Living Purely in a Toxic World: a Review of Soul Detox

By Kathryn Whitbourne

Soul Detox

Zondervan Publishing, May 2012

The first image: two hands encased in yellow rubber gloves wringing out a soapy sponge. The Soul Detox’s jacket cover initially caused me to fear that Craig Groeschel was perhaps a serious scolder and moralizer, but nothing could have been further from the truth.  Groeschel, pastor of LiveChurch.tv, has a good sense of humor in Soul Detox. He uses this humor to show readers how everyday decisions can actually lead us away from God – and not just watching R-rated movies.

Are we envious of others’ good fortune? Full of rage?  Fearful?  Always needing to have the latest stuff?  Goreschel devotes a chapter to each of these sins, delving into how we may overcome each. For instance, Goreschel writes: “Train yourself not to use ‘better than’ and ‘worse than’ when thinking and talking about other people…[w]hen we see God’s goodness in the lives of others, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to feel resentful.”

Towards the end of the book, Goreschel discusses our toxic culture. According to the book, it is our toxic culture which desensitizes us. We become so desensitized that we justify watching obscene movies by convincing ourselves that “it only has a little bit of profanity in it.”  Groeschel clearly disagrees with such a statement. He counters it by asking if a mother serving her child brownies with just a pinch of dog poop in it is okay, if it is just a pinch. “The moral of the story? A little poop goes a long way.”

Groeschel’s witty humor makes Soul Detox an enjoyable read from beginning to end. It calls attention to the simplest decisions we make in life, and expounds upon the influence these decisions have on our relationship with God. I recommend Soul Detox for anyone struggling to live purely in such a toxic world.