How God Thinks: Revealing God’s Heart Through The Language of Symbolism

Symbols are presentations of humanity’s most sacred and personal concepts and beliefs. The vast catalog of human emotion and humanity’s various associations are muted reflections of the private relationship between people and god. The book How God Thinks: Revealing God’s Heart Through The Language of Symbolism by David Vancelette establishes this notion in an engrossing and captivating manner.

But it’s also a book that attempts to tackle the duality of life and religion. It’s been stated that God graciously reveals aspects of His divine nature so that we might enter into a personal relationship with God. If people are made in god’s image then why is there such chaos? Why does a species that is made in the model of the divine do such insane, violent, or moral things to each other? Or more to the point, what would the creator think about such actions?

These are weighty concepts to be sure, and to Vancelette’s credit, he manages to masterfully explore these getting lost in themes without flowery or lofty passages. The book is lean and to the point. Its message and beliefs can find a home in the library of the believer and the non-believer. It reads like top-shelf philosophy with pragmatic commentary and poetic sensibilities.

In an age when so many of us grapple with our daily choices or seek acceptance in this large and increasingly isolated world, this book offers a path forward. There is never a sense that the author is carrying on a self-important lecture, ignoring the reader and refusing to engage. This is simply a conversation, in the best manner possible. Open and compassionate, a search for understanding and a chance to pull back some of the mystery of our shared existence. Absent is the typical listing of dogmatic beliefs or superficial anecdotes that cheapen similar books.

The sections are wildly informative and highly thought-provoking, it explores the relationship between morality and artwork, or faith and sin. It’s a book that comfortably showcases sketches of Michelangelo and the devil, of Jesus and the struggle for universal understanding.  A perfect jumping-off point for anyone new to theologic studies and a slightly challenging read that does its best to never discount specific viewpoints or fail to display the author’s impressive knowledge of the subject matter.