Q & A with Dr. Henry Cloud

Author of The Secret Things of God

Why do you think The Secret has achieved and maintained such a popular following?

The fact that millions have responded to The Secret shows the deep hunger we all have for two things: one, we all want to understand the nature of the universe and those things beyond what we can see; and, two, we all have a hunger for principles and practices that make life work.

The “law of attraction” touted in The Secret is certainly attracting millions of readers! What’s your perspective on a universal attraction between humans and their destiny?

One of the things I like about Rhonda Byrne’s book The Secret is the emphasis it puts on the power of our thoughts. Although I don’t agree that we can attract everything we want to ourselves through our thoughts, as if we were God. I do appreciate Byrne’s emphasis on the impact our thoughts have on our lives and our ability to control them. Our thoughts are so important to our well-being and to the outcomes of life that the Bible talks about them a lot.

Do you have a few of those loose thoughts and emotions and impulses running around inside your head? When those “warped” thoughts shoot through your head, they can control your life, your relationships, and your destiny. They can make you depressed, despondent, hopeless, addicted, or anxious. They can also ruin your relational life and your ability to meet your goals and dreams. It’s imperative that you gain control of what goes on inside your head. Because the truth is, what happens inside your head will find its way outside—into your life.

Did you write your new book, The Secret Things of God, to de-bunk The Secret?

This book is not a Christian argument for or against The Secret. In fact, it sometimes agrees with and sometimes differs with it. Over and above being a discussion on the principles of The Secret, this book affirms the deep spiritual hunger that the success of Byrne’s book has shown all of us to have. And it offers tested spiritual truths based on the Bible that help make life work.

For all of us long to know what more is out there, who this force is, how it works, how we can get on the right side of it, and if it has a name. The spiritual truths shared in these pages will connect you with the God who created the universe and will unlock the secrets to making life work.

You outline 20 spiritual truths about God, life and humanity in your new book. Is there one truth you believe to be most crucial for a happy life?

This secret of trust is the key that opens the door to all the other secrets. Through trust, we connect with God in a way that shows our reliance on him and our surrender to him. This is what he desires most from us. He wants us to trust him and depend on him more than any other thing. In fact, he says that without trust, or faith, it is impossible to please him, to have a relationship with him, or to receive anything from him. Trust is the essence of “faith,” and it opens you up to all that you need from God.

What about the principles of “asking and receiving” described in The Secret? Do you think they have value in everyday life?

Asking and receiving is taught throughout the Bible. The Secret says we are to ask the “universe,” yet the Bible says we are to ask a real, live Person – one who is much wiser than we are and wants the best for us. God grants requests, as a parent does, which are good for us. Yet He protects us from the things we ask for which are not best for us. I live every day by the asking and receiving principle, trusting that God knows best what I need.

Are people surprised when you tell them that these “secret things” have been in the Bible for thousands of years?

As a psychologist, after years of practice and working with lots of people and overseeing the treatment of many more, I am blown away in situation after situation when I see the “secret things of God” validated by research and clinical practice. The most successful, researched, and proven treatments for depression, anxiety, and addictions are all right out of the Bible. In fact, I do not know of any successful clinical process or practice that does not agree with God’s secrets. And in business, financial wizards make billions of dollars through practicing the principles of finance and investment taught right in the Scriptures.

I am amazed every day at how surprised people are “that those things are actually in the Bible.” I do not in any way mean this as pejorative, but so many of us are just unaware of what is actually in there. Though people are searching for meaning and answers, so many still see the Bible as a book of myths and fables and as antiscientific, outdated, religious, and moralistic. Then when they find out it may actually contain something helpful, it bumps up against their preconceptions.

The Secret Things of God: Unlocking the Treasures Reserved for You

By Dr. Henry Cloud

Available September 2007 from Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster

For interviews and review copies, contact Pamela McClure at McClure Muntsinger Public Relations:

615.595.8321, pamela@mmpublicrelations.com