The Deity Formerly Known As God

by Jarrett Stevens

'I do not want my image of God. I want God.' ---C. S. Lewis Like Lewis, Jarrett Stevens wants to truly know and experience God, not some distorted and destructive image of the Almighty formed over the years. With wry humor and profound insights, Stevens searches to align his broken images of God with the images of God found in the Bible. Attempting to recapture the spirit of J. B. Phillips' classic, Your God Is Too Small, Stevens addresses various assumptions we have about God and sorts through twelve different views of God---six destructive and six constructive. God is not, for instance, the cop around the corner waiting to catch you breaking the law. Neither is he a talent show judge, wincing as you struggle through life. What if those destructive images we've shaped were replaced with more positive ones---a neighbor you can call for help in the dead of night ... or a tired-eyed father waiting for his child to return home safely? These images come straight from Jesus' teachings and invite us into a new experience with the true and living God.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living

183 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Steven O'Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

over all good it is my plan to sermonize the 6 views

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like it... the beginning was fun. The end was a bit better. Just to totally be snobby, it was a bit sophomoric in the language, and so it lost me a little. I also hate the poppy art on the pages- the intros to the chapter were cool, but the swirly gigs on some of the pages drove me nuts. I like books to stand alone!.

good lessons, and some heart felt ideas. I liked his voice, but he didn't strike me as someone who I would hang out with, so it was hard to relate in some ways. His honesty was refreshing, but it felt like he often held back in order to be more Christiany and less raw... booo!

[Jason Ruggles · Rating 3 out of 5]

God... How do you define that subject?

Admittedly, it's a tough task. But in a very easy-to-understand format, Jarrett Stevens take it on. First, he explained what, and who God is not. And then who He is.

This book seems to be written for the young adult who has grown up in the church. Most of it comes from a background of the Christian subculture. And it was somewhat difficult to get into the subject, because the author keeps trying to show you how hip he is with all kinds of pop culture references.

In the end, I think it's a good, albeit, simple intro to the subject that is GOD.

[Adam Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short review: Ok. A slightly different take on how we view God improperly. Pretty short book. About every other page was a graphic or text not related to the main book. It is out of print in paper but available in kindle and audiobook. Over priced for both. I would recommend Imaginary Jesus if you like humor or Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith if you want a more traditional theology/christian living book.

My longer review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-diety-formerly-k...

[Andrew Neveils · Rating 4 out of 5]

It moved quickly, but merely scratched the surface of the issue of our relationship with God. It is well written, but very simply. Since it's not a deep book, the structure and word choice must follow suite.

He repeats some concepts a bit redundantly, but for the most part they azre good points.

It's a good read, but as Jarrett points out in the book, it's just a beginning!

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author does through six unhelpful views of God we may have and then looks at six helpful views of God from the Bible. There is some good stuff in the book but that's sandwiched between bad jokes and only marginally relevant stories from the author's life.

[Adam Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It makes simple a complex issue. It's real, and it's authentic. But more than that, I found it to be challenging and most importantly it invited me to open up a vital dialogue that I think I will continue for many years.

[Leah Griffin]

I picked this up in Glorieta, NM. It seemed interesting. The basis of the book is to help the reader discover and destroy unhealthy and incorrect perceptions of G-d.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written contemporary take on J.B. Philips' classic YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL... I'm glad I've read them both but this would be the one to recommend to folks today.

[Justin Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth your time

[Shannon]

I might recommend this book to a teenager who's a new Christian, but not to a mature adult or to anyone (teen or adult) who wants to read a book with any depth. I couldn't finish it.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall pretty good. Very simple but some good stuff. I probably would have liked it less as a straight read, but it worked very well as a discussion book in our smallgroup.

[Jt]

good read