When God is Silent (Lyman Beecher Lectures, 1997.)

In my opinion, this is an interesting book with probing thoughts and questions. However, I think readers should read and be aware that it is what is in the parentheses—a lecture on preaching primarily to preachers. She deals more with what we say, what we don’t say, etc. than the silence of God.

This is a slight little book, size-wise, but I have three times as many highlights in it as any other book I own. It is dense with ideas like a fruitcake is full of goodies.It is targeted toward pastors, but approachable for anyone with a moderate understanding of theology. My mom bought copies for my siblings and I because she found it so meaningful, and I can certainly understand that impulse.Taylor is teasing out what it means that we don't hear from God anymore. God used to talk to the Israelites all the time, but as the Bible progresses, we hear God's voice less and less. She argues that part of this is because we now live in a desert of noise, and we are thirsty for the Word, but can't make it out amidst all the other things we are listening to.I want to share so many quotes with you, but I will settle for a few, to give you the flavor of her language and logic."Without limits, we would have no feel for the infinite. Without limits, we would be freed from our longing for what lies beyond. It is precisely our inability to say God that teaches us who God is. When we run out of words, we are very near the God whose name is unsayable.""At their request, God never spoke to all the people again. Secondary speech replaced primary speech. The pillar of fire and cloud that led the people through the wilderness gave way to a tabernacle they could carry around with them. The hot lava of God's voice cooled into the six hundred thirteen commandments of the law."On a personal level, I was struck by this quote:"Perhaps there is no proof a famine exists except for the fact that people are hungry. In the land of plenty, the source of that hunger can be difficult to diagnose. It is often not until we have tried to ease it with everything else we know that we discover by process of elimination our hunger for God. Our problem is not too few rations, but too many. The proof that we are in the midst of a famine of the Word are the suffocating piles of our own dead words that rise up around us on every side. It is because they do not nourish us that we require so many of them. It takes thousands of words, coming at us every moment, to distract us from the terrible silence within."There is a nutritional deficiency disease called kwashiokor. It is not an overall lack of calories, but a lack of protein and micronutrients. People can fill their bellies with carbohydrates and not feel hunger pangs, but they are still lacking, to the point of death. Her statements here made me think about how we can feel like we are consuming enough to feed our souls, but still not feel safe and nourished.There are some really painful moments of realization for me in this book. Somehow, the image of Jesus on the cross asking for word from his father, and his father giving him nothing, not bread nor even a stone, was one of the saddest crucifixion narratives I've read.

Words cannot do justice to what Taylor does in this work. A must read for every preacher! Her humor for life and reverence for the Lord come through this work. A book I will read again and again.

It puts a better perspective on our need to feel God's presence in our lives. His silence makes a sound too glorious for us to comprehend in a noise polluted world

This is the third publication I have read by Barbara Brown Taylor and my favorite read so far. She talks about the noise of the world - a time when communication is of higher value than contemplation and information is more in demand than reflection. The author takes us back to time when God audibly and visibly spoke to man. Taylor says today there are many that puff themself up pretending to know the mind of God when they barely know their own mind. How do we speak in an authentic voice?

This little book is a potential life changer for thoughtful human beings. Taylor is truly wise and witty, and her ideas encourage the reader to look again. I reread this often and I have to keep buying new ones because those who borrow mine also want to reread it. Read When God Is Silent, then enjoy her many other excellent books.

I enjoyed the book, but didn't realize it when I purchased it the book was directed toward preachers, probably didn't get as much out of it as a minister. I have found her book, An Altar in the World a better fit for a lay person.

Barbara Brown Taylor is a brilliant writer. I thoroughly enjoyed this marvelous volume, so beautifully written. And challenging .. for the would-be preacher! We need a lot more contemplative or 'listening silence' in our lives. On the strength of this volume I have purchased almost all of her other books.

Barbara Brown Taylor is an excellent writer to begin with, and reading her work is always a pleasure. I appreciate her understanding of the scriptural stories, her recognition of the majesty of God, and the encouragement to be in awe of God in the preaching process. I would love to sit in the pew where she is preaching. I have only recently discovered her books and have immersed myself in them this summer. I am glad they are on my Kindle since that is a light book to carry and I can always stop in for a visit with her when I have a few minutes to myself.

Great spiritual recuperation book, for those disenchanted with the church. Barbara Taylor makes sense of frustrations of living in the everyday world while juggling spiritual quests.

This is a great read that reminds those of us that are in the pulpit, that simplicity, honesty, and silence are the making of a great message.