One Thousand Gifts – A Commentary | Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc

Editor’s Note: When we originally printed Marcia Montenegro’s commentary on Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts in the Winter/Spring 2013 MCOI Journal, Marcia made it clear this is a commentary, not a book review. There were two primary issues of concern with the book. One of them is the Panentheistic view of God portrayed in the book. Neither Marcia nor MCOI is saying Voskamp deliberately holds the ideas critiqued, but she presents them, inadvertently or not, and in the process, influences readers to embrace a different God than is taught in biblical revelation. This critique was published three years before the Enneagram was introduced into the church by IVP in 2016 and is rooted in a Panentheistic God. Thomas Nelson Publishers, who published One Thousand Gifts, also publishes material promoting the Enneagram.

“It is I Who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their host.” Isaiah 45:12¹

There are many good things about One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. The story of how she learned to be grateful to the Lord in all things (Phil. 4:6; Col. 3:17; 1 Thess. 5:18), and how this forged a closer walk with the Lord for her is inspirational, and she has a heartfelt way of expressing her experiences and insights. I would think this message encouraged many readers to more earnestly seek how to cultivate daily gratitude to the Lord in their lives, which is a good practice.

Were it not for two problematic issues, there would be no need to write about this book. However, these two areas are of sufficient concern and should be addressed. I am not including any literary criticism or disagreements with more minor issues due to time limitations.

God’s Omnipresence and Immanence

Biblical theism understands God to be both transcendent—beyond the created world and present in the world or immanent. God is omnipresent (present everywhere) because He cannot be contained in any one locality:

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?” (Is. 66:1; see also 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron. 2:6; Ps. 139:7-10; Jer. 23: 23-24; Acts 17:24).

Those who reject this view in favor of pantheism (all is God) or panentheism² (all is in God) misunderstand God’s distinction from creation to mean He is not interactive with creation except in supernatural interventions such as miracles. Thus, God is mistakenly viewed as mostly absent and remote. However, God reveals in His Word that He is present; God cannot be restricted to a locality or impeded from any place (Prov. 15:3; Ps. 139:7-10; Is. 57:15; Jer. 23:24).

Panentheism and Other Views

The first area to address is panentheism. Panentheism is not well understood nor easily recognized since it is less obvious than pantheism. Pantheism, which Voskamp disavows several times in the book, is the belief all is God, and therefore, there is no distinction between God’s nature and creation. In pantheism, the rocks, rivers, trees, clouds, sun, moon, humanity, etc., are all part of God and imbued with the nature of God. This view is found in some areas of the New Age, modern Witchcraft (though God might be the goddess), some forms of Neopaganism, and in aspects of certain world religions. The idea the earth is sacred is usually tied to pantheism. Still, even with these distinctions, pantheism, and panentheism can blur together, so it is not always easy to discern between them.

Panentheism is often defined as the belief that all is contained in God (versus all is God in pantheism). There are many forms of panentheism, but that is beyond the scope of this article. Theopedia defines it this way (ontologically means the nature of):

“Panentheism, literally ‘all-in-God-ism’, “affirms that although God and the world are ontologically distinct [i.e., not the same] and God transcends the world, the world is ‘in’ God ontologically.” This is not to be confused with pantheism, which understands God to be the world. For most panentheists, God is intimately connected to the world and yet remains greater than the world. In this view, events and changes in the universe affect and change God, and he is therefore a temporal being. As the universe grows, God learns as he increases in knowledge and being. Panentheism has been associated with process theology and aspects of open theism, including theologians such as Paul Tillich, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jurgen Moltmann, Robert Jesnson [sic], and possibly Karl Rahner.”³

Wikipedia states a common view found in panentheism:

… the divine interpenetrates every part of nature and timelessly extends beyond it.

Also:

God is viewed as the eternal animating force behind the universe. Some versions suggest that the universe is nothing more than the manifest part of God. In some forms of panentheism, the cosmos exists within God, who in turn “pervades” or is “in” the cosmos.⁴

In discussing panentheistic aspects of theologian Karl Rahner’s philosophy, authors Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson state in 20^th Century Theology that Rahner’s view implies that “the source of the difference between God and the world lies in God himself, and therefore the difference is not absolute.”⁵ Any stance which renders God’s interaction with the world a part of His nature or an interaction of necessity falls into the panentheistic category.

