The Cry of the Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God (Paperback)

~ Dan B Allender Ph.D. (Author), Tremper Longman (Author), (Author)
Key Phrases: divine desire, unrighteous anger, foolish trust, The Psalms, The Goodness of God, Evil One (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Allender ( The Wounded Heart ), professor and counselor at Colorado Christian University, and Longman ( How To Read the Psalms ), professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, have successfully combined their areas of expertise to produce an excellent piece of scholarship suitable equally for the layperson and the theologian. Using the Psalms and studying the emotions of anger, fear, envy, despair, contempt and shame, the authors lay out the thesis that "Exploring God's ways in light of the darker emotions reveals that He uses silence, abandonment, and assault to win our hearts for His glory." But this book is not to be mistaken for a fix-it manual for our darker emotions. Quite the contrary. It is instead a focusing tool for the consideration of what emotions reveal about how people deal with their relationship with God and with the pursuit of God as a "Person to be praised" rather than as some subordinate "Servant of our healing."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Exactly what we need in a world of declining civility where pain, grief, and suffering seem to be increasing almost beyond our capacity to cope. -- Ann Applegarth, Virtue, February 1995 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: NavPress; New Edition edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576831809
• ISBN-13: 978-1576831809
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,697 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encouragement for Struggling Sojourners, November 3, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cry of the Soul (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book, it reveals through the Psalms how our angry questions directed at God reveal the depth of our battle with Him. It shows how are emotions lead us to the reality that the world is fallen and tragic and that we are far from home - something we would rather run away from. Its premise is that every emotion is a theological statement, that all dark emotions are rooted in our reactive response (flight) to being out of the Garden, out of fellowship with God, and our aggressive response (fihgt) in attempting to regain access to Eden. It clearly and sensitively deals with emotions like despair, sorrow, sadness, anger, fear, jealously and envy - showing that these are mirrors to our soul and also, reflections of the nature of a God. It invites ther reader to deal honestly with his or her emotions, to rise from despair and hopelessness to the mystery and miracle of godly sorrow, repentance, gratitude and worship. This is not secular pop psychology, but a thoroughly biblically based 'guide' to ourselves and our longings for meaningful relationships and ultimately, how all desire points to a hunger for God's redemption, healing and reconciliation. Hope for the hurting, wisdom for anyone wanting to be signposts to a holy and loving Creator God.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Geography of the Soul, January 12, 2000

By	Keith J. Shuler "Shuler Ministries" (Danville, Virginia) - See all my reviews

The soul is said to be the place where human emotions reside. It is the place that reacts or responds to the vertical or horizontal affects of God and society. The emotion is also said to be the link that connects the inner world with the outer world. But if the emotional make up is so active and influenced by God and man how can we as christians learn the language of the soul and communicate that language in a society that shuns reliance on emotion? Well, all these questions and more are answered in this ground breaking book. Discover how God invites His children to be respectfully honest with how they feel. Learn how to deal with the Emotional Struggles of life that seem contrary to "good christian ethics" from God's OWN Word, the Psalms. These writings in the Bible amplify the battle man faces with anger, pain, plea for justice, shame, envy and how they discoverd the goodnes of God in a "strange land". This book is for anyone wishing to face what they feel and gain a fresh perspective into the CRY OF THE SOUL.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Avoid the Pain!, July 29, 2006

By	Steve Lee Sr. "Home" (Show Low, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anger, fear, jealousy, despair. These are bad emotions, right? These are emotions to be avoided at all costs, right?

I discovered a few years ago that I was a really angry person and that I hurt people when I was angry. Solution? Avoid anger no matter what.

Not so fast! Allender and Longman point out that emotions are God-given, a gift from our Creator. And while it is true that our emotions have been corrupted by our sinful nature, they actually have a divine purpose. Cutting ourselves off completely from our emotions will hinder our spiritual growth and short-circuit our relationship to God.

Well that wasn't exactly news I was overjoyed to hear. I have spent considerable time and effort teaching myself to be unemotional. Now I learn that, not only have I been wasting my time, I have been at cross-purposes with God. At least Allender and Longman have provided me with some tools to get myself straightened-out. (I really didn't think I was doing all that great anyway.)

But now I can do better, and so can you. I can let these emotions draw me closer to the Lord and my fellow humans. We have the technology and it's in this book!