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Rating: 
Summary: If you like cults, you'll love this book
Review: After browsing through this book and realizing many of the things Jack was saying couldn't be backed up with scripture, I decided to do some research on him. Please, Please, Please, do a simple search on yahoo.com under his name. You will read countless reports of how the gospel he is teaching is far different from the gospel of Christ. He uses his time at Dallas Theological Seminary to boost his credibility, but they have acknowledged his time there was long before he got into a cult movement. Please be very weary....
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book by an inspiring teacher
Review: Any Christian should take the time to read this Spirit-inspired book. And believe me, you'll have to budget some time! I read this book over several weeks, because sometimes a single paragraph could provide you with so much hard-hitting insight that you'll have to sit back and digest it for a few hours, maybe while reading relevant passages in the Bible and praying. Realising that the Lord isn't the absent God many religions teach Him to be, will change your life ( spiritual and day-to-day ) for ever. Go buy this book, sent a serious prayer for guidance and insight to our Father, and start reading - it will be one of the best things you ever did!
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Summary: YES! Clear, direct & scripturally sound.
Review: I have a sermon titled "Hearing God." In trying to flesh it out into a written article, I discovered Dr. Deere's book "Surprised by the Voice of God." It so closely paralleled what I was writing that I was amazed. Jack Deere masterfully mixes the experiential and anecdotal with solid theological understanding. Every Christian Pastor would benefit from having this book in his/her library. I have recommended this book to the participants on the EnterActs Board as our first Book Club choice.
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Summary: *****A book you'll read over and over*****
Review: I just finished reading Surprised by the Voice of God for the second time and it won't be the last! As someone coming from a similar church background as Jack Deere, I found it extemely helpful that this was foremost a biblical treatment of the topic and THEN the author's opinion and experience. I also appreciated the balance of instruction on how God speaks and the warnings of possible "Prophetic Pitfalls." I consider this an essential book for anyone who desires to hear from God.
Rating:
Summary: *****A book you'll read over and over*****
Review: I just finished reading Surprised by the Voice of God for the second time and it won't be the last! As someone coming from a similar church background as Jack Deere, I found it extemely helpful that this was foremost a biblical treatment of the topic and THEN the author's opinion and experience. I also appreciated the balance of instruction on how God speaks and the warnings of possible "Prophetic Pitfalls." I consider this an essential book for anyone who desires to hear from God.
Rating: 
Summary: Mostly Good, Some stories are flaky though
Review: I personally enjoyed this book. I am surprised by the reaction to this book by so many Christians who want to dismiss the message as unscriptural cult nonsense. Jack Deere does an excellent job of supporting his position through scriptures and makes a convincing argument that God can and will speak to those who make an effort to hear him. If this were really the writings of a cult, I don't think Mr. Deere would put such an effort into making sure people aren't taken advantage of by charasmatics who claim to hear the voice of God. He highly questions anyone who uses the voice of God to control other people, and warns his readers to always go back to the word of God through scriptures to verify that any alleged message from God is in accordance with what is written. Just reading the book and hearing his message makes me confident that he is not some heretic who is out to lead people astray. Just the opposite, everything he writes serves to move people closer to God and into a more intimate relationship with him. There are a lot of churches who believe they hold the only right answer, and that there views are the correct views, the good views. When you hold that belief, anything that is different from your views by definition is not good, and if it's not good it must be evil. I believe it is reasoning along these lines that is leading people to say accusatory things about this book and its author.
That being said, my only complaint about this book is that some of the stories aren't very well supported or documented and the seem to be almost anecdotal in nature. In particular the last story in the book sounds like a Christian legend. Aside from that I found this book entertaining, useful, and edifying.
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Summary: Perversion!
