Jesus Calling, Large Print, Deluxe Edition - Imitation Leather, Amber

Jesus Calling is my favorite devotional book. I always start my day with reading this book and I feel like Jesus is talking to me directly. Whatever problem I am facing that day, the answer will be there. I bought this book for many of my family members and friends and they all appreciate it. God bless you Sarah Young.

I have more than one copy of Jesus Calling in different formats. I like this one best because it's large print and the paper is ideal for making notes on w/o ink smudges. I like to underline and highlight texts, and this copy is great for that purpose. Being able to make notes, highlights, and underlining makes the book more personal for me, aside from the precious words of Jesus spoken directly to me.

On Jesus Calling by the Sarah Young [The New Mystic][1]

Since the very popular author Sarah Young has now published her own Jesus Calling Devotional Bible, I think it is even more pressing that we address her hugely successful devotional book published some years previously, called Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. In this earlier devotional publication she claims that its content came to her by direct dictation from Jesus. My concerns with this devotional are not with its content per se; it is her claims of direct communication from Jesus (which seems comparable to the increasingly common New Age channeling practitioners who also claim to receive messages, even sometimes from Jesus). If Young had not put this in the form of direct revelation from Christ to her (and presumably to all believers), but rather as Christian reflections to encourage and teach others, it would not be so problematic. In fact, I would find it a bit more acceptable if she had only claimed that this was a literary and imaginative work for devotional encouragement, but that is not the case. Most seriously, as with all claims of direct messages from God, in Jesus Calling Young's claim of direct (dictation)[2] revelation would logically necessitate some kind of divine inspiration, and thus infallibility, and thus inerrancy (as the logic goes). Although Young denies inerrancy for these messages from God, I do not see how anyone can accept her claims without attributing to her works unwarranted authority.

Young's mystical orientation puts her in company with many other, similar Christian mystics, listeners who have visualizations and experiences of losing all sense of time. Young's theology may be otherwise orthodox, as far as I know. As several reviewers have noted, however, the theology of Young's devotional is thin. Indeed, the most common theme seems to be simply "Don't worry, trust me," in the traditional, pietistic motif of "let go and let God," or, "cease striving." Further to that thin theme, there is the central mystical thought of "empty yourself and your mind" that I find very unsatisfying as a model for the Christian life in a fallen world. Indeed, the biblical model is to be filled with the Word, so that his word dwells in us for fullness of life.

The message Young conveys in this devotional of dictations is that scripture was not sufficient for her, and need not be for us. As she writes, "I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more"(xii). And, since God has given her a deeper peace from personal messages directly from Jesus, we too are encouraged to get solace and peace with this fresh new word from Christ himself to her. She offers to her readers that "more" she yearned for, but it is a further word, not the scripture. The fundamental doctrines of the Protestant faith include the sufficiency of scripture and the cessation of divine revelation with the closing of the canon. Any claims of something "more" beyond that have historically been rejected as usurpations, and thus unauthoritative. Also, by adding biblical scriptures to the bottom of her revelations, Young gives further unjustified authority to the words she claims come directly from Christ.

Works such as this one undoubtedly indicate a spiritual hunger for more teaching that "speaks to the heart and soul" in our times, and perhaps particularly in Reformed circles that tend sometimes to especially emphasize the mind and thoroughgoing theology. Yet, in response to that suggestion, I propose that any downplaying of the "heart and soul," and the human need to be ministered to there, is entirely out of accord with our history of Protestant, Reformation piety. Just consider, for example, Jonathan Edwards, "Religious Affections." I do think there is a widespread hunger for something more in this area. Indeed, there may be something of a famine in our times, but I think it is the meat of the Word through the Spirit that alone produces a true "experience" of God and his presence (this is not to say we do not read other books to learn, grow, and get encouragement, etc., but that we do not consider them in any way as further revelation).

In sum, since our experiences are such unreliable guides for piety, we must depend on the scripture alone as our authoritative rule and guide for life and faith. Sola scriptura was about both the authority of the Scripture and its sufficiency. Indeed, I believe that we do not need to "yearn" for anything more than sola scriptura. Jesus is calling, but he never calls us to go beyond scripture.

[1] Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004.

[2] On dictation notions of inspiration, ironically, no Evangelical theory that I know of seriously entertains inspiration of biblical revelation in the terms she describes that her messages are received by dictation.

A great product and a wonderful gift.

I am a pastor and I give this devotional to everyone (man and woman) who comes into our church. It is appreciated by all. A great way to start the day is by reading it first thing in the morning.