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The Sin of Certainty

Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our "Correct" Beliefs

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

The controversial evangelical Bible scholar and author of The Bible Tells Me So explains how Christians mistake "certainty" and "correct belief" for faith when what God really desires is trust and intimacy.

With compelling and often humorous stories from his own life, Bible scholar Peter Enns offers a fresh look at how Christian life truly works, answering questions that cannot be addressed by the idealized traditional doctrine of "once for all delivered to the saints."

Enns offers a model of vibrant faith that views skepticism not as a loss of belief, but as an opportunity to deepen religious conviction with courage and confidence. This is not just an intellectual conviction, he contends, but a more profound kind of knowing that only true faith can provide.

Combining Enns' reflections of his own spiritual journey with an examination of Scripture, The Sin of Certainty models an acceptance of mystery and paradox that all believers can follow and why God prefers this path because it is only this way by which we can become mature disciples who truly trust God. It gives Christians who have known only the demand for certainty permission to view faith on their own flawed, uncertain, yet heartfelt, terms.

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    • Library Journal

      May 1, 2016

      Discovering one's beliefs can be an adventure. It can also be a process of defending espoused truths against detractors and the angst of uncertainty. Enns (Christian studies, Eastern Univ.; The Bible Tells Me So) asserts that Christians can focus so much on the latter that they place God inside a stifling mental box, to the detriment of themselves and others. A mix of biblical commentary, theological and philosophical quandaries, and scientific questions are all folded into this account of the author's pilgrimage from an academic culture that prizes the defense of knowledge over its exploration to a more open environment--a journey that coincides with a larger personal crisis of faith. He advocates for a more relational approach to faith that does not abandon its spiritual roots. However, Enns never makes the relationship between mystery and rationalism quite clear. VERDICT A fine work for believers of all stripes who have come to see their faith community as little more than a bastion, and a challenge for those who would prefer to keep it that way.--JW

      Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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