Finding a renewed Christian story in a time of skepticism and doubtIs Christianity just a fairy tale for the infantile? Or worse, a cruel fantasy—the perpetrator of terrible harm and the cause o
Finding a renewed Christian story in a time of skepticism and doubt
Is Christianity just a fairy tale for the infantile? Or worse, a cruel fantasy—the perpetrator of terrible harm and the cause of endless conflict? At most, one path among many? Such questions reflect the skepticism of outsiders and the doubts of insiders—some perennial, some underscored by recent events and movements.
The answer to these objections isn’t a louder faith to shout them down—it’s a humbler faith that points to a bigger God. Samuel Wells shows the way through his generous, respectful, and earnest engagement with ten difficult questions about Christianity. In each case he portrays the traditional position and the skepticism of the modern age as two rival stories. Transcending both, he then offers a revitalized Christian story that better renders the radical, courageous, and vulnerable nature of authentic faith. Wells is unwaveringly honest about the failures of the institutional church and acknowledges many people’s negative prior experiences of Christianity—making this a book for both Christians and non-Christians who have found the stories of their lives disrupted and now seek a fulfilling and truthful story to live by.
“A book at once incisive, wise, compassionate, and deeply devout. Wells avoids with equal agility the traps of empty dogmatism and empty faddishness, never forgetting that it is the love of God and neighbor—on which depend all the Law and the Prophets—that provides the proper key to any interpretation of the Christian mystery.”
— David Bentley Hart
author of Tradition and Apocalypse: An Essay on the Future of Christian Belief
“I’m not sure who else alive could have written this book. Scholars are not usually this accessible. Pastors not usually this sharp-eyed. Critics not usually this devastating. Advocates not usually so beautiful. This unusual book calls to mind Augustine’s heart, Aquinas’s mind, Day’s activism, Temple’s leadership. You say I exaggerate? Take up and read before you tell me I’m wrong.”
— Jason Byassee
coauthor of Following: Embodied Discipleship in a Digital Age
“God has surely heard it all: the complaints, the objections, the silence of a back turned on faith. Samuel Wells asks us—those of us who still believe that God can be found in Christian faith and its expression—if we have taken seriously the protests of our disbelieving neighbors. Now is the time for humility, church. Now is the time to listen. Now is the time for us to put up or shut up. Humbler Faith, Bigger God is here to help.”
— Katie Hays
author of God Gets Everything God Wants
“Once again, Samuel Wells leads his readers into the puzzling space between belief and unbelief, a region as familiar to Christians as it is to secularists. That he does so with a combination of humility and a deep sense of the holy comes as no surprise to those familiar with his ministry or his many books. Humbler Faith, Bigger God is a profoundly honest and enriching conversation in which we are privileged to have a part.”
— Richard Lischer
author of Just Tell the Truth: A Call to Faith, Hope, and Courage
“Samuel Wells gets right to the heart of real questions people struggle with and the real challenges the church and the Bible raise for thinking people. He addresses all this with honesty, humility, intelligence, and love. This book is for seekers, doubters, questioners, and those who wonder what faith might mean in these days.”
— Heidi B. Neumark
author of Sanctuary: Being Christian in the Wake of Trump
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Samuel Wells is vicar of St. Martin-in- the-Fields, London. His previous books include Walk Humbly, Incarnational Ministry, Incarnational Mission, Shaping the Prayers of the People (with Abigail Kocher), and Learning to Dream Again.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Crutch for the Deluded?
2. Catalogue of Betrayals?
3. Fairy Tale for the Infantile?
4. Drug for the Poor?
5. Intolerant Poison?
6. Perpetrator of Terrible Harm?
7. Cause of Endless Conflict?
8. One Path among Many?
9. Arrogant Narcissism?
10. Cruel Fantasy?
11. A Faith to Live By
Study Guide
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