NYT: “Sarah Young, 77, Dies; Created an Empire Around a Christian Devotional”

LTRP Note: The following news story is posted for informational and research purposes. (Photo from a 2-second video clip from YouTube; used in accordance with the U.S. Fair Use Act: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2BXgBRu11c&list=PLyTBJOX8CfX5kIzL4fpI54YoNkw4ueas4)

By Clay Risen
The New York Times

Sarah Young, whose book “Jesus Calling,” composed of devotional readings written in the voice of Jesus Christ, sold tens of millions of copies and spawned an evangelical empire of sequels, television shows and podcasts, died on Aug. 31 at her home in Brentwood, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville. She was 77.

Her sister Beth Bhatnagar said the cause was leukemia. . . . The book’s success can be attributed in part to Mrs. Young’s unique technique.

“I have written from the perspective of Jesus speaking, to help readers feel more personally connected with Him,” she wrote in the introduction. “So the first person singular (‘I,’ ‘Me,’ ‘My,’ ‘Mine’) always refers to Christ; ‘you’ refers to you, the reader.” . . .

“Jesus Calling” has not been without its critics, some of whom accuse Mrs. Young of blasphemy for speaking in the name of Jesus. It even sparked a book-length dissection, “‘Another Jesus’ Calling: How False Christs Are Entering the Church Through Contemplative Prayer” (2013), by Warren B. Smith, a self-professed “former New Ager.” Click here to continue reading.

5 thoughts on “NYT: “Sarah Young, 77, Dies; Created an Empire Around a Christian Devotional”

  1. I have been looking on your site for Warren B Smith article from years ago on book Jesus Calling. ?

  2. Ive browsed through Jesus calling. I’ve seen it used as a devotional at United Methodist Women meetings. I haven’t used it. Won’t use it. There are devotionals available, that rely on God’s Word. Not what someone says is Jesus talking.

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