Holier Than Thou - Jackie Hill Perry
This is the second book I've read by Jackie Hill Perry, and is very different from her first book. Partially this is because her first book was a biography; partially it is the different styles in which the two books are written. Perry is a spoken word artist, and this influenced her first book in its structure - scenes would flow in and out, back and forth, and use various poetic features to emphasis different points. Holier Than Thou is a far more 'traditionally' structured book, and as a result was an 'easier' read for me.
It took a bit longer to get through, however, because the subject matter of this book requires a bit more time to ponder. Like the best theology books, I would find myself reading a small section and then not being able to read on, because I was still processing what I had just read.
As the title may suggest, Holier Than Thou is all about God's holiness and our response to that. Perry doesn't forgo her poetic forms entirely, but uses them to enhance her points, falling into colloquialisms when it adds a punch to a turn of phrase. For example, in talking about the judgment of God, Perry states: "With sin came judgment. As judge, God is holy still. Some finite folk can't seem to reconcile this, that judgment is a good (holy) thing...if I had to guess, I'd say their lack of applause for God's justice comes out of their desire for Him to be like them: unrighteous...The problem with that is this: to what God to withhold justice is to want God to make Himself an abomination." (page 17). The same could be said in a different way in a 'dry' theology book, but Perry's phrasing adds something, for me anyway. Another example, in returning to the same theme: "We know almost instinctively that the guilty must be punished until the guilty one is us." (page 110). Ouch. But true.
Perry doesn't just focus on the justice of God's holiness, however. She also takes the time to focus on the love of God and how His holiness informs that too. "When there is a storm, believe God. When there is stillness, believe God. He is too holy to deceive. To holy to lead you anywhere but to truth...a holy God cannot be an apathetic God." (page 59). And later: "Please understand the significance of this. That God's hatred of sin didn't keep Him from loving you, but He chose, on His own accord to rescue you from the wrath to come. Do you know that that is what it means to be saved? We say that word without definition to the point that I often wonder if we remember that the term is in reference to divine justice." (page 124).
I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn a bit more about the character of God. Perry writes well, she writes clearly and she writes from a place of understanding both God's holiness and His transformative power. If you want proof of that, read her first book!
Completed 18 February 2023.
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