Title: Divine Quietness: Finding Meaning When Heaven is Silent
Author: Emily Robison Adams
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Religious Non Fiction
Year Published: 2023
Number of Pages: 117
Binding: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook (MP3)
ISBN-13: 978-1-63993-122-4
Price: $16.99
Reviewed by Richard Ji for the Association for Mormon Letters
The late Annie Blake, a Utah artist, painted some pictures of rows of houses which might suggest a community of some kind. Each house within the community had the same basic geometric shape on the outside, but inside, they were all painted with different, seemingly random textures and varieties of color. Her art reminds us that while we may seem alike and well on the outside, inside, each home or person has a unique story. Divine Quietness: Finding Meaning When Heaven is Silent by Emily Robison Adams, is an intimate view of one woman’s wrestle with a God who has met her heartfelt prayers with silence.
In Deseret Bookstores, there is a section of books called ‘Gospel Voices.’ I appreciate this section because one can find books written by people from all walks of life and experiences with faith. Some may be General authorities/officers of the Church. Some may be scholars or experts of their field. Others, like Adams, are simply (albeit accomplished) members of the Church who share their voice. This book is kind of like a devotional memoir where Adams makes herself vulnerable in sharing her continued journey through the suffocating sound of ‘Divine Quietness.’ This sojourn has been accompanied with an array of phases, emotions, and trials including anger at God and doubt in Him. So, unlike other devotional works, this one is more raw and the ending is yet to be determined.
Adams writes of doubt and likens it to the eye. Just as the shape of our corneas tend to change as we age (and distorts our vision), so too can doubt change the shape of our faith (p.14-15). One method to restore clarity is to apply a corrective lens. These lenses may need to be changed from time to time but for those moments when our eyes are in a certain condition, those lenses work well. Likewise, different frameworks and tools may prove to be more helpful at different times than others. Adams organizes her book into 9 chapters. The first chapter, ‘Quietness,’ introduces her story and the concept of Divine Quietness. The next 8 chapters collectively capture her key learnings on her journey – each chapter serving as a different lens through which she was able to view her struggle. There are Acknowledgement, Notes, and Works Cited sections at the end.
Divine Quietness shares Adams’ deep pains and struggles with doubt. She opens herself up by candidly sharing her experiences in a Church culture where it seems almost everyone else does not have such issues. From the pulpit, she would hear of promises that if we do ‘x’ then God will do ‘y.’ That if we are faithful and doing the spiritual work, that we will in fact receive answers from a loving Heavenly Father.
But what if we receive no such answer? Does this mean that God is ghosting us? That He is indifferent to us? Or perhaps He does not love us? How does one feel when the Heavens are silent for what seems to be an indefinite period of time. Some might suggest that such silence is due to our own fault via sin, lack of faith, lack of effort, etc. But what Adams shows is that she has in fact done the spiritual work. She would read, study, pray, attend Church, attend the Temple, and everything a ‘good’ Latter-Day Saint should be doing, but she continued to feel the silence.
In her quest to understand better, she read widely. Divine Quietness is a compilation of her learnings and she freely quotes from authors (LDS and non-LDS) who have made positive contributions to her ability process the disconnects. She quotes from Thomas Wayment’s Translation of the New Testament to gain understanding of scriptures. Wayment’s translation goes back to ancient texts of the New Testament and translates them into modern language, thus seeking to better capture the original meaning of the text in today’s language. She draws heavily from Brian D McLaren’s book Faith After Doubt, Thomas McConkie’s book Navigating Mormon Faith Crisis, Wendy Ulrich’s books, Patrick Mason, Adam Grant, Adam Miller, Barbara Brown Taylor, Thomas Merton, Anthony Sweat, and a range of General Authorities and authors. As she articulates her learnings, it is quite apparent that she sought truth and understanding from a wide range of credible sources. Those who are familiar with the Faith Matters Foundation / Podcast, will recognize many of these authors.
Divine Quietness: Finding Meaning When Heaven is Silent by Emily Robison Adams is not a purely devotional work, although, the author’s devotion to the Gospel is apparent. It is vulnerability on paper. The work itself helps to serve as a vehicle to process her experiences and learnings – clarifying each. Adams is not preachy. She simply shares. Because of the outline of the book where her journey is viewed through different lenses, there is some repetition. So, each of the last 8 chapters could be read singularly or out of order. But, by viewing this experience through the different lenses, one can gain a 360-degree view. Those who struggle with their faith in any way but still desire to be faithful, will find this book a treasure. Others who are empathetic towards those who likewise struggle will find this book useful. Sometimes Sunday School answers are not the answer. This book will help all to better sit with those whose experience is such.