way of getting to the heart of our distortions of God and teaching how to see who God truly is without making the teachings seem like something I’ve heard a million times before. He manages to make a holy God approachable in a way that other pastoral authors have failed to do. He draws out new biblical knowledge from passages most of us will have encountered before but may not have understood their true depth or meaning.
There’s always a fine balance between being personal in a book and sharing too much, and I think Bishop is able to strike that perfect balance. By sharing his own ordeals with his son and his own life, we know that he sympathizes and empathizes with us and can truly know what we all have gone through and that his teachings are not shallow. Biblical teaching are often more believable when they come from someone who has walked the path before you and so John Bishop is able to honestly and kindly lead us all through a path of healing as he has been down the road with God already.
This book leads us on a road towards healing as the book unfolds, from discovering the source of our distortion, to knowing God as He truly is, to then moving forward in our new understanding. This book is one that I could read several times and still learn more from, in fact I’m sure I still haven’t grasped the full meaning of everything I read this first time I’ve read it. That’s the beauty of a book that teaches you something though, you’re never done learning.
Honestly, it’s hard to do a review on this book because it deserves every one of the 5 stars, but it takes you on a very personal journey which is difficult to explain in a review. This book altered many of the distortions I had from having an imperfect father myself and I can truly say that the wisdom contained within its pages is more than worth your time.
“Religion says you can’t measure up. Grace says you don’t have to.”I actually can’t remember when I first picked up this book. I’ve read little bits and pieces of it over time and I finally decided to sit down and reread it the other day and I’m so glad I did. This is one of the most insightful and powerful books I’ve read.
John Bishop has such a wonderful way of getting to the heart of our distortions of God and teaching how to see who God truly is without making the teachings seem like something I’ve heard a million times before. He manages to make a holy God approachable in a way that other pastoral authors have failed to do. He draws out new biblical knowledge from passages most of us will have encountered before but may not have understood their true depth or meaning.
There’s always a fine balance between being personal in a book and sharing too much, and I think Bishop is able to strike that perfect balance. By sharing his own ordeals with his son and his own life, we know that he sympathizes and empathizes with us and can truly know what we all have gone through and that his teachings are not shallow. Biblical teaching are often more believable when they come from someone who has walked the path before you and so John Bishop is able to honestly and kindly lead us all through a path of healing as he has been down the road with God already.
This book leads us on a road towards healing as the book unfolds, from discovering the source of our distortion, to knowing God as He truly is, to then moving forward in our new understanding. This book is one that I could read several times and still learn more from, in fact I’m sure I still haven’t grasped the full meaning of everything I read this first time I’ve read it. That’s the beauty of a book that teaches you something though, you’re never done learning.
Honestly, it’s hard to do a review on this book because it deserves every one of the 5 stars, but it takes you on a very personal journey which is difficult to explain in a review. This book altered many of the distortions I had from having an imperfect father myself and I can truly say that the wisdom contained within its pages is more than worth your time.
December 21, 2025
The first part was good, the middle got a little repetitive and irrelevant but we ended with a bang lol
I discovered the author’s naughty actions when I was halfway through the book, and it made it tough to take his advice. So my advice would be to take everything with a grain of salt and make sure it’s all in line with the Word
I discovered the author’s naughty actions when I was halfway through the book, and it made it tough to take his advice. So my advice would be to take everything with a grain of salt and make sure it’s all in line with the Word
March 18, 2018
Such a good, well written book. Full of gpod insights and much encouragement. I'll have to read it again!!❤
January 27, 2024
A thoughtful, kind, and meaningful exploration of how our father-wounds can keep us from the relationship we could have with God, our Father. It touched my heart and helped me see God in a new way.
August 20, 2013
I'm not a big non-fiction fan, but I can always count on John Bishop to write something I want to read...mostly because he writes like he preaches and there's a reason why he's loved by his congregation! God Distorted opens up a world of forgiveness, acceptance, grace, and a way to turn the way we perceive God into the truth. This book is a quick read, and not weighted down with scriptures that will make you wonder if you're re-reading the bible. John once again uses scripture to illustrate real life solutions, and (personally) showed me a new way of looking at a few. My particular favorite were the cave promises, and oh, how many times have we felt like we were in a dark, cold space without hope. I recommend this book for folks wrestling with "daddy" issues, and quite honestly, it works for "mommy" issues as well.
*** I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
*** I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 12, 2015
The author discusses a very important topic: How our human relationships, specifically with our earthly fathers, affects our relationship with God. I especially appreciated his sections on "Understanding Different Daddy Types" and "Letting Go of Daddy Damage." When I hear people say that they have left their Christian roots and are now free, I wonder if their sense of bondage was related to human relationships that resulted in a misunderstanding of God's love. Bishop helps to sort out our faulty perceptions of God--our God who is "always there, close up and personal, fully pleased, in complete control, and completely safe."
April 13, 2024
This book is definitely a healing balm to those who have struggled in their view of God. This book would be helpful to anyone who has experienced abuse from a parental figure or possibly abuse from someone at all. It reminds readers that God can be distorted by our earthly relationships. The only critique I would have is some theological differences and how the author phrased some passages in chapters because while I would recommend this book there were some places that tried to elevate emotions more than God’s word. But, like I prior said for someone who is struggling with a distorted view of God I would recommend.
November 8, 2013
John Bishop uses his own personal experiences along with scripture to bring to light the true love and character of God as not just the divine creator but as our Father. This book highlights the truth of grace as it is defined in the Bible. The chapter on how to forgive is a very useful tool. There are a few small things I disagree with but over all the book is a great tool to help in one's Christian life. Includes valuable study questions.
September 20, 2013
I am a long term pastor/evangelist and have seen things in the church world that are exactly as John describes them. This is a timely and badly needed writing. I pray that many will read it and absorb what John presents.
John's book is well written and clearly understandable.
John's book is well written and clearly understandable.
September 2, 2016
This was a hard book to read only because it makes you see somethings you may not want to.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews