Review of God Is Real!

[Brendan Donaghy]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "God Is Real!" by Shawanna Irene Cheek.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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God Is Real! is a Christian testimony written by Shawanna Irene Cheek. Born in 1985, the author was thirty-six when she wrote the book. It runs to ninety-six pages and is divided into a series of short chapters or sections, each of which has a different theme or topic. The author’s aim in writing her book, as she outlines on the back cover, is to encourage the ‘unsaved or unbeliever’ to give their life to Christ.

By her own admission, the author’s life before she decided to commit to God was a tale of ‘fornication, adultery, cussing, being prideful and getting drunk.’ (page 4) A chance encounter with a cashier in the local supermarket leads her to re-evaluate her life and her relationship with God. She has visions that convince her that God is speaking to her and has a purpose set out for her. This book is an account of those events but also a statement of some of the biblical principles and passages that guide her life.

Let’s look at the positives first. The author’s sincerity and passion for her beliefs are clearly seen on every page she writes. She tells us that she is ‘on fire for God’ (page 28). I respect that. The beliefs themselves are ones that you either like or dislike according to your own set of values. The author’s brand of Christianity is a fundamentalist outlook that views God as both punisher and provider. Those who remain ‘unsaved’ are destined for an eternity spent in torment. Those who are ‘saved’, however, enjoy the rewards in this life as well as the next. So, one of the chapters has the title ‘10 Great Scriptures For Divine Financial Success.’ Do the right thing and God will look after you is the message.

So, for example, the author tells us that she and her husband-to-be abstained from sex before their wedding day. The result? ‘I believe because we abstained from sex for that long period of time and honored God with our bodies, God gave us so much favor with hardly having to pay for anything for our church wedding!’ (page 42) This is bargain-basement prosperity theology. The author may not have millions of dollars in her bank account or travel in private jets like some of the televangelists she mentions approvingly, people such as Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer and Kenneth Copeland, but the same principle applies: God rewards those who play by the rules.

There are quite a few errors in the book, and they start almost on the first page. On page 2 there is what looks like a Table of Contents that lists the chapter headings and gives a page number for each. Only one of these page numbers is correct; the rest are out by a considerable margin. The final heading listed, for example, should start on page 28 but doesn’t appear until page 45. Additionally, there are thirteen chapters that don’t appear at all on the Table of Contents.

I am awarding this book three out of five stars. I am deducting one star for the number of errors present in the text and another for the confusion around the chapter headings. Given those errors, I don’t think the book has been professionally edited. If you’re into a fundamentalist brand of Christianity written with feeling, you could well enjoy this book. If your religious beliefs are more liberal than that, you should probably steer clear of this one.

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God Is Real!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Opara Jerry]

At this point I’m tired of reading evangelical books because they all say the same thing with different words and different Bible verses. Nothing new, nothing ground breaking. But I admire the author’s will to write, and publish what she believes in and maybe it just might resonate with someone. But not me.

[Patty Allread]

There is one thing you mentioned in your review, that a supermarket cashier's interaction with the author made a difference in her life. I like that aspect, no matter what the cashier was disseminating. I like to see people communicate with others to try to help. Excellent review.

[Nombu 98]

I personally believe everyone has their own opinion on how the view God . It is wise to have the spirit of discernment when reading the Christian books and devotionals because writers are writing it in their own point of view or through their encounters with their Creator .So everyone is entitled to they own opinion as long as we as individuals know what is right for us .

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

Indeed God is real! I appreciate the author for her purpose in writing this book. I'd like to find out how she discovered God. Your review is great!

[Ann Harun]

God is, undoubtedly, real! I admire the author's motivation for writing this book. I'd like to know how she came to know about God. Your review is fantastic!

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

My prayer for unbelievers is for them to have an encounter with God. Just one and decide for themselves. It is all good and well for people to share their stories but even better for readers to have their own experiences. Great review!