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Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of and in an Either-Or World
Contributor(s): Michel, Jen Pollock (Author), Ramsey, Russ (Foreword by)
ISBN: 083084564X     ISBN-13: 9780830845644
Publisher: IVP
OUR PRICE:   $16.20  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: May 2019
Qty:
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Religion | Christian Theology - Apologetics
- Religion | Christian Living - Inspirational
- Self-help | Spiritual
Dewey: 230
LCCN: 2018059524
Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.4" W x 8.2" (0.50 lbs) 216 pages
Themes:
- Religious Orientation - Christian
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
  • 2020 Word Guild Awards Shortlist -- Apologetics/Evangelism
  • 2020 Word Guild Award -- Best Book Cover Award
  • Christianity Today's 2020 Book of the Year Award of Merit - The Beautiful Orthodoxy

What if certainty isn't the goal? In a world filled with ambiguity, many of us long for a belief system that provides straightforward answers to complex questions and clarity in the face of confusion. We want faith to act like an orderly set of truth-claims designed to solve the problems and pain that life throws at us. With signature candor and depth, Jen Pollock Michel helps readers imagine a Christian faith open to mystery. While there are certainties in Christian faith, at the heart of the Christian story is also paradox. Jesus invites us to abandon the polarities of either and or in order to embrace the difficult, wondrous dissonance of and. The incarnation--the paradox of God made human--teaches us to look for God in the and of body and spirit, heaven and earth. In the kingdom, God often hides in plain sight and announces his triumph on the back of a donkey. In the paradox of grace, we receive life eternal by actively participating in death. And lament, with its clear-eyed appraisal of suffering alongside its commitment to finding audience with God, is a paradoxical practice of faith. Each of these themes give us certainty about God while also leading us into greater curiosity about his nature and activity in the world. As Michel writes, As soon as we think we have God figured out, we will have ceased to worship him as he is. With personal stories and reflection on Scripture, literature, and culture, Michel takes us deeper into mystery and into worship of the One who is Mystery and Love.