Jen Wilkin

“In His Image is an invitation to become like the God we worship, to see his characteristics become true of us, the people he has created and redeemed. Jen Wilkin’s work provides a solid and accessible overview of a crucial part of Christian theology. Any believer who reads this book will benefit from its truth.” (Trevin Wax, Vice President of Research and Resource Development, The North American Mission Board; Visiting Professor, Cedarville University; author, The Thrill of Orthodoxy; Rethink Your Self; and This Is Our Time)

“I have one big problem with this book: people will assume it’s only for women. This couldn’t be further from the truth! God has given Jen Wilkin the gift of making big truths easily understandable, which is great news for a person of average intelligence like myself. All who desire to increase their knowledge of and passion for God should read this book. All who desire to grow in holiness and be conformed to the image of God need to add this to their library. I highly recommend it.” (Stephen Altrogge, author, Untamable God; creator, The Blazing Center)

“A. W. Tozer famously said that what we think about God is the most important and most formative thing about us. Jen Wilkin shows us how the best answers to what we should do are found in what we become, and what we become is determined by our view of God. There is no more important subject matter, and few authors are as capable at communicating such deep truth in simple, engaging ways as Jen Wilkin is.” (J. D. Greear, Pastor, The Summit Church, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina)

“In His Image is packed full of theological insight, pastoral wisdom, real-life application, and plenty of self-deprecation. Along with its predecessor, None Like Him, it is essential reading for understanding what God is like and what it looks like for us to live in light of that.” (Sam Allberry, Associate Pastor, Immanuel Nashville; author; speaker)

“This book is for everyone who stresses over her decisions, constantly wondering whether or not she’s in God’s will. Jen Wilkin graciously turns these questions upside down by encouraging us to know and behold the character of God, allowing that to inform and transform our actions as image bearers. In His Image presents a biblical and practical explanation of God’s communicable attributes that anyone can grasp, enjoy, and apply!” (Emily Jensen, coauthor, Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments; Cofounder and Content Director, Risen Motherhood)… (lisätietoja)

Overall, this book was just okay. It has fairly sound teaching, and I can appreciate Wilkin's desire to motivate more women to really know their Bibles.

However, her tone throughout the first half of the book read to me like, "I used to be a terrible Christian who didn't know anything, either. But I have now arrived, and if you just do exactly what I do, you can become an awesome Christian, too!" (Her tone does improve in the second half a bit.)

The book was really dry. I finally started skimming in the last few chapters (which I hardly ever do), because I just wanted it to end already. Her version of studying the Bible is essentially the induction method. Rather than reading an entire book on it, one could save a lot of time and energy by doing a quick Google search to discover the key attributes of such a study. (This book is about 150 pages, but it could have been greatly condensed!)

The bulk of examples/anecdotes were about herself and her family. I would have personally preferred reading stories from multiple women in various life stages.

The more I read, the more I wondered if perhaps Wilkin is an ENFP/ESFP on the Myers Briggs scale. I'm an ISTJ, and so it would make sense that the concepts she spoke of being "breakthrough" type moments only made me go, "Well, duh." She writes as if what she struggled to grasp is the same thing that every woman struggles with. The truth is, we all come to our Bibles with vastly different personalities and experiences, and since she seemed to be writing to only one type of person (someone who shares her exact personality), I had a very hard time connecting with her and walking away with anything of value...

For someone who is very new to the Christian faith and needs very basic information on getting started with studying the Bible, or for the ENFP :) this could be a helpful read.… (lisätietoja)