Kirkus Reviews:

“Vander Weele’s thesis in this book is as challenging as it is rigorous. Her painstaking interrogation of the biblical text is delightfully unrelenting. It also provides a philosophically sound lesson involving the dangers of pride and the eternal goodness not of Job, but of God. The author also furnishes an engaging account of Satan’s role in all this and the way in which he was essentially duped by God. Throughout, her prose is unfailingly clear and free of academic jargon, and her analytical results read like a true-crime mystery: dramatic, accessible, and full of profound, moral meaning. A brief but captivating look at an ancient story.”
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Click here to read the entire review.

What others say about The Joy of Job.

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 The true message of Job speaks to a broad base of Bible believers.
Members of the following Congregations have endorsed The Joy of Job: Baptist, Catholic, Christian Reformed, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist, Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian.

​“The Joy of Job makes a remarkable contribution to Biblical studies, theology, and pastoral care. With compelling logic and convincing Biblical exegesis, it presents the case for an alternate viewpoint into the meaning of Job’s journey. The author’s grasp of the anatomy and activity of human pride is enormously relevant to our times. After reading this book, Job makes sense to me in a way it never did before.”
 
The Rev. Dr. Daniel Meyer, Senior Pastor, Christ Church of Oak Brook, Illinois; a Board Member of Fuller Theological Seminary, and contributor to Christianity Today’s Preaching Today

"This book is anointed."

• Pastor Dr. Steve Greene, Publisher and Executive Vice President of the media group at Charisma Media and Executive Producer of the Charisma Podcast Network

"Very inspiring new look at Job" 

Hesham Shehab, Adjunct Faculty at College of DuPage, Formerly Adjunct Faculty at American University of Beirut and Pastor at Peace Lutheran Church Lombard, Illinois

 “Twenty five years as a federal investigator gives me a profound appreciation for the
author’s investigative approach, which reveals powerful truths that have been
obscured by centuries of passive reading of the Book of Job. This book leaves one in
a state of honest self-examination.”

​Mark Lundgren, Co-Founder of Secure Church, a national church security ministry

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"The Joy of Job is a brilliant reading of the enduring story of Job in a real-world context. It is eminently applicable to contemporary times."

​Samuel William Sax, Chairman of FRI Global, ranking Commissioner of the Public Building Commission of Chicago, and  retired chairman of Exchange National Bank

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"This unique investigative approach to the book of Job opened my eyes to much that I had missed. The Joy of Job chronicles indictment, defense pleadings, and witness statements—from Satan, from Job, his friends, and his God. Pick it up; engage the argument. You’ll be blessed with a new grasp of the gospel!"

​The Rev. Dr. John Sittema, a pastor for more than 39 years in the Christian Reformed and Presbyterian churches and retired President and Chief Executive Officer of WorldServe Ministries. An author of two books, he has been a visiting lecturer at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, N.C., and an adjunct professor at Mid-America Reformed Seminary.

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​"Vander Weele provides a wonderful and refreshing new interpretation of the ancient book of Job in her book The Joy of Job. After reading the whole book in one day I came away with one main question, “Why had not anyone ever seen Job in this light before?” It took the eyes/mind/heart of a professional investigative reporter to point the way that is both logical and transformative."

​Charles L. Webber, Jr., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University, Chicago
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“This is such an impressive study and very relevant in the consideration of leadership in these disordered times. The book is a clarion call to consider Job in a new way.”
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Dr. Myrna Grant, Professor Emerita, Wheaton College Graduate School, author of 18 books
including Vanya, a classic that inspired millions

​“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” This famous line from the classic ”The Wizard of Oz” has left its mark as a cultural touchstone, encouraging us to question authoritative sources and figures. It was a scene where Toto pulled back the curtain and exposed the mighty Wizard’s true identity — a frail old man.  In The Joy of Job, Maribeth Vander Weele uses her proven experience as an investigative reporter and international intelligence monitor to “pull back the curtain” on a side of Job you may have never considered. This book will challenge you to pay attention to that man behind the curtain.  It is a brilliant study.”

​The Rev. David Freshour, Senior Pastor of Chevy Chase Baptist Church, Washington, DC

"Perceptive and fascinating. A unique and articulate presentation.”


Bill Quinlan, General Counsel, Chicago Principal and Administrators Association,​ 

and member of  Old St. Pat’s Church in Chicago.

"The Joy of Job is a Spirit-filled revelation of what the life of Job could have really been like.  Eye-opening and encouraging, The Joy of Job would definitely be helpful to those who want to study Job in-depth. The book reveals that God can change a person no matter what condition they may find themselves in. It reflects and reveals God's mercy, love and grace. A great study piece."

Jose Gonzalez, Pastor, Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal, M.I., East Chicago, Indiana

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​"With masterful investigative analysis, Ms. Vander Weele refutes the traditional understanding of the Book of Job."

​Charles V. Hogren,
​Co-Founder, Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic,  Chicago, Illinois

"Startling and insightful. Maybe Job was not at all the patient patriarch we have always thought him to be. Just maybe the book of Job has a new and far more important message for contemporary society."

Ed Gabrielse,
​Wheaton Christian Reformed Church, Wheaton, Illinois

"You won't be the same after reading The Joy of Job. This book is revolutionary. It crystallized for me how vast God’s love is for us.”
Coretta McFerren, Chicago

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"Growing up, I puzzled over the Book of Job. I didn't much like it, in part because I hated all the terrible losses Job suffered. In her highly readable dive into the traditional interpretation of Job as righteous, author Maribeth Vander Weele . . . reinterprets the Book of Job. Using more than 350 Biblical Scriptures, she demonstrates that Job was filled with religious pride and more concerned with the loss of his reputation than the loss of his children. No wonder God turned Satan loose on him! This thoughtful, detailed examination helps me understand Job better and maybe God, too."

Rebecca Chown (Excerpt of Amazon Review)

"In the grand tradition of the early Christian Church Father Origen of Alexandria, The Joy of Job submits a serious and provocative theory of Job. It is refreshing, to say the least, and encourages deep introspection of ourselves."
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Sherwood De Visser, President​ Great Lakes Investigation LLC and Member of Hartland United Methodist Church, Harland, Michigan 

"Throughout the book, the nature of our very compassionate, loving, just, and forgiving God shines."

Alice Nelson (Excerpt of Review from Amazon)