Customer Reviews

Escaping the Matrix: Setting Your Mind Free to Experience Real Life in Christ

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

It is certainly not suprising that many do not like this work. This is, of course, especially true of Calvinists, who tend to promote an anti- most things experiential/anti-most things scientific world view. This book is excellent for anyone familiar with recent developments in the study of cognitive science. It is really a work that consciously focuses on Christian meditiation, which is a lost art in Christian discipline today. Unfortunately, most Evagelicals that discuss the issue of meditation are given the label of "New Age." When, in fact, part of the disciple of meditation is aligning your metal experience to align with what Scripture says about the world and our relationship with God. This book provides a significant look at how Satan uses out mind to deceive us about God and our relationship with him. I recommend it to anyone wanting to understand Christian meditation.

I'm deeply saddened when I happened to stumble upon the reviews written about this book. First, this book shouldn't be considered terribly groundbreaking as the methods are practically identical to that of Theophostic prayer ministry. Now, personally, I know of serveral people who have received much freedom from this form of counseling. I'm not stating it's the only way, or course not, in fact, I'm not even stating it's the "most excellent way," but I don't discredit the results (read good fruit) just because they don't fit neatly into my cultural/religious paradigm.

Personally, I don't agree with Boyd on a lot of issues (The Problem of Evil has yet to convince me of his psuedo-annihilationist views) but I think he does a good job of majoring on the Majors and minoring on the Minors.

Also, it should be known, for what it's worth, that the Matrix was actually first written by a deeply devoted Christian woman, who had the script plagiarized and bastardized (in my opinion) into what we saw at the Theaters. I think, honestly, that most of the Matrix purports a mostly Gnostic gospel, full of lies and myths. However, that is not to say a person using these timely cultural references to bring a message of love, healing, and restoration to people who would normally not pickup a Christian book is out of line.

I'm more worried about psychology that denies the need for appeal to a God or Holy Spirit than a book whose steps include asking for help from the Holy Spirit and dialoguing directly with Christ to see what He, you know, the Lord of Lords, would say about you. I commend Gregory Boyd for stepping out and taking on such a "hot" topic out of love and compassion for those hurting in this world.

And it should be said, that I daily pray for the day when these types of tools are no longer beneficial because the Bride of Christ has become so much like Him that the mere words they speak will contain healing and power. There is a revelation of the cross, and what was accomplished there, that still needs to come forth.

This is what the church needs - healing for the soul. This book uses scriptural techniques through our God-given imaginations to heal the deeper parts of our subconscious. This will help us love one another as Jesus loves us loves us (John 13:34, see book below!)

Love Revolution: REDISCOVERING THE LOST COMMAND OF JESUS

Wow, seems like some reviewers are really upset that this book doesn't provide a comprehensive conversion/education. I found it to be an interesting allegorical juxtapostion of Christianity with a popular movie, and a thought provoking way to harness the appeal of an approchable popular mythos to invigorate an occasionally staid and lethargic sprituality.

But what do I know . . .?

I have recommended this book to some and they have found it to be almost an earth shattering revelation, others??? I find that the book is helpful, as long as it isn't expected to be something it is not (i.e. a book on Theology). It is difficult, at best, to attempt a "marriage" between Theology and Psychology teachings. Besides, I find the Bible best serves that need anyway.

However, this book has helped free some folks and has brought forth some fruit, so at least, don't rule it out too quickly!

In sum, it is a tool, for some a key, for others a paperweight.

This is an excellent book. I do a lot of counseling with folks and I know it will be an extremely useful tool. I think it gives great insight in how we remember, based on experience rather than words. Negative experiences can be planted in our mind in split seconds, and just trying to annul it by right thinking does not always work. I took time with this and tried it on myself and I found it to be very effective, so I can say I've been really blessed by it. It's a book to take your time with.

Let me be honest up-front. I did not finish this book. I believe it is only the second book, of the 100+ I have reviewed, that I did not complete. I read the first several chapters and was so disgusted by what I was reading that I elected to merely skim the remainder of the book. After all, I'm a busy guy and have an entire shelf of unread books awaiting my attention. Why would I want to waste my time on what is, unfortunately, complete trash?

Escaping The Matrix by Gregory Boyd and Al Larson is, according to the cover, a guide to "setting your mind free to experience real life in Christ." The reality is that unless Christ requires that we use the latest in pseudo-occult psychological techniques to free our minds, this book will do nothing of the sort. Indeed it cannot, because much of the teaching of this book directly contradicts the Scripture.

