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

by Gregory A. Boyd, Al Larson, Al Larson

Book Overview

In some way or another most of us are "stuck"-in a secret sin we can't control or maybe by an inability to stand up for ourselves.In Escaping the Matrix, authors Gregory A. Boyd and Al Larson use the vehicle of The Matrix film trilogy to argue that our struggles with habitual sin, thought patterns, damaged emotions, and phobias happen because we do not know how to take charge of the way we experience reality. The authors draw on biblical and psychological...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080106533X
• ISBN13: 9780801065330
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Baker Books
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Amazing

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.

A book for our times

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.

Great Book!

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.

Where is the love for people?

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.

The Missing Link

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