Beyond an Angry God: You Can’t Imagine How Much He Loves You

Steve McVey has literally changed my life through his books and this one of the best books he has written in my opinion. According to Steve and the "Good News' God's love is central to what it means to be a believer and anything that has been interpreted in the Bible to look anything different from this core hermeneutic is simply not the Gospel according to scripture. Steve does a great job of defending the love of God through logic and scripture. God is not love and justice! God is not love and retributive! God is not love and anything else. God is love period! His teachings have helped me to keep it simple and to begin the process of healing. We cannot give away what we do not have and what we have in Christ is His unconditional love and acceptance. I can honestly say that because of his teachings and his interpretation of scripture I have found it much easier to love myself and love others. Just the evolution of my prayer life is a testament to this. For example, when praying for my enemies I went from praying "God give them what they deserve" to "God have mercy on them" to "God please heal and restore" them.

Steve is one of my favorite bible teachers so I might be accused of being biased. I really am tough on guys if they do not back their stuff up with scripture, Steve does. This book is written by a guy who has taught the traditional evangelical views but had the guts to change when he found out he could not live the life joyfully in his own strength. He has an easy reading style that teaches while you are enjoying the read. I read and re-read parts because of its depth of ideas are layered so that there multiple points revealed in the text. I really like this book so far and will finish the book and my review when I get to the end. I have never been able to toe the line in the theatre style churches or accept authors who do not back their work up with God’s word. I am very grateful for grace teachers like Steve McVey who proved to me how much my Heavenly Father loves me and empowers me to deal with my weaknesses. He he is helping me to not just read verses like this but to let God accomplish it through me: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zech. 4:6Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Gal. 4:6IM TIRED FROM TRYING TO DO THIS STUFF ON MY OWN POWER. I’M HIS, WHY NOT REST?Steve is helping teach me that!

Steve does a good job of explaining deep theological concepts made famous by Barth and Torrance in very easy to understand laymens terms. If you're curious about Trinitarian theology but are taken aback by heady, luminous, daunting volumes then I recommend this book. But, really, this isn't a theology book as much as its McVey's conversation with the reader about God's love for humanity. He also does a good job addressing the unfair accusation of the big "U" word that guys like he, or even Barth, Torrance, and even CS Lewis get slapped with from some folks. This book was easy to read, easy to understand, and filled with the important message of grace. Buy it, read, then give it to someone who needs it.

How many times has the God that you know in your heart seemed at odds with the God you've been taught about? So often in an attempt to use our finite minds to understand an infinite God we have "explained" Him as best we could and then put a period behind that...end of discussion. As I was growing up I heard people arguing over these difficult concepts and then retreating to "it's a mystery" when they started losing an argument. Maybe we should start with that premise before we start arguing. I'm convinced we will spend eternity with Him and still never have Him all figured out. If our hearts and our Bibles are both telling us that "God is Love" then isn't that a great place to start? When you start with the premise of an angry God then you might imagine a God who will "smite you" for even trying to understand why the eyes of your heart are not always seeing things as you may have been taught. I really love what Steve has to say in this book and how he says it. I also respect him for his willingness to occasionally say "I don't know." I could go on but...just read the book. I recommend Steve's other books as well...especially A Divine Invitation...personal favorite.

This book is a perfect starting point to delve into the grace of God and what that means for the world.Some of the points were over laboured but I really enjoyed the retelling of conversations he had had in discussing bible verses. Those passages answered some of my own questions.I will look more into this subject

Once again Mcvey has written a beautifully challenging book. I would say even if you are wary about this book I would give it an open minded read because if you find you agree then I think you're in for an adventure. If you don't agree you've not lost anything but strengthened the views you had, whether for your good or not. I for one found a freedom in these pages that has led to the beginning if a new adventure of discovery with God.

Love all the books by this author and this is no exceprtion

Still reading may get better for me

I found this to be a very encouraging book and it has cleared up some misconceptions I had. I will be reading it again shortly. I also ordered extra copies to give away.