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Truly Human: Recovering Your Humanity in a Broken World
Our first parents departed from what it means to be truly human when they ate from the forbidden tree. Ever since, humans have been working with corrupted minds and wills, employing a distorted approach to life. Kevin Scherer calls this psycho-logic, and he knows how it can lead us on a downward spiral to misery. How do we get back to the Garden? By allowing Christ to renew our minds, using the tried-and-true spiritual practices of the Orthodox Faith.
160 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 8, 2022
This was a refreshingly honest book combining psychology, spirituality, and personal experience to discuss what it means to really be human in a confusing and painful world. I found it extremely encouraging.
This book explores what it means to be human from a Christian perspective and what the biblical narrative of sin and redemption *really* means for our everyday life, especially in regards to hardship, pain, and difficulty. It blends ancient Christian wisdom with modern psychology to walk the reader through what it means to distort one's humanity and how to get it back, all while emphasizing the love of a God Who desires to see us fully become who He made us to be.
I loved how incredibly humble and real this book was. The author is speaking not just from his own studies but from his personal experiences which encompass a ton of terrible, traumatic events, some even self-inflicted. It's obvious that he knows and believes what he's talking about because he's been forced to apply it in his own life. When he speaks of pain, it's not in the theoretical, but it's very, very real, and I think that makes the message of the book more powerful and believable.
I also LOVED how pro-therapy this book is. It tells you very clearly that this is not a stereotypical "self-help" book. The principles are great but the author clearly states that the reader should seek outside help in evaluating themselves, especially from professionals. So many self-help books, especially religious ones, downplay or ignore the significance of therapy and psychological professionals, so I was EXTREMELY encouraged to read one that does the opposite. Huge props to the author for that!
It's also VERY accessible to ANY Christian reader. Although the author is Orthodox, he takes great pains to write in a way that any Christian can read and understand and feel comfortable with regardless of their tradition. It tries very hard to be a book that any Christian can apply, Orthodox or not.
My only complaint (which is extremely subjective) was that I wanted more from it. A lot of the things he talked about were things that I already knew, however I have also been on my own healing journey for a number of years now, so that is probably why. However, it did encourage me that I'm on the right path, and it helped to reinforce some of the things I had discovered or suspected on my own. So, for that, I'm very thankful.
I think this is a great book to read for any Christian. It's practical, honest, gentle, and a very easy read. I definitely recommend it.
This book explores what it means to be human from a Christian perspective and what the biblical narrative of sin and redemption *really* means for our everyday life, especially in regards to hardship, pain, and difficulty. It blends ancient Christian wisdom with modern psychology to walk the reader through what it means to distort one's humanity and how to get it back, all while emphasizing the love of a God Who desires to see us fully become who He made us to be.
I loved how incredibly humble and real this book was. The author is speaking not just from his own studies but from his personal experiences which encompass a ton of terrible, traumatic events, some even self-inflicted. It's obvious that he knows and believes what he's talking about because he's been forced to apply it in his own life. When he speaks of pain, it's not in the theoretical, but it's very, very real, and I think that makes the message of the book more powerful and believable.
I also LOVED how pro-therapy this book is. It tells you very clearly that this is not a stereotypical "self-help" book. The principles are great but the author clearly states that the reader should seek outside help in evaluating themselves, especially from professionals. So many self-help books, especially religious ones, downplay or ignore the significance of therapy and psychological professionals, so I was EXTREMELY encouraged to read one that does the opposite. Huge props to the author for that!
It's also VERY accessible to ANY Christian reader. Although the author is Orthodox, he takes great pains to write in a way that any Christian can read and understand and feel comfortable with regardless of their tradition. It tries very hard to be a book that any Christian can apply, Orthodox or not.
My only complaint (which is extremely subjective) was that I wanted more from it. A lot of the things he talked about were things that I already knew, however I have also been on my own healing journey for a number of years now, so that is probably why. However, it did encourage me that I'm on the right path, and it helped to reinforce some of the things I had discovered or suspected on my own. So, for that, I'm very thankful.
I think this is a great book to read for any Christian. It's practical, honest, gentle, and a very easy read. I definitely recommend it.
April 3, 2019
This book was thought-provoking and intriguing from the very start, but I knew this book was special when Scherer, who ministered to the grieving at Ground Zero, expressed seeing himself and all of humanity in the brokenness of the 9/11 perpetrators.
Scherer impressed upon me the brokenness of humanity and the humility required to live “truly human.” Towards the end of the book, he discusses the idea of bright sadness and joyful sorrow - a godly grief. He urges us to experience all of the world and all of ourselves in this joyful sorrow, to weep the brokenness of humanity, but seek the Resurrection. This whole book is fragrant with this godly grief.
Scherer writes from his experiences and those of modern day saints, which makes his abstract concepts practical and accessible. This book is worth meditating upon.
Scherer impressed upon me the brokenness of humanity and the humility required to live “truly human.” Towards the end of the book, he discusses the idea of bright sadness and joyful sorrow - a godly grief. He urges us to experience all of the world and all of ourselves in this joyful sorrow, to weep the brokenness of humanity, but seek the Resurrection. This whole book is fragrant with this godly grief.
Scherer writes from his experiences and those of modern day saints, which makes his abstract concepts practical and accessible. This book is worth meditating upon.
March 11, 2025
Easy read but holds deep meaning. This book invokes inner change and to challenge the mind to see how we’ve been living versus how we should aim to live. Great personal stories that held weight in my mind even though I did not personally experience them.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews