LitPick Review
Discovering Life's Purpose by Del Smith is a critical examination of the multi-denominational Christian Church. Del Smith calls it "The Club." His re-examination is neither dogmatic nor dry, however. He uses a process called "Experiential Learning," which uses life experiences to evaluate assertions, ideas, and beliefs. He employs this method to the various assertions made by Jesus, the Bible, and the Roman Catholic Church. His experiential and analytical approach is lucid and common-sense. He asks thought-provoking questions along the way and supplies answers from his experience. What strikes the reader is his humility. He really takes us along through his own journey of discovering experiential truth.
Opinion:
Del Smith's "Discovering Life's Purpose" is an honest look at the Christian religion. He gets a lot of things correct, even without formal theological training. His reasoning is very clear and consistent. And as I mentioned in the summary, his humility really shines through in the way he presents his conclusions. He is not pushy at all. It's a fresh take on religious writing. However, if I may share a "piece of glass" (as the author puts it), he should do some more reading on the Holy Spirit. True faith in God is not our choice; true faith in God is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Our love for God, which is our response to His salvation, is also worked in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is also the Holy Spirit who opens up God's Word of truth to us and to our understanding, like it says in 1 Corinthians 2. The author would also be helped by reading more into the rest of the Bible. Jesus' sayings in the Bible is an excellent way to start and a good focus. But there is more in God's Word than just that and I think it would help the author in his experiential learning process.
