Official Review: The Open Door by Gary Luitjens

[Anon_Reviewer]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Open Door" by Gary Luitjens.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Are you a Christian who wishes to live more like Christ? Do you also want to know what God has in store for you as you work towards salvation? If you answered yes to these questions, then Gary Dean Luitjens has written the ideal book for you. The Open Door is a Christian non-fiction book specifically written for anyone who is searching for God and wants to know how to serve Him well and wholeheartedly.

I appreciated the author's honesty when he reflected on his personal struggles with faith and how these pushed him to work on his relationship with God. For example, he wrote candidly about the challenges he faced and continues to face as a father and as a husband. Luitjens also substantiated parts of his testimony with relevant Biblical scriptures. The inclusion of Bible verses made it easy for me to see how the Word can work in a person's life.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few things I also disliked about The Open Door. I doubt the book was professionally edited because I came across a number of errors when I was only a few pages in. The rate of errors did not decrease as I read on. I noticed multiple instances of missing words and other grammatical errors.

Structurally, the book could also do with some improvements. More than once, I found myself wondering what lesson I was supposed to learn from what I was reading. The author was long-winded in his delivery, which made the book a tad tiring to get through. For example, the author would quote a story from the Bible and then retell it in his own words. Quoting the relevant verse(s) and then simply expanding on the lessons to be learned would have sufficed.

While his advice was theoretically sound, Luitjens didn't always explain how one can put it into practice. For instance, he wrote a lot about how misleading the doctrines taught in many of today's churches can be. However, he didn't provide practical steps a believer should take to protect him/herself from these false teachings. Must I stop going to church? Do I approach the preacher about my concerns? These are the types of questions I often found myself asking.

As a result, I rate The Open Door 2 out of 4 stars. I deducted a star because the book needs another round of editing. The other star I took away because I found parts of the book confusing and unnecessarily tedious. Despite these issues, I'd still recommend the book to Christians who are interested in improving their walk with Christ. The book does not contain any profanity or writing of a sexual nature, making it appropriate for a wide range of Christian readers.

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The Open Door
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[Amy747]

Im not really a religious person but I can appreciate the way the bible tries to teach people to live a moral life and the way some churches twist these teachings to suit their own agendas.

[Cristina Chifane]

I appreciate the auhor's honesty in detailing on his own personal struggles with faith, but I'm worried about the editing errors and the confusing parts. I'm sure Christians who are in search of answers concerning the Bible teachings will find the book interesting. Thanks for a wonderful review!

[Wyland]

I would wish the author would improve on the structure of the book and errors and I am sure it will be a spiritually sound book to read. Thanks for the helpful review.

[Anon_Reviewer]

Im not really a religious person but I can appreciate the way the bible tries to teach people to live a moral life and the way some churches twist these teachings to suit their own agendas.

Well, I think most people wish to know the best way to live their lives, regardless of their beliefs or religion. I appreciate you dropping by and commenting.

[Anon_Reviewer]

I appreciate the auhor's honesty in detailing on his own personal struggles with faith, but I'm worried about the editing errors and the confusing parts. I'm sure Christians who are in search of answers concerning the Bible teachings will find the book interesting. Thanks for a wonderful review!

The editing errors and confusing parts did, unfortunately, take away from the author's powerful message. Thanks for dropping by and leaving such a sweet comment!

[Anon_Reviewer]

I would wish the author would improve on the structure of the book and errors and I am sure it will be a spiritually sound book to read. Thanks for the helpful review.

That is my wish as well. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment!

[Nkoo]

The author might have been too eager to put forth his views that he missed the opportunity to take into consideration its practicability. Overall, it sounds like a useful resource provided he views your criticism constructively. Thanks for the honest review.

[Anon_Reviewer]

The author might have been too eager to put forth his views that he missed the opportunity to take into consideration its practicability. Overall, it sounds like a useful resource provided he views your criticism constructively. Thanks for the honest review.

I completely agree. Thank you for dropping by. I highly appreciate it!

[Maria Esposito]

I totally support your decision to take away two stars based on the errors and on the tedious parts of the book. As a Christian, I also appreciate commentaries that have a practical outlet and provide concrete advice. Thank you for your insightful and thorough review.

[Anon_Reviewer]

I totally support your decision to take away two stars based on the errors and on the tedious parts of the book. As a Christian, I also appreciate commentaries that have a practical outlet and provide concrete advice. Thank you for your insightful and thorough review.

I'm glad you understand my point of view because it can be hard giving a book a low rating. Thanks for dropping by and leaving such a kind comment!