Noble does a great job of drawing readers along on a journey to see how our culture has convinced us that living for ourselves is the way to go when God's plan of community is the antidote to all the struggle that brings. He shows us how what is portrayed as freedom actually ends up being slavery. The book then takes time to walk through how to not be the god of our own life.

Jeremiads against the ways of modern society, especially from a Christian perspective, are legion. Some such critiques of our age rise above and are worthy of significant consideration and meditation. You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World (full version read, but did receive a early review edition) by Alan Noble is one such critique.

As Noble well relates, philosophical liberalism has become all ascendant, and thus individualism is the modus operandi of our culture. The premise of our culture, which he explores in great detail, is how “I am my own and I belong to myself”; and he dissects how such individualism is ultimately rather inhuman. None of us can fully bear the burden of ourselves, and our society only offers the simulacrum of connection and joint participation; Noble highlights how pornography well embodies the quest for the appearance of intimacy and satisfaction without any of the substance thereof, and its connections to exploitation. He argues we are all supposed to accomplish the “Responsibility of Self-Belonging” by means of various self-optimizing “techniques” which should lead to ever greater enhancement; in truth, as he relates, we fluctuate between “Affirmation,” in which we feel as if we are able to succeed and expend great energy to become our best self, and “Resignation,” in which we feel not enough and unable to meaningfully change the situation in which we find ourselves. He points out our need to cope with modern life, a form of self-medicating, which indicates what we have going on is less than healthy.

Noble takes comfort from the first question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism: the principle that we are not our own, but we belong to Christ. Such is well rooted in 1 Corinthians 6:20, and Noble argues persuasively about the importance of entrusting ourselves to God in Christ and finding our confidence in Him, maintaining association in vulnerability with the church and in the family.

Noble does very well at expressing critique of modern society and considering a better rooted Christian alternative without resorting to nostalgia. He does not suggest everything was better in a previous era; he recognizes we are going to live in modern individualism no matter what. Noble also proves sensitive to the issues and challenges attending to abuse, and is willing to grapple with it. He is well read in Kierkegaard but also Ellul and Bauman, among others, and that all enhances his analysis.

Noble also avoids the trap of acting as if the solution is a new kind of technique or program: instead he counsels grace for ourselves and others, a recognition we will continually grapple with and often fall into coping mechanisms and other such things to live in modern society, and yet encourages perseverance in understanding oneself as belonging to Christ, accepted and validated in Him by faith, and manifesting rooted concern in relationships and place.

I would be interested in hearing the response to this work from others beyond white American men and how his analysis and exhortations would be heard by women and people of color. I can appreciate his concern about place, and I certainly agree we desperately need a better theology of place. On the other hand, I do not think he is circumspect enough in his exhortation to remain in the original location in which you find yourself. For many this might be good wisdom; yet for those called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, “a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown.” Apostolic witness features a peripatetic life for the one proclaiming the Gospel, and it should be commended as the sacrifice one is willing to make in order to make Jesus known.

Nevertheless, Noble is always an excellent read as a perceptive observer and everyone awash in the modern world would do well to consider this work.

Terrific logic and good research. What happens in society when we do think we are our own.? What did the group at Heidelberg have in mind when they wrote down question and answer one? A thoughtful contribution to the conversation about being a healthy contributor to humanity.

I found this book to be highly intriguing and different than the many I have read in the genre. Over half of the book is spent describing our current world, which abides by a philosophy that we are our own, which dictates that most things are subjective with very little objective truths. This philosophy has lead to a world plagued by burn out as people devote their lives to creating their identity and perfectly crafting the perfect image that always has to be proven to the world, be it through numerous degrees, prestigious careers, accumulated wealth and stuff, etc. Yet, most of the modern world is depressed, burnt out, and self medicating on things like social media, video games, drugs, food, antidepressants, and many more things to help make life more bearable or meaningful.

Noble spends the second half of the book contrasting this with the fact that we are God's and we don't need to justify our individuality or uniqueness because it is already there, regardless of what the rest of the world sees, and it is God's view that matters. We do not have to create this elusive true self, because it already exists, and we can acknowledge and see it in our relationship with God. Additionally, he ties a number of great literary sources into his work that adds well to his thesis.

Overall, I thought this was a great and insightful read. I did think that some parts could have been more concise and gotten the point across a little better and some parts felt a bit more pessimistic than necessary, but it was still quite enjoyable.

Ooh, what an important theme. I really appreciate Netgalley adding something like this--truly thought-provoking! I plan on reading more by the author.

You Are Not Your Own is a tremendous book and I cannot wait to recommend it to friends. I was greatly encouraged by the social analysis and reminder that I belong to Christ, not myself, and everything that means. I have so many quotes highlighted and I know I will be revisiting this book. I highly recommend this book for individuals and groups. It is a challenging analysis of how we cope in a world broken by sin and how we so frequently turn away from Jesus to the things of this world for our identity, belonging, and purpose.

"You A Not Your Own" was in arguably written 'for such a time as this'. Alan Noble maps out just how broken and dysfunctional our world has become and how absolutely critical it is for Christ followers to not focus on being one but rather being on with Christ. The author acknowledges how difficult it is to ignore what the world tells us and choose to live a life that is centered around Christ and his teachings.