In addition to what is listed in Theopedia, panentheism is also found in the New Age, forms of Christian-New Age syncretism (such as the beliefs expressed by Episcopal priest Matthew Fox), New Thought, mysticism, Theosophy, Neoplatonism, and popular works such as William P. Young’s The Shack. Panentheism is not uncommonly found in the ideas of some of the Emergent Christian spokespersons (for example, Rob Bell’s Love Wins). It is not surprising that some Emergents would lean panentheistic since many of them have admitted an influence from and admiration for Matthew Fox and for New Age Buddhist Ken Wilber.

Biblical Texts Used to Support Panentheism

What of texts such as Colossians 1:17: “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (ESV)? Does this mean the world is “in” or “part” of Christ? No, it means that Christ sustains the order of the universe (cf. Heb. 1:3). Bible scholar and commentator John Gill comments on this passage regarding Christ:

[H]e upholds all things by the word of his power; the heavens have their stability and continuance from him; the pillars of the earth are bore up by him, otherwise that and the inhabitants of it would be dissolved; the angels in heaven are confirmed in their estate by him, and have their standing and security in him; the elector [sic] God are in his hands, and are his peculiar care and charge, and therefore shall never perish; yea, all mankind live and move, and have their being in him; the whole frame of nature would burst asunder and break in pieces, was it not held together by him; every created being has its support from him, and its consistence in him; and all the affairs of Providence relating to all creatures are governed, directed, and managed by him, in conjunction with the Father and the blessed Spirit.⁶

Similarly, Ephesians 4:10 is often misused for panentheism: “He Who descended is the One Who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things” (ESV). In this case, “fill” also means “fulfill” and “to complete.” Gill comments:

… that he might fill all things, or “fulfil all things”; that were types of him, or predicted concerning him; that as he had fulfilled many things already by his incarnation doctrine, miracles, obedience, sufferings, death, and resurrection from the dead.⁷

And

… that he might fill all persons, all his elect, both Jews and Gentiles …particularly that he might fill each and every one of his people with his grace and righteousness, with his Spirit, and the fruits of it, with spiritual knowledge and understanding …”⁸

At its basic level, panentheism is expressed by seeing God in nature or aspects of creation. This differs from seeing nature as the work of a Creator God as Romans informs us: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).

The created universe points to a Maker Who brought it into existence; a Maker Who is immeasurable beyond the vastness of space and more formidable than anything seen in nature. Man can come to the knowledge there is a Creator through the evidence of the creation. God the Creator interacts with His creation as a distinct Being, but He exists apart from His creation and existed prior to it. God does not interact with creation out of necessity; and no part of God’s nature interpenetrates, mixes with, manifests as, or pervades the creation.

Panentheism in One Thousand Gifts

Although creation points to a Creator, it is not a container for the Creator, nor do we literally see God in creation. Voskamp writes about seeing God in space and time as she is doing dishes. She talks about light in the soap bubbles and then says, “This is where God is.”⁹ She describes a bubble trembling, then states the space is holy, “The God in it.”¹⁰ God is “framed in the moment,” and “time is the essence of God, I AM.”¹¹

She continues in this vein about the present and how God enters time “hallowing it.” One can certainly sense God’s presence anywhere, and it is a special moment, but God is not in time, nor is he a part of time, and time is not part of God-these views are classic panentheism.

In a long passage, beginning on p.104, Voskamp writes about going outside one night to see the harvest moon, which becomes a transformative experience for her. The entire vista impacts her to say, “Sky, land and sea, heavy and saturated with God”¹² and God’s glory “punctures earth’s lid and heaven falls through the hole.”¹³I realize this could be mere poetry, but further statements indicate she takes it in a more literal fashion.

She talks about yearning “to see God”¹⁴ (though she does not define this), and that she’s been “hungry for Beauty.”¹⁵ She seems to equate the beauty of nature with God’s nature or with God Himself (109 ff.). She states, “True Beauty worship, worship of Creator Beauty Himself”¹⁶ and explains this is not pantheism. However, this statement by itself is consistent with panentheism (it could also be pantheism, though it is clear Voskamp is not a pantheist).

