A must read for anyone who calls themselves Christian! ( )

First sentence: The curve of the rocking chair arm dug into my hip as I held my restless toddler, singing a hymn into the darkness--darkness so thick it felt as if it were made of physical matter, choking the cries right out of my throat as I prayed to a God I wasn't sure was even there. "God, I know you're real," I whispered. "Please let me feel your presence. Please."

Premise/plot: Alisa Childers writes of her experiences with progressive Christianity. She was encouraged to "deconstruct" by her pastor. There was a class and everything. But she held onto her faith even if she couldn't put into words why. His false teachings encouraged her to do anything and everything to 'prove' the WHY of her faith. She began digging deep, using all the resources, reading theology, studying church history. This battle with the false strengthened her faith and emboldened her message. She's been sounding off warning messages against progressive Christianity and deconstructing ever since. In this one she is showing readers that the "God" the "Jesus" of progressive Christianity is NOT the God of the Bible. That they are in fact preaching another Jesus, another gospel.

My thoughts: I first became familiar with the author through a documentary I was watching a couple years ago. I then began watching her YouTube videos on her channel. I've not watched every one, certainly, but I've watched quite a handful. If you have seen every single video, then there isn't much new here in the book. Her testimony is good--something I believe the Holy Spirit can use--but it isn't exclusive to this book. She tells her story in several places.

I definitely enjoyed reading her story. I liked following her journey. ( )

Alisa Childers who sang with contemporary Christian music group Zoegirl found her faith challenged when she encountered a progressive pastor. She decided to investigate his claims by studying the Bible and reading and studying theology. Childers became convinced progressive Christianity was the falling away the Bible asserts will happen in the last days. One can tell the author studied progressive and conservative theologians in her quest to find the truth. I enjoyed the book overall, but her writing style was a little more "familiar" than I prefer. Given her background, I understand many who followed her career would appreciate that tone, but it didn't work as well for me. ( )