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| Friday, November 27, 2009
Book > The Spiritual World by Peter Tan Quote from The Spiritual World's back cover: "This book is a summarised compilation of the understandings that [Peter Tan] has received during the supernatural visitations [into the spiritual world]. He was given to understand that this book would provide some guidance about the spiritual world, of heaven and hell, to those still alive on the earth so that they would better prepare themselves for the spiritual world." As someone who had personal brushes with the supernatural, both positive and negative, even before she was aware that such things were in any way Biblical, the very idea of a resource such as this book was a real draw. When I heard from a friend who knows him, that Peter Tan is not only a pastor/preacher but also a hardcore theologian/academic who believes that all knowledge can be incorporated into a believer's understanding of spiritual matters, I picked up - no, pounced on - The Spiritual World as soon as it was within my reach. I was not disappointed. Be warned, however: If you are merely curious or have entrenched ideas about what heaven, hell and the invisible planes between and beyond, you will likely end up among the many who have decried this book and even denounced it as heresy (or fantasy, as the case may be). Peter Tan pulls no punches in describing the appearances, textures, activities and systems of the spiritual world as shown to him, he boldly declares, by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It seems to me that it is those who have had spiritual encounters/experiences and who have an open and enquiring mind that stand to benefit the most from this book. While The Spiritual World offers a panoramic view of the invisible realm and its myriad mysteries and serves up many surprisingly detailed descriptions and explanations, Peter Tan does not actually claim to be the foremost authority on the subject. What he does do is provide a strong scriptural basis to his interpretations and understandings. "It is an error for anyone... to think that their encounter is 'all' of what the spiritual world is like and start building doctrines or dogma... this is only my personal and subjective perspective gained through experiences in the spiritual world. ... It is important to establish all revelation through the written Word of God..." - Peter Tan Of course, one may argue that here more than most, the crime of "de-contextualised" misquotes is bound to flourish. But if one considers Peter Tan's logic carefully with as much objectivity as one is able to muster, one might very well end up having to concede that at the very least, the man has done his utmost best to be Word-based and non-misleading. In my humble opinion, picking out and reserving what is directly relevant and helpful to you from The Spiritual World will definitely profit you far more than simply denouncing it as fallacy. Some of the topics Peter Tan deals with are unequivocally practical (e.g. understanding why and how true forgiveness works), and the angles and perspectives he puts forward are surprisingly (and often uncomfortably) compelling. So if you are genuinely searching for a way (or ways) to understand or explain, or perhaps simply validate, yours or a loved one's as-yet bewildering/mysterious/frightening spiritual encounters, this book comes highly recommended.
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