She explains, “Pantheism, seeing the natural world as divine, is a very different thing than seeing divine God present in all things.”¹⁷ The problem is that the latter is panentheism. She then asks rhetorically if theology is the study of books about God, then is not the study of nature also “the deep study of the Spirit of God?”¹⁸ Well, no, it isn’t. It is the contemplation of the handiwork of God. In Roman 11, we read, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” (vv. 33-34)

Voskamp has apparently concluded that because she does not view nature as God, it is okay to see God literally in creation. This is very different from seeing that nature points to God, or allowing the beauty of nature to initiate thoughts of God, or understanding that beauty on earth reflects the majesty of God. I never gaze at a beautiful sunset, or a scattering of stars, or a tranquil lake and think, “I am looking at God.” That would never enter my head because I know I am not looking at God or seeing God when I look at these things. Frankly, it would seem idolatrous for me to say or even think this. It is alien to me as a Christian. God the Father is invisible, for one thing (John 4:24; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:27); His glory is too much for us to bear (Ex. 33:20); and Jesus stated that seeing Him was seeing God the Father (John 14:9; also, John 12:45; Col. 1:15).

Voskamp also sees God in “all faces.” She asks, “Isn’t He the face of all faces?”¹⁹ and continues on that the “face” of the moon, the doe, and even that of “the derelict” are “His countenance that seeps up through the world.”²⁰ She questions, “Do I have eyes to see His face in all things?”²¹ Here again, this is equating nature and the faces of people with the face of God. Faith, she asserts, is “a seeking for God in everything.”²²

God’s Word, however, tells us that faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, emphasis added; see also 2 Cor. 4:18, 5:7). Yet Voskamp writes that Jesus said people “need to see and then believe-that looking and believing are the same thing.”²³ She gives no scriptural reference for this; she could be referring to Jesus’ acts which demonstrated His fulfillment of Messianic prophecies through miracles of healing, casting out demons and power over nature. In that case, when Jesus was on earth, those who witnessed these miracles and denied Jesus as Messiah were reprimanded or condemned. At that time, they were to look and believe. This is not the case today because Jesus is not presently on earth as He was then. We cannot look at Jesus this way today, nor is there any command to Christians after the ascension that one is to “look and believe.” (cf. John 20:29, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”)

Voskamp tries to connect this idea of viewing and believing with seeing God in nature and somehow eliciting faith. Going back to Romans chapter 1 verse 20, it is true general revelation through nature provides evidence for a Creator God, so man is without excuse if he denies God exists; but that is not the point Voskamp seems to be making. Salvific faith, which accepts the remedy for sin that separates us from God, comes only by special revelation through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, not through general revelation (the creation).

Her book has too many passages suggesting or expressing panentheism to mention, but some of them are equating the moon with God’s eye (“All Eye,” 115) and the moon with God’s face (132), God manifesting in the world (116); equating God with us (“God stretching us open to receive more of Himself,” 117); the activities of nature being God’s “experience” (ibid); touching God through nature (118); “God seeping up through all things” (ibid.); longing to “pound on the chest of God” (119); wanting to “Enter into God” (ibid., italics in original); God in all faces (134, 137), and “all faces become the face of God” (138).

Theological Erotica

The second troubling area is an eroticization of God’s love for us and our love for God. This seems to be, in fact, an extension or result of panentheism. If God is present in creation itself, if we can see or feel God in nature, He is reduced, philosophically speaking (not that God actually can be reduced), to the vulnerability of material and/or carnal concepts and interpretations. The last chapter in the book displays this in blatant erotic language (with some foreshadowing earlier, such as on 119).

The final chapter opens with the statement, “I fly to Paris and discover how to make love to God.”²⁴Even if we know Voskamp does not mean this literally, the term “make love” has almost exclusively a sexual implication throughout our culture. If this were the only lapse, one could perhaps forgive Voskamp for her attempt to express her love for God in a new way. However, this is just the beginning of a full immersion into theological erotica (if I may coin a phrase).

She ties this love to being God’s bride and God as “Lover” (119, 146, 204, 213, 218). But individually, we are not brides of God or Christ. The composite church of believers is the Bride of Christ, and “bride” is spoken of in the singular, not the plural (Rev. 19:7, 21:9, 22:17; see also Eph. 5:23).

She pursues this topic by talking about union, but mostly using carnal, erotic language (she equates communion with consummation and union). She refers to the scriptural picture of the union of man and wife as pertaining to Christ and the Church becoming one, but then she takes it into romantic and carnal territory.

