People in Glass Houses

Have you ever questioned what you believe? Have you ever wondered why you believe what you believe?

Doubting and believing is a journey of faith. To honestly believe in God is to always want answers, in order to know exactly who He is.

People in Glass Houses is an open autobiography of a young woman’s life inside Hillsong church, one of the biggest, most influential churches in Australia. It’s a brutal, honest account of Tanya Levin’s own journey and experiences—a journey inspired by not wanting to just be “saved” but to really know what that’s supposed to mean. Levin is not satisfied by easy answers and quick fixes.

Even though Levin questions much of the religious structure, she still holds strongly to a belief in God. Levin is open and honest about her experiences and constantly questions why we should follow that ritual or that set structure. Her book openly examines the structure of Hillsong church and its origins, while exploring what it means to really believe—a belief that at times may not follow a religious structure and may reject it but is still a belief in God all the same.

People in Glass Houses asks us to examine our own Christian church structure. To what extent is God present in rituals and routine? Are we, too, shaped by our church and its culture? Levin admits that she is who she is because of her experiences within her church’s religious structure. People in Glass Houses is Levin’s story of stepping out and asking why.

People in Glass Houses is, on occasion, a difficult book to read.
This is not because of the content matter but the layout. Levin does not follow a set chronological time line of events—a usual characteristic of autobiographies.
Rather, it tends to jump from ideas to events and back to ideas. In this way, People in Glass Houses is very interesting because of the incorporation of ideas and personal thoughts, which present themselves throughout her narrative.

While People in Glass Houses is an interesting, poignant story, it also needs to be approached with caution, an open mind and no will to condemn. The questions asked and thoughts implied make People in Glass Houses a worthwhile book to read and reflect on, in regard to our own personal journeys and that of our church.

Where are we going? Are we also shaped by our church and its culture? Do we still believe in God enough to question? “Believing is beautiful but it can also be painful.”

People in Glass Houses Tanya Levin 2007, Black Inc 270 pages