By Elizabeth Prata
‘Cut To the Chase’ essays are shorter form bulleted articles highlighting the issues of a particular author or false doctrine.
Ann Voskamp is a popular writer and conference speaker. Her most famous book is “One Thousand Gifts”, which is an exploration of her spirituality in a poetic narrative form.
Issue #1: Inappropriate sexual metaphors and innuendos about God
In his original review of Voskamp’s book, blogger and book reviewer Tim Challies wrote this:
“By the book’s final chapter Voskamp has realized that she still hasn’t put it all together, that something is still missing, and so, in her words, “I fly to Paris and discover how to make love to God.” This closing chapter, “The Joy of Intimacy,” is her discovery of God through something akin to sexual intimacy. In a chapter laden with intimate imagery she falls in love with God again, but this time hears him urging to respond. She wants more of him. And then at last she experiences some kind of spiritual climax, some understanding of what it means to fully live, of what it means to be one with Christ, to experience the deepest kind of union. “God makes love with grace upon grace, every moment a making of His love for us. Couldn’t I make love to God, making every moment love for Him? To know Him the way Adam knew Eve. Spirit skin to spirit skin?” –Challies
“It is true, of course, that the Bible uses imagery of bride and groom to describe the relationship of Christ to his church, but it does not go as far as integrating the sexual component of marriage. Sometimes it is best to allow God to define the parameters of our metaphors rather than taking them to a much greater extent. Voskamp would have done well to limit herself here.” –Challies
“The sexuality of this chapter is not all that concerns me. I am also concerned with the kind of spiritual climax she experiences. Why should she have to travel to a Roman Catholic cathedral in a foreign land in order to truly experience the Lord?” –end Challies quoting Voskamp.
Issue #2: Voskamp’s romantic panentheism.
Bob Dewaay is solid, He is at Critical Issues Commentary. His articles are long but good. He reviews Voskamp, her book, and her romantic panentheism here: Romantic Panentheism: A Review of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Dewaay shows that “Voskamp sees God in everything, and that concept has a name—panentheism. We must distinguish panentheism from pantheism, the belief that God is everything. If we accept that God is in everything, then we accept that God can be discovered and understood through encounters with nature.”
Marcia Montenegro at Christian Answers for the New Age wrote about Voskamp and had similar concerns with the unbiblical stance of her panentheism-
Ann Voskamp: Panentheism and Hollow Words, By Marcia Montenegro
“Panentheism is contrary to Scripture, yet can sound very biblically correct and even uplifting. Panentheism mingles God with creation, demeans His majesty and omnipotence, and ends up altering God’s attributes and character as presented in the scriptures.”: (with additional links to other commentaries about Voskamp)”
Issue #3: Ann Voskamp partners with false teachers.
Recent examples are her speaking at the HopeStory Conference with keynote speaker and false teacher Lisa Bevere. (Source). Also has appeared at the same event as with Mark Batterson (who is false). Voskamp invited false teacher Beth Moore to guest post on her website.
Please avoid Ann Voskamp. She promotes unbiblical doctrines, lacks discernment, and makes other problematic choices that indicate consuming her material is not healthy for the Christian woman. Be discerning.
the-end-time.org 