There's something about John Ortberg's newest book called
Soul Keeping that disturbs me, but it's hard to put a finger on it. Maybe part of it was his tendency to use humor to push a point across, but it came through as very juvenile. And his stories about himself, especially one part when he admits his selfishness towards his wife during their honeymoon, no less, was troublesome to read. His honesty might be considered a plus to some readers, but that's not the only incident where he talks about himself in an unflattering manner. But it's not like he changes. He just keeps being irritating. Enough already. Stop pushing everybody's buttons. And there's an incident where he badgers his two year old daughter to tears, shooting her with constant questions because he's tired of her doing the same to him. I guess his reason for sharing these stories is to show how our souls sometimes need work. I get that, but still...
This book seems to be heavy on him quoting his spiritual mentor, Dallas Willard, who is an unknown to me. Reminded me of reading Thomas Moore's book
Care of the Soul and how he cozied up to the late Thomas Merton. Nice to have someone to look up to, but the tendency is to quote your favorite writer/human/educator/pastor and present them as perfect. Like their words are always crystal and worthy to be quoted. I find that dangerous territory.
While I'll applaud his research and the references he uses, his anecdotes relying on humor to pull him through were draining to read. I didn't detect sincerity, rather I felt I was reading work from a stand-up comedian.
(i received this e-book free to review from thomas nelson/booklook bloggers)
