Through theological essays and personal stories of her life in South Africa, Swartz explores the covenant relationships between the Almighty and humans, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the Resurrection, and prayer—to name just a few topics. Her thesis: God is love, so all that comes from God is love. By awakening to this reality, we can move closer toward spiritual perfection.
Swartz is an earnest writer with a conversational style that is mostly easy to follow and understand, and readers will be impressed by her devotion to her faith. She shines most brightly on her chapter on angels toward book’s end, which feels like an intimate conversation with a friend.
Unfortunately, the narrative has several major issues. An early story relates how Don’t Worry Be Happy singer/songwriter Bobby McFerrin, wasn’t able to live his own advice and committed suicide. Alas, the story is a popular Internet urban legend; McFerrin is alive and well at age 66. While an honest mistake, the misstep casts doubt on the author’s accuracy throughout the rest of the book.
Moreover, Swartz at times digresses too much. Chapter 9, for instance, on the sinister nature of South African taxi drivers, seems strange to include in a book on Christian theology. It could easily have been cut from an already long work.
All told, Swartz should be praised for the dedication she put into her work, but a fact-checker and a seasoned editor could help her create a more polished book.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
