God Talk: Cautions for Those Who Hear God's Voice Review

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(More customer reviews)We've all heard it said, and have probably said it ourselves- "God told me to go into this ministry..." Sometimes it's a calling, a leading, a tug, a voice, or a whisper, but it's pretty much the same. One of the most treasured spiritual practices in evangelicalism today is receiving communication from God, and not just from the Bible.
In God Talk, Ruth Tucker takes the practice of hearing God's voice to task. She notes, "our reported words from God often sound eerily like our own." (8) Most of the book is comprised of analysis of stories and points made by those who teach on how to discern God's voice- such as Dallas Willard, Jack Deere, and Henry Blackaby.
Ultimately, Ruth Tucker contends that God is a God of silence, and this if not a bad thing. "The talkative God of today is a second-rate version of the Trinitarian God, who as Father spoke in times past, who as Son incarnate lived among us, and who as Spirit inspired and illumines the Scriptures, the silent Word of God." (14) She insists that we must recognize, "God is God, and with that recognition we must accept the silence of God." (173)
While there is much in the book I agree with, there were a number of problematic points. For instance, in chapter three she charges Christian apologists with claiming to speak for God (incidentally, something Paul told us we do in 2 Cor 5:20) and not doing it well. In the course of her rant, she mischaracterizes Reformed Epistemology, indicates that Reformed theology teaches "only a small percentage of people" will be saved (which is false), and repeats the popular fiction that after C.S. Lewis was "deeply disturbed" by a debate in 1948 with Elizabeth Anscombe he "wrote primarily children's fantasy tales." (57)
After being down on those who claim to hear from God, Ruth Tucker claims she's heard the voice of God in waterfalls. "I'm convinced we can hear the silent voice of God in nature." (164) Though she explains that this is rooted in her belief that nature is a second volume of God's revelation, she doesn't clearly explain what she means by the "silent voice of God in nature" or how it qualitatively differs from those who claim to hear God in their prayers.
God Talk attempts to be the much-needed corrective against a Christianity that loves to put words in God's mouth. In her analysis of contemporary literature and narratives, Ruth Tucker mostly succeeds, but periodically stumbles along the way.

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Does God speak?The answer seems clear. Books abound on the topic of hearing God's voice. And many believers testify to God's conversational guidance in their life: "God told me to help you." "I knew it was God speaking to me."Our culture reinforces the idea that speaking--constant speaking--is good and natural and essential. In those rare moments during a day when talking ceases or when we're alone, we quickly find some way to fill the void, whether turning on the television or radio, or calling someone on the phone. With others, and especially with God, we get the message: speaking is good, silence is bad.But still, Ruth Tucker is not afraid to ask the question, "Does God speak?" And her answer might surprise you. She urges caution in speaking about hearing God, pointing out that our privatized spirituality often sets those who hear God on a pedestal and leaves those who don't feeling spiritually inferior. Further, she shows how the expectation of conversation may too easily humanize God in our minds, causing us to approach God with the same attitude we have when we call a friend on the phone. And if God does speak, how can we be sure our own desires are not affecting our interpretation of God's voice?In God Talk Tucker offers us a new paradigm for viewing silence and prayer. Rather than feeling inferior when we don't hear God speak, she helps us lean more deeply on his silent, Spirit-inspired Word. By examining the Trinity, Tucker gives us a new glimpse of how God the Father spoke his words in the past, how Christ the Incarnate Word lived among us, and how the Holy Spirit speaks to us now through Scripture. Here is a probing, thought-provoking read on how our present, active, powerful God relates to us and how we, in turn, should relate to God.

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