Book Rec. - Jan. 4, 2020

Current Read - Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith by Sarah Bessey

"[Phyllis] Tickle is of the opinion that the Church is on the edge of a great shift: she calls it the Great Emergence. She writes 'about every five hundred years the empowered structures of institutionalized Christianity, whatever they may be at that time, become an intolerable carapace that must be shattered in order that renewal and new growth may occur'" (Bessey, 2015, pp. 14-15).

"There are Jesuses out there who are co-opted for every cause and argument, and these false Jesuses bastardize the message and misrepresent a man none of us really understands - and we all do the co-opting, for everything from power to money to the smug feeling of being right while everyone else is wrong" (Bessey, 2015, pp. 33-34).

"I think it's a bit dishonest to use 'Have faith like a child' as a way to shut a person down. Like, somehow, it means we're not supposed to wonder, we're just supposed to accept. Now that I have a house full of small humanity. I think I'm beginning to understand why Jesus would encourage us to have faith like a child. They don't know. And so they ask. We don't know. And so we ask. The asking isn't wrong. The wondering isn't wrong. The doubt isn't wrong. It's humbling to admit you don't know; it takes guts to ask and wrestle. The childlike quality isn't unthinking acquiescence: it's curiosity. But here is the key of a child, the true wonder of childlike faith: They truly want to know. They're not asking to be cool or to push back on the establishment or to prove anyone wrong or grind an ax or make a point without making a change. Tinies ask because they want an answer" (Bessey, 2015, pp. 38-39).

"It's not that God got born again between Malachi and Matthew; it's that God became incarnate among us and revealed the truth: God is Love" (Bessey, 2015, p. 61).

"Faith becomes more complicated when we allow our hearts to break. When we become present with and for the suffering of the world, when we begin to pay attention to our own stories and the stories of those alongside us - when we do this, our expectations change and our relationship with signs and wonders changes. But our hope only grows deeper roots, our longing for The Kingdom of God stretches out to the sun, and the Spirit's wind and water and fire seem like manna" (Bessey, 2015, p. 171).

"When Jesus was confronted with people who suffered, He never offered the platitudes, did He? There was no 'everything happens for a reason' or 'God has a plan, you just have to wait.' There was no 'the Lord gives and takes away' or 'greater good' of proper theology and doctrine's triumph. Instead, Jesus offered compassion, even tears at times, and here is the amazing thing: Jesus often confronted the suffering of people - whether physical or mental or emotional or spiritual - with healing. God's will was to heal and to make well" (Bessey, 2015, p. 188).

"The myth of scarcity tells the powerful to accumulate and take and dominate, to be driven by the fear of not enough and never enough. We make our decisions out of a fear that there isn't enough for us. These core beliefs can lead us to the treacheries of war and hunger, injustice and inequality. We think we must keep others down so we can stay on top. We stockpile money and food and comforts at the expense of one another and our own souls. Throughout Scripture, we see the impact of the myth of scarcity on - and even within - the nation of Israel. The prophets wrote and stood in bold criticism against those who - out of the fear of not enough - built their empire on the backs of the poor and oppressed. But the Kingdom of God is more than enough. It is an act of faith to live with the narrative of abundance instead of the fear of scarcity" (Bessey, 2015, pp. 226-227).

There is so much that I loved about this book. Sarah Bessey's way with words ministered to my hurting heart. Out of Sorts is a book I believe I will revisit often as I continue making peace with my evolving faith.

Have you read this book?

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