She writes that Christ and the church will become “one flesh-the mystery of that romance”²⁵, but this idea is not in Scripture. Scripture says we shall “be like Him.” (1 John 3:2). “One flesh” is used for the union of husband and wife (Matt. 19:5, 6; Eph. 5:31). We see from 1 Cor. 6:16, in reference to a man joining with a prostitute, that it has definite sexual meaning. While “one flesh” in marriage may imply more than a physical union, it certainly does include a physical, sexual union. Also, the way she uses “romance” denotes a sexual element. Not all love is romance, and I certainly do not want to think of God in those terms.

She continues with phrases like “the long embrace,” “the entering in,” “God as Husband in sacred wedlock, bound together, body and soul, fed by His body,” and “mystical love union.”²⁶ I do not want these images in my head. This is not how Scripture leads me to think of the Lord or of what it means to be “one in Christ” (Gal. 3:28), which biblically is without carnal or erotic implications.

The reader may hope for a respite from this imagery, but none is given. In fact, it is only building up. A few pages later, describing her experience seeing the painting “Pentecost” by Jean Restout, she is moved to write, in reference to herself and God, “It’s our making love.”²⁷ “God makes love with grace upon grace”²⁸ and she asks, “couldn’t I make love to God … to know Him the way Adam knew Eve.”²⁹ However-and this is a crucial point-the way Adam “knew” Eve was sexually, and this is what is meant by the Hebrew word yada translated “knew” in that passage (Gen. 4:1). One cannot simply equate the spiritual oneness and connection with God through Christ with a sexual union. They are not the same.

Yet, the erotic language continues to flow even after that. Voskamp states that Jesus is “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh”³⁰using language from Genesis 2:23 where Adam describes his partner, Eve. “I want to be in God and God to be in me, to exchange love and blessings and caresses”³¹she writes, moving on to employ words like “interchange,” “intercourse” (twice), “disrobed,” and declaring how this intercourse is “the climax of joy.”³²Voskamp longs to “burn,” “flush of embarrassment up the face” and tells the reader that we are to “cohabit” with God.³³

Even after the above, further terms with lovemaking overtones follow: “love-drunk,” many “union” words,” “ardent,” and “one holy kiss.”³⁴However, purely Voskamp experienced, thought, or intended these experiences and expressions is irrelevant when such overt sexual language and imagery is used-especially in connection with God and Jesus Christ. Though Christians are to know God’s love (Rom.5:5) and love God (Deut. 6:5, Matt. 22:37), it is not romantic or erotic love.

Moreover, eroticizing God’s love belittles it. God’s love in sending His Son to atone for sins (John 3:16; Rom. 5:6, 8) and Jesus’ willingness to lay down his life and take the penalty for sins (John 10:17; Gal. 2:20) is almost too incomprehensible a love for us to grasp. First Corinthians chapter 13, verses four to seven, describe the kind of love that is from God and we can know through Christ, and it is not as Voskamp expresses it.

No matter what some men may have written (Voskamp has offered this to support her sexual language), evaluation of any book about God should be consistent with biblical principles, not based on man’s standards-which are ever-changing-no matter who those men may be.

WHY BOTHER?

If panentheism were not making a re-invigorated entrance into the culture and church, an analysis of this book might not be necessary. However, the panentheism in the book offers an opportunity to discuss it and, therefore, inform.

One may argue that Voskamp is using metaphor. Although metaphor has its place, when it conveys a wrong view of God and nature, especially in a recurring fashion, it should be avoided. The sheer repetition of panentheistic imagery in this book is too much to ignore. The popularity of a book or author is irrelevant when it comes to the responsibility to assess the content. Are Christians supposed to put the Bible aside and not use it to evaluate books or writings about God and Jesus?

Panentheism actually undermines God’s glory and majesty because it depicts creation as an extension or necessary corollary of God and/or imbues creation with some of God’s attributes. Whenever panentheism appears in a popular work, deliberately or not, especially one written by a Christian, it becomes necessary to respond. It can only be beneficial to recognize panentheism and to respond biblically.Ω

Before trusting Christ, Marcia Montenegro was a professional astrologer and was involved in Eastern and New Age practices for many years. Through her ministry, Christian Answers for the New Age, Marcia speaks around the country and on radio and writes on New Age and occult topics. She has a Masters in Religion from Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, NC, and serves as a missionary with Fellowship International Mission, Allentown, PA. Based in Arlington, VA, she is the mother of an adult son and the author of SpellBound: The Paranormal Seduction of Today’s Kids (Cook, 2006). She is also co-author of Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret (MCOI Publishing, 2020) with Don and Joy Veinot You can find her online at: CANA or on Facebook at Christian Answers for the New Age