Healing from Bad Theology

Greg Boyd,

I just wanted to write you a quick email to let you know that I read God at War (and am currently working on Satan and the Problem of Evil…and the Myth of the Christian Nation) and it has literally changed my life! This has just been such a powerful thing for me, I just wanted to share a little bit of my story with you.

I definitely grew up in the “God is sovereign” camp, the same way you talk about it in your books. I was in 6th grade, and my sister was 7 when she was diagnosed with cancer. I was told that God allowed this to happen, and we may not know why, but it was for His glory. I was told that we were at spiritual war, but like Job we are pawns in a war between Satan and God, and if God wants to “use” us to prove a Christian’s loyalty to Him (to Satan) then He will. It was so twisted. She went into remission and then relapsed. She underwent chemo, radiation, experimental drugs, and finally went half way across the country for over six months to get an unrelated bone marrow transplant which didn’t have super high success rates. Thank God she survived, but she is forever changed/disabled.

Life continued for me, and obviously I had some other experiences that really altered my way of thinking and believing in God. Then I joined the charismatic stream, and was told that my sister didn’t have to be sick because God would have healed her if we had had faith for that. Wow, now I was really conflicted.

The past year and a half, I have been engaging in some inner healing and really getting down to the root of my stuff (mistrust) with God. I have seen a lot of amazing things during this time, but your book was the final step in this process for me. I started reading it at just the right time. God at War brought everything together for me. It was a healing balm over my heart that finished sealing in a huge work of the Holy Spirit in my life. After this healing I received, your book was the one that soothed my theology (and thought processes) back into place. It made everything make sense again. It seemed to balance all of the things that had been twisted for so many years. I know this was just the most perfect book for me at the most perfect time! I know if I read it again, I wouldn’t have the same experience. I would love it, but for entirely different reasons I’m sure.

So, I just wanted to thank you for that!

Hannah