This month’s review looks at Dear Daughter: Letters from the Father’s Heart, women’s devotional book written by Dorcas Stutzman. Together, Dorcas and her husband Steve Stutzman run a counseling ministry called Strait Paths Foundation and travel the country singing and teaching in Anabaptist communities.
Along the lines of the popular Jesus Calling books, Dear Daughter contains daily devotionals written as letters from God the Father “spoken to her own heart, that she jotted down.” Although I appreciate Dorcas Stutzman’s desire to help women “walk in the fullness of Christ,” I have four serious concerns about her devotional.
Perhaps most disturbing, Stutzman begins by claiming that “this book . . . is composed of downloads from the Father to me.” Steve Stutzman, writing in the introduction, also states that Dorcas “hears from the Father’s heart in a continual fashion.” To write down what you believe God is teaching you is one thing, but to publish those thoughts as God’s very words spoken through you is quite another.
Stutzman tempers this by adding “I would never imply that my writing is inspired like the Bible or that I can unerringly speak for the Father.” However, she offers no ruler to measure which portions of her writing are God’s truth and which portions contain error. By presenting this teaching as God’s words and not her own interpretation of Scripture, she removes it from the realm of assessment and correction.
It’s difficult to separate quoted Scripture from quasi-biblical embellishments. If we are expected to check these letters against Scripture, one wonders what value they really have. The portions that restate Scripture add nothing new, and the parts that go beyond or against Scripture we would be better off without.
Each letter is paired with a related Bible passage at the bottom of the page, but Stutzman uses them for support, not guidance. Historical narrative (the fiery furnace, Jesus calming the storm) becomes spiritual symbolism about the metaphorical storms and fires of life. Very specific prophecies and promises are seized, stripped of context, and reapplied as needed. Other times the daily letter ignores clear teaching and constructs an entirely new doctrine upon an unusual word or phrase. (See pp. 20, 74, 108, 60, 78, 72 for examples of each.)
Vague, spiritualized instructions to “come into alignment with me [God]” or “enter the flow of my Spirit and speak my heart” offer no help to growing believers. Rather than pointing them to Scripture for assurance, guidance, and conviction, Stutzman may inadvertently discourage Christians who aren’t feeling all the right feelings. Dear Daughter reduces sanctification to 21st century mysticism.
I struggle to imagine God saying “Dare to dream,” “Don’t forget to dance,” or “Thank you for choosing me.” The God of Dear Daughter just wants to bless you, affirm you, and tell you how wonderful you are.
Consider how often Stutzman addresses six themes: Fear (25), Lies from Satan (18), God’s love (30), Struggling with sin (4), Salvation (2), Studying the Bible (1). The Bible addresses all of these themes, but with a vastly different emphasis. Where is the centrality of the cross in these letters? Where is God’s holiness and justice? This book skews the Gospel – not by altering it, but by ignoring it.
I appreciate what Dorcas Stutzman is trying to do. I’m sure she does not intend to misrepresent Scripture or God’s character. Nevertheless, her own words admonish her: “Great trouble happens when you try to make [God’s] ways and thoughts fit into your personal paradigm of understanding.”