Wynter Gingery

Great, and short, book that will leave you wanting more!

Reviewed: 12-09-21 Listener received this title free

Oh boy. Prepare for your mind to melt as you may, like me, have to unlearn 50% of what you learned in Sunday School. Fr. Stephen packs a LOT into this little book, the audio being only about 4 hours. There are few footnotes, so it’s pretty smooth listening.

There was a time in my life where I didn’t want to follow the God of the Old Testament. But the more I learn, the more I realize I had it all backward. God Himself isn’t violent; but He does react to our violence (at least, that’s how my simple mind understands it at this moment). And we’ve misunderstood and misinterpreted a lot along the way. This book shows us, from Scripture itself, where we have gone wrong.

The only real flaw with this book is that it’s too short! But, Father Stephen shares his wealth of knowledge in other books and other avenues, and my understanding of this book was made even better by consuming some of his other content. That’s not to say the book doesn’t stand on its own, but it will have you seeking more information!

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It Would Be Better to Read Than to Listen to This Book

Reviewed: 01-16-21 Listener received this title free

I’m going to preface my review by saying that I received an audio copy as a gift, and chose to do the review based on the title alone. I don’t know any of the author’s previous works, so my opinion is both unbiased and maybe a little shallow.

The author has gathered and presents a wide variety of material from scientific research, the Scriptures, pastors, priests, and influencers in varying faith traditions, as well as his own social circle. He also offers practical exercises. It seems to be a combination of clinical and personal approach.

The book does read as far more academic than I was expecting based on the title, almost like I’m reading a college paper, as it is full of references, quotes and sidebars, often citing from only a small handful of source material. I might have preferred he recommend we read George MacDonald and then come to this book as it came across as largely a commentary on MacDonald’s thoughts.

He does share “anecdotes” from people he seems to know personally, but the conversations he quotes honestly sound made-up to me - they read not so much as actual conversations between two people but rather a fictionalized rendering written a little too properly.

So.... overall..... I wanted to get more out of this book, but I think having consumed it in the audio format was not the right approach to get out of it what I would have liked. Unfortunately, I do not believe this book lends itself well to being an audiobook. There are a LOT of quotes and sidebars, which made it really difficult to keep track of when it was the author speaking from his own mind, and when he was quoting or referencing somebody else. He also skips around frequently between stories, starting them in one chapter and then finishing them later, which I at least personally found quite distracting.

But it’s not all negative and I know some folks really benefit from having an audio choice! This would be a great book for a discussion group, and one day I may give it a try in physical form so I can better digest it and use the journal/discussion prompts. Because he does quote from so much other source material, if one wanted to dig deeper into this topic, a research trip to the library would be an easy task.

(As a practical note, I benefited from listening to the book at a 1.3 speed, as this seemed to give the reader a more natural gait.)

I can only give the audiobook 3 stars as I can’t recommend it in this medium, though I think I’d likely give the hard copy 4.

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1 person found this helpful

Wonderful book and presentation!

Reviewed: 10-30-20 Listener received this title free

Two storey review

I really enjoyed this audiobook! Father Stephen speaks both intelligently and simply, drawing us a vivid picture of a two-storey universe, and how it’s different from what the ideal one-storey universe is. He packs a lot into three hours, and yet I didn’t feel overwhelmed. In addition to his own thoughts and musings, he includes quotes and wisdom from church fathers, other authors, and the scriptures. (I might even have to purchase the paper version just so I can highlight parts that stuck out to me!)

As a convert to the Eastern Orthodox faith, I really appreciated the point of view the author brought, as a convert himself. It was interesting to see where God was placed in precious churches I’ve attended, as well as where I have placed Him myself without even realizing it - for better or worse in both cases.

I think this book would be a good read/listen for anybody, no matter where they are in their spiritual journey and no matter their church affiliation.

On the technical side, I appreciated that there was no background music, and Father Stephen’s reading is clean with good enunciation. Plus, it’s always fun when the author reads the book himself!

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