Review: I was taught that God only speaks through his Word. Period. It was up to us, as reasonable beings to read, understand and discern the will of God. Thus, God's will was reduced to Scriptural principles to follow. It was a safe way to live the Christian life. It was all so reasonable. It was all up to me to read. It was up to me to understand. It was up to me to discern Gods will. Evidently, those who hear God's voice were to be locked up in rooms with padded walls where men in white coat would take care of them. Then I read Surprised by the Voice of God and my theological world was turned on its head. Subtitled, How God Speaks Today Though Prophecies, Dreams, and Visions, this is a thoughtful analysis of how God speaks to us today. Now, I know that some of you reading this review are saying: That Pastor Bob has just went over the deep end. Perhaps I have. But if going over the deep end means having a closer more intimate relationship with my God, so be it. But before you slam this review, go to your local Christian bookstore and speak a peek at Chapter 17, Confessions of a Bible Deist. Go ahead, the clerk will not mind. It is Deeres contention in that chapter that much of evangelical thought (his included) has more incoming with deism than Biblical Christianity. The deists worshiped human reason, the Bible deists of today worship the Bible. With a lawyers wit, Deere thoroughly examines evangelical theology and presuppositions in light of the Word of God. It is a delightful, life-changing read. Put this one on you A-list.
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Summary: A needed perspective in a time of intellectual faith
Review: I've read both this book and his previous one, and find in them a well researched, well balanced, and well reasoned approach to the impact of the Spirit in the modern church. I approached this study with a great deal of skepticism, and was impressed by his depth of research, as well as balanced criticism of the traditional biblical research which denied that any of the Spirit's supernatural influences have a place in the church. I've found most of the criticism I found of his books online to be either out-of-context quotes or biblical quotes, or from people who seem to have strong prejudices against even attempting to examine this issue to see if there is truth. Overall, Deere strongly emphasizes - repeatedly - the pre-eminence of scripture over revelation and prophecy, and that the Gifts should all lead to the building up of the body or the reaching of the Lost for Christ's glory. To be honest, it is hard to discount his arguments, in that his main point is that the Spirit can and does have a real work in the life of the Body - and isn't simply a vague "doesn't really have any impact in a Xian's life" force. It is obvious from any in-depth research of scripture and historical Xianity, that Christ and the apostles all supported and believed in an active role for the Spirit in the Church. I myself am going to seek that role in my own life.
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Summary: Radical middle between the Word and the Spirit
Review: Not only is Dr. Deere a good teacher, he's also a good writer. This book is full of insight, and is certainly worth more than one reading - just like his first book. Yet it's easy to read, entertaining and hard to put down, so much that I've endured a few blurry-eyed mornings due to having stayed up reading too long! Apologists like Deere, Fee and Grudem make a strong case for Charismatic/Empowered Evangelicals to be the biblical norm and the New Testament model.
It should be said that the previous reviewer's interview snippet is highly misleading. The internet is full of witch hunters, prowling like lions, seeking to devour whom they can by ruining reputations. The false accusation that Deere "doesn't know what the Gospel is" is an old one. Look up the Vineyard Position Papers on the www for the full story. We should examine and weight all the evidence (and put it in situational context in this case!) before judging someone. Personally, I think Deere showed great restraint. Someone else might have socked the questioner with a punch in the nose!
Rating:
Summary: Perversion!
Review: Taken from an interview from http://withchrist.org/MJS/jack_deere.htm Questioner: I wonder if you might tell me why you felt my explanation of the Gospel given yesterday was defective. [I said that Christ died for our sins, was buried, raised on the third day, and that it is this Gospel by which we are saved.] Dr. Deere: I am not prepared to talk about that. Questioner: Well, just offhand, what do you think the Gospel is? Dr. Deere: I am not prepared to make a formal statement about that. Questioner: Could you tell me informally what the Gospel is? Dr. Deere: I am not sure. Questioner: I find that surprising--that you are not sure just what the Gospel is. Dr. Deere: I used to be just like you--thinking the Gospel was simply justification. Questioner: Are you saying that the Gospel is more than justification by faith? Dr. Deere: Yes. Questioner: What would you add to it? Dr. Deere: Deliverance. Questioner: What do you mean by deliverance? Dr. Deere: Things like demons and healing and.... Questioner: You would add as an essential part of the saving Gospel things like exorcising of demons and healing? Dr. Deere: Yes. Questioner: But you are not sure exactly what should be included? Dr. Deere: No, not yet. Questioner: Would it be fair to say that you are in a state of flux since joining the Wimber thing? Dr. Deere: We are always in a state of flux--you are.... Questioner: But in the Gospel message? Surely that is one thing we should have worked out. Don't you think we can reduce the Gospel to some sort of summary statement like Paul does in say 1 Corinthians 1 and 2, or 15; or 1 Thessalonians 4, or Romans 5? Dr. Deere: [No response, except a shrug of the shoulders.]
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