Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
Audiobook6 hours
Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of "And" in an Either-Or World
Written by Jen Pollock Michel and Russ Ramsey
Narrated by Jen Pollock Michel
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
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 listeners 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.
With signature candor and depth, Jen Pollock Michel helps listeners 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.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherChristianAudio.com
Release dateJun 12, 2019
ISBN9781545911754
Author
Jen Pollock Michel
Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of Teach Us to Want, Keeping Place, Surprised by Paradox, and A Habit Called Faith. She holds a BA in French from Wheaton College and an MA in Literature from Northwestern University, and she is also a student in Seattle Pacific's MFA program. Jen is a wife and mother of five and hosts the Englewood Review of Books podcast.
More audiobooks from Jen Pollock Michel
Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of our Identity in Christ Keeping Place: Reflections on the Meaning of Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Teach Us to Want: Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Good Time: 8 Habits for Reimagining Productivity, Resisting Hurry, and Practicing Peace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Habit Called Faith: 40 Days in the Bible to Find and Follow Jesus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Rating: 4.285714285714286 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
14 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Mar 19, 2020
It should not be surprising that a book about paradoxes can be a little confusing and maybe feel a little contradictory. But given how moved and informed I was by the last couple of chapters, it may be where I am in my life, and at a different time, I would have gotten more out of the first couple of chapters. Well worth the read in any case.