Seeing Is Believing: Experience Jesus through Imaginative Prayer (Paperback)

~ Gregory Boyd (Author)
Key Phrases: cataphatic spirituality, strategy for getting life, cataphatic tradition, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, New Age (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Boyd, author of Letters from a Skeptic and God of the Possible, makes a powerfully persuasive argument for the use of imaginative prayer by Christians, then outlines a method for beginning the practice. He begins by describing the paralyzing effect of the " 'try harder' solution" for spiritual growth. His description of this futile striving and its source in false ideas of identity rings true, although occasionally his emphasis on the negative role of action is overdone. The real treasure of the book is found in the second and third sections, where he mines 15 years' experience of leading imaginative prayer conferences. He provides a vivid description of the power and effectiveness of the imagination in settings like prayer and worship. In addition to a careful biblical basis, Boyd gives a survey of historical figures (from Julian of Norwich to Saint Ignatius and John Wesley) who have used and advocated imaginative prayer. He explains the basic idea of the prayer technique he calls "resting in Christ" and courageously offers his own experience as an example of how this technique can bring healing. Aware that visualization techniques can be controversial among evangelicals, he explains possible sources of distrust and offers answers to the most common objections. The final section illustrates the power of imaginative prayer for healing with three moving stories from those who have used the technique.
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Product Description

One of the most common problems with Christians in our modern secularized world is that they don't feel the reality of Jesus. Sure, they believe in him and love him, but he somehow doesn't seem to enter their daily lives in a real sense. Some might say, "You ought to pray more." Others would advise, "You ought to witness more." While this may be true, we don't get closer to God just because we "ought to." Boyd believes that the way to true spiritual transformation and feeling the presence of God in your life comes from a little R and R: rest and reality. Boyd encourages readers to stop striving and learn to rest in an experience of Jesus as real. The best way to do this, he says, is through imaginative prayer. Experiencing Jesus will teach readers how to use God's gracious gift of creative imagination to know him better and feel his presence in their daily lives.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080106502X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801065026
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #126,485 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A misleading title; a powerful message, April 22, 2005

By	Josh Crain (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

"Seeing is Believing: Experience Jesus through Imaginative Prayer" may be a misleading title for Boyd's book on using our imaginations as receptors for commmunicating with God. Many people that have posted reviews seemed to have bought the book hoping for a biblical analysis on prayer. Had that been Boyd's intention in writing this book he would have failed miserably. Thankfully, however, that is not Boyd's aim and he makes that clear throughout.

Boyd is not primarily teaching in this book how to pray; rather, he is endorsing an ancient Christiant tradition that works supplementary to prayer. He calls this "resting in Christ" and it is essentially a time of devotion with God in which you enter into an experience with Him instead of simply going through a list of religious observances.

Though Boyd does not quote great amounts of Scripture in order to back up the practice of resting in Christ, he does use a great deal of Scripture to show how people in the Bible experienced God through visions, dreams, and true encounters. So the questions becomes: why do we not tend to experience God this way in 21st century American society? Boyd believes the problem isn't with the way God communicates, but with the way Christians have become obsessed with the importance of the physical and have essentially determined that anything that can't be touched, smelled, etc. is merely imaginary.

Boyd conludes by showing how to "rest in Christ," a practice that will allow us to open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit in order to experience Jesus rather than just have intellectual knowledge about Jesus. He shows us a devotion that Christians have been practicing for hundreds of years, from Ignatius to A.W. Tozer. This book is not for everyone, but if given a chance it has the ability to help you become more passionate about worship, more devout about prayer, and more experiential in your faith through encounters with Jesus Christ.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Key to Real Christlikeness, May 8, 2004

By	Mark Ebert (Stoutsville, OH USA) - See all my reviews

Greg Boyd has come through with great insight into the shortcomings of the try harder method of transformation.It just doesn't produce genuine or lasting results.His answer, "imaginative prayer" introduces the reader to the way of intimacy with God that many of the true friends of Jesus throughout the history of the church have taken and found to be the path to real transformation. There is nothing "New Age" about this. Yes it is different from what we are used to, but a fair evaluation using both wisdom and revelation will reveal that Greg Boyd is only after connecting believers with the real Jesus. Get this book and read it. Then read it again and begin to implement what you read. It is truly transforming.Jesus is real and yes he is with us, literally, in every aspect of our lives.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspired Prayer, June 29, 2004

By A Customer

Seeing Is Believing is an inspiring book on prayer. It is one that encourages believers to rest in Christ. In an age where busyness, the pressures of life, materialism, and countless other distractions demand our attention, Dr. Boyd recommends spending time in prayer, and allowing the Holy Spirit to inspire our prayer life. And inspire He does! I am more excited about prayer now than ever. Prayer makes a difference in the life of a believer, and in the lives of those we are wanting to reach with Jesus' love.

The book explains how God can inspire God given imagination - to bring our prayer life alive. It is exciting, and inspirational reading. Dr Boyd tells us that there is not one formula, but shares his own experience of transforming prayer with us in a vulnerable, and moving account of the Holy Spirit healing a wounding memory.

It is difficult to read the book, without being inspired to pray. I highly recommend it, especially for those who have struggled with praying. It is wonderful, though, for the life of every believer, and will fan into flame even a tiny spark of prayer.

In my own experience, nothing is as transforming, or healing, than time spent with the Lord, and this book advocates that, above all else.

I found this book to be solidly scriptural, and refreshing in its approach to prayer.

Transformation and prayer go hand in hand, in the life of the believer.