Soul Print by Mark Batterson

Soul Print by Mark Batterson - book review

Soulprint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny

By Mark Batterson / Multnomah Books

Many people live their entire lives trying to be something they're not---don't be one of them! Drawing on theology, psychology, neurology, and defining moments in the life of King David, Batterson helps 20- to 30-somethings process the baggage of old mistakes, insecurities, and outright lies in order to live the authentic life God wants. 192 pages, hardcover from Multnomah.

I received and read this book through the Blogging for Books program for Multnomah publishing. I am glad I did. It was worth my time and contemplation. I was pleasantly surprised that the book has a discussion of David throughout. I was not expecting that.

While I do not think every assumption and assertion is directly from the Bible, the book discusses many ideas that are certainly thought-provoking. I am usually reluctant to read this type of book because so many authors write as though “having it all” is easy, and is even “our right as Christians”. That is hogwash.

With that in mind, I read this book hoping to find some nuggets of truth. I believe there is some truth in this book. For example, using David’s life to demonstrate how to succeed in our own skin (when David did not wear Saul’s armor), what humility is (dancing for joy and in praise in front of God), how to confront and get past sin, etc. is effective and could be truth.

I enjoyed the book. I would have preferred more Bible references and that the passage be noted with the passages instead of hidden in the endnotes at the back of the book. I appreciated the discussion questions at the end of the book, but again would have liked them after each chapter.

I made a number of notes and highlighted several sentences in the book. These were ideas that sparked my interest for further review and reflection. Since I believe that we are each created to praise and worship God, the premise that only I can do it the way I would do it and that makes me unique conforms to some degree to my thinking. It is possible to get carried away with this thought. The author does warn against that in more than one place.

A couple of statements I question: pg 12: “He also died to resurrect the person we were destined to be before sin distorted the image of God in us.” I don’t know where this idea comes from! Pg 25: “…God never sets us up to fail.” My comment to that: If for some reason God’s purposes require us to fail, – our definition of failure – we will fail! It’s about God’s purposes, not ours.

Some statements that I believe: pg 38 “Our control issues are really trust issues.” AMEN. Pg 62 “The ultimate objective of every circumstance is to cultivate the character of Christ in us.”

I enjoyed the book and will recommend it to those people who are most likely to will use discernment when reading it. I read one review of the book that suggested that it is good for new believers. I disagree with that. There is too much in this book that needs a good foundation in scripture and a good relationship with God or parts could be misinterpreted.

Comments

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