Whilst I decided to not complete reading the books, out of respect to NetGalley and the author wanted to review what I did read.

The author seemed to have a very outdated view on mental health and appeared to insinuate that taking medication for mental health, instead of praying it away, was turning to yourself instead of God, coming from a daughter of an Anglican Priest who also happens to be BiPolar, my Mom has tried to just pray her illness away, and it almost cost us her life. On top of this, I lost a brother to suicide. To tell people to pray instead of taking much needed medication You wouldn’t tell a diabetic to stop taking insulin, so don’t shame people taking mental health medication to stop taking their medicine, either. God gave scientists the tools to move forward with medicine by giving them that knowledge. Why would he give us that knowledge if he didn’t want us to use it?

On top of this, the author made a seemingly derogatory comment about “culture wars.” I’m not sure what God he believes in, but my God loves all of his children and this term has been used by (whether that was the author’s intent, or not) white supremacists to gaslight the harm that has been caused to other races instead of taking accountability and finding a way for both groups of people to move together towards healing.

Whilst some of his other logic was sound in what I did read, such as porn addictions and overuse of social media, which was the only reason I gave it a 2 instead of a 1, I stopped because (and forgive me if I’m wrong here) I felt his further comments could escalate to even more hateful or misguided.

I wish the author the best, and if his view (as I strongly suspect) is a bigoted one, I wish him healing that he is able to see that all humans are worthy of God’s love and compassion.

I loved this book so much I bought a copy for myself even after reading the advanced readers copy. It is not a quick read, and at times will take time to work through, but it will definitely make you think, and it will stay with you. I had read other writings by the author and I knew I would likely be into this book. And I was. My one piece of advice is, take time to focus and read this, don't expect to rush through it.

thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Q.
What is your only comfort
in life and death?
A.
That I am not my own,
but belong with body and soul,
both in life and in death,
to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.

This question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism is the basis for You Are Not Your Own. In it, author Alan Noble begins by showing how modern, Western society works to deceive us into believing that true freedom means belonging to myself and no one else. He then shows how this belief works itself out in areas like overconsumption, politics, and pornography. Finally, in the last third of the book, he shifts the view to show how belonging to Christ helps us fight for our humanity and really does offer us true comfort.
Alan Noble is *super* smart, and sometimes I felt like he was making really great observations, but I wasn't sure exactly what point he was making. That said, this was a very thought-provoking read, and I'm glad I read it.
Many thanks to Intervarsity Press and Netgalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

At little dry in parts but very interesting and insightful.
Information about links between us and God were helpful.

The author lays out a lot of good information here about the problems of our fallen world (which we all feel the weight of but sometimes can't identify), the "solutions" the world provides to cope with those problems, and ultimately presents the real solution which is to know who we belong to.

I think everyone (Christian or not) should read this, it's challenging and helpful.

"The spirit of the world demands action and plans and agendas and movements and cannot abide stillness. But faithfully doing the good that lies before us while waiting dependent upon God for redemption is the most meaningful action you can take."