Holier Than Thou (Book Review)
written by Hannah Stovall, published September 2022
Jackie Hill Perry is a Bible teacher, poet, artist, and bestselling author of Gay Girl, Good God and Bible study resources. Known for her unapologetic candor, Jackie is marked by the evidences of someone who has seen the truth of God with her own eyes and lives a life wildly and constantly changed by it. In her 2021 release, Holier Than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him, Jackie offers a detailed, logically beautiful examination of God’s holiness and the ways that holiness should transform how we see and experience Him.
“As incomparable as God is, it seems to me that one problem with us humans is that we become so used to the idea of God that we treat Him as commonplace. [...] Treating God like He’s ordinary might be a natural response when we’re ignorant to who God has revealed Himself to be.”
It seems Jackie’s goal, by the end of this book, is to make sure no reader can claim that kind of ignorance. In seven manageable chapters, she unpacks the righteousness, moral perfection, and transcendence, or “otherness” of God. She tackles how our elevation of unholy things leads to idolatry, how God’s holiness brings justice and offers vision, and how beholding God in the unimaginable but believable truth of who He is leads to our sanctification, our over and over changing into being holy like He is holy.
Jackie does all of this with receipts. Her use of Scripture and reference to research and studied sources reveal the reverence and weight with which she handles the holiness of God. This book is not a musing—it’s a doctrinal deep-dive.
Jackie is a poet and an artist and those roles show up unmistakably in her writing style. If you’re familiar with her cadence from hearing her teach or watching her Instagram stories, the learning curve for reading this type of writing will likely come easily for you; but if not, her stylistic approach may make this a slower read. Well worth the extra time and attention it may require from you, but just keep in mind, you’re essentially reading spoken word poetry—not your typical prose. While I read Holier Than Thou with a pen nearby for lots of underlining and lot’s of “wow—THIS!” writing in the margins, it’s occurring to me now that the audiobook for this text is probably incredible. If you’ve yet to hear her teach or talk at all, go look her up and be blessed.
While Holier Than Thou is thoroughly researched, Scripture-rich, and doctrine-deep, what’s striking is how Jackie is able to walk the reader through an experiential, up-close encounter with God’s holiness. This book is—in the simplest of terms—just not boring, in case you were concerned. It will humble you in light of God’s stark other-ness and make you hungry for more of Him and His likeness.
It would be a mistake to assume that a female author relegates this book to a female-only audience. Simply put, that could not be further from the truth. Jackie’s Holier Than Thou should make it into the reading stack of anyone wanting to expand their understanding and their experience of the holiness of God. Seeing that He is far and above our comprehension and His holiness is so wildly unlike us, yes—yes, I am not-so-subtly implying this book is for everyone.