1) The genre of theological fiction. I don’t like the idea of putting words in God’s mouth/presenting images that he hasn’t given us. Jesus spoke the truth authoritatively (being qualified to do so) with a veiling in parables etc according to his redemptive-historical purposes. But post-Pentecost, we don’t see the truth set forth other than plainly to the sight of all men. It’s not a subjective “discovery journey”, even though it needs to be subjectively ingested. At the least, such mixes in human conjecture with the plain truth. It muddies the waters.

2) Too many people are far too subjective and will eat what they’re fed if it hits the spot on the moment. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s of God. This genre of writing just feeds that.

3) Theologically speaking, it would seem that the gospel is not primarily “how does a holy God receive sinners?” but more a therapeutic gospel. “How do we learn to live loved?”. God’s grace is discussed in a way that blurs the black and white distinctions between saved and unsaved, saint and sinner, justified and unjustified. This objectivity, that must be the basis for “living loved”, seems to be lost. Christ did come to give us life in abundance, but it is always set within the context of a present (and clear) “completeness in Christ”. Here, I get the feel that justification is overlaid by sanctification, and when you do that, you will also lose clarity on the fundamental realities of the new birth. We need the knowledge of all those things to genuinely live by faith. And that knowledge must start with a cognitive, mental grasp, which will then grow in the ul;timately defining aspect of “faith” – the trust aspect. Thus we increasingly live out the indwelling Christ’s life.

4) I mentioned above the “Christus Victor” view of the atonement. I’m not saying the author et al necessarily subscribe entirely – but from what I’ve seen and understand, while there are perhaps some good emphases (assuming the “ransom theory” is not saying that God made a payment to Satan) it seems to lose man’s complicity in the affair of the fall – in the sense that it says God’s justice is purely about righting the wrong of humanity under slavery to Satan, not relationally functioning as it was intended…and not also issuing in judgement against man. That is, a penal satisfaction of sorts, is not fundamental to man’s reconciliation. Necessarily, then, it is likely in this scheme that justification becomes more subjective, and God’s holiness and wrath must be played off against his love and grace. Not that there isn’t a sense in which mercy rejoices against judgment. (This verse in James, for one, seems to make clear that God’s justice on account of his holiness coming into contact with sin is not wholly inclined – apart from the cross – “for man”.) But that it requires a satisfaction FROM man, so that God is positively just in justifying whoever believes – a satisifaction that God received from Christ on man’s behalf. Again, a satisfaction that is not ours in personal possession until we receive it as sinners in need of it.

5) This means that we don’t fall into the trap of setting God’s holiness and love as intrinsically against each other, as if he were divided. For our healing (which itself is particularly regarded as of the moment of new birth/justification in the NT, rather than continual), we need to know that his holiness and justice are FOR US in Christ. I need to embrace those to rightly discern and appreciate his love, mercy and grace ACTUALLY poured out on me…the Old Covenant interaction between God and Israel evidences that the problem of sin is more than just us wrongly relating to God on law terms when he is a God of grace…it is that we can’t relate to him on the free grace terms he desires and always intended UNTIL his holiness (and thus his justice) is satisified in our favour. A favour we partake of when we enter into Christ’s rest/Lordship.

Well, just some (perhaps repetitive) thoughts. Paul Young himself sounds like a really genuine person, and I don’t want to misrepresent him, but I wanted to mention these things.