The first clue to the trouble within this book came only two pages in, where the authors explained that the key to living a life freed from the chains of the past is to be found in The Matrix movies. In fact, the majority of the book is structured around the themes of the movies, and the authors are as likely to proof-text their teachings with quotes from The Matrix as they are from the Bible. The reader is even treated to a quote from one of the movies at the beginning of each chapter.

Instead of providing a detailed review (something I have disqualified myself from doing, since I merely skimmed much of the book) I thought I would provide an overview of the authors' technique for "setting faith for the true you." That should speak volumes in and of itself.

Escaping The Matrix culminates in an exercise that is designed to "help you collapse the negative Matrix-oriented faith that you are currently doing and install a biblically grounded faith about God's will for your life." There are seven steps:

1. Form a mental picture that re-presents you doing an emotion, attitude or behavior that you believe needs to be changed in your life. Once you have it, set it aside and perform a pattern interrupt.

2. Ask God to give you a picture of what you would look like if you manifested the truth of who you are in Christ. Take a snapshot of this you and enjoy the photograph.

3. Delete all background elements of your future picture and change it to be made out of diamond. Place the negative picture in front of the positive picture so you can see the negative through the positive.

4. See Jesus' hands grasping the positive picture and smashing it through the negative. Hear and see it burst ito pieces and fall to the ground.

5. Now see Jesus and you sweep up the broken glass. Dump the pieces into a wastebasket and see and hear Jesus congratulate you for getting rid of a Matrix lie.

6. Gaze on the positive picture and make it bigger and brighter. With your internal voice, say to your soul that you and the Holy Spirit together will make thie positive picture happen.

7. Ask God for His wisdom to help you discern things in your life that need to be altered to ensure the true you is manifested.

I suppose we are supposed to set aside our reason and believe that this is biblical methodology. Strangely, however, I can find no examples such in Scripture. And what's more, I know of no examples in all of church history. It seems Larson and Boyd have stumbled onto some critical knowledge that has been hidden from us until discovered by the Wachowski brothers and digitized into a series of sex-and-swearingf-filled R-rated movies. The Lord truly must work in mysterious ways for this to be true.

But instead of ranting and raving about this, I thought it would be more profitable to direct you to a much more helpful, educated review. Regardless of whether or not you intend to read this book, I would encourage you to read Dr. Mike's Review at Eternal Perspectives (do a Google search). Mike uses great words like neuropsychology, experiential psychotherapy, and soteriology and suggests that "this book is the latest of a seemingly unending chain of psychologically- and psychotherapeutically-informed attempts to facilitate sanctification. Some of the points made are true and valuable; at the same time, it commits some serious, prevalent errors concerning the nature of salvation and sanctification in the Christian life."

Needless to say, I recommend this book only as kindling. And even that is too good for it.

This book is life-changing. I love the Matrix movies, and have always been struck by the parallels of Christians being stuck in the world, as programmed by the enemy. Great read, and completely biblically sound. Great balance of psychology and spiritual truth.

Escaping the Matrix uses Romans 12 as its springboard and does it in a very interesting way. I found Boyd and Larson's methods to be revolutionary in the Christian environment--like the movie The Matrix was in the movie genre. However, some serious concerns arise when the line between mind control and true change by the work of the Holy Spirit are blurred. How God works in a persons' life is, of course, very personal. Still,there are guidelines in Scripture as well as in the community of Christians. I believe that Boyd and Larson do push the envelope a bit too far in the realm of self-help and basically psyching oneself into feeling better. No harm done and challenging psychologically.Visualizing,re-visitng the past, self-healing old wounds are all fine and dandy, but I wish they would have stuck consistently to the theme of living in a false reality, the Matrix created by a broken (sin-filled) world as spiritually healed (grace-filled) people instead of mind manipulation.

I love Greg Boyd - I loved "God of the Possible", I love his

podcast, I love this theology.... let's get that down right off

the bat. I am not some closed-minded fundie.

This book, however, is terrible.

Not because it is dangerous, or bad theology....

Because it is just plain corny.

When the book asked me what my thought "smelled" like or felt like

was it soft or hard - I felt like I was at a new-age pagan drum circle...

Making up stuff in your head won't help fight the war - the war is

real. Demons are real.

Just avoid this book. Get his other books, listen to his podcast,

just leave the creative visualization to the weekend witches and

wizards at the local occult book store.