The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
collinaj's review against another edition
3.0
We read this in our community group. Maybe was a bit too repetitive to read over the course of multiple months and would have been better in a single sitting. Really liked the premise, that we should not be so focused on dogma and theology. The idea of just trusting is tough, but it's encouraging to read that it's okay to not always have all the answers.
brandonatwood's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who, for the majority of my academic, familial, professional and spiritual life, has strived for the rights answers, this book was very freeing. Incredibly challenging to my core mindset, but I hope it kicks off a mental shift in my relationship with faith.
drbobcornwall's review against another edition
4.0
Several years back a noted evangelical Bible scholar was forced to resign from his teaching position at a conservative but fairly well-regarded evangelical seminary. Apparently a book he published didn't sit well in certain quarters of the seminaries constituency. That seminary's loss became the gain for the broader body of Christ. This often happens. But it also freed him to be more open to the Spirit and to critical scholarship.
As I am going to be writing a review for the Englewood Review of Books, I won't go into full detail here. But, I will share a few tidbits, which I will expand in the ERB review.
The title of the book, is evocative, the subtitle may possibly be a bit misleading. It is true that the focus of this book is danger posed by Christians seeking certainty. You might call this a sin since the search for certainty, which Enns had pursued, focuses attention on doctrinal conformity rath than God. The reason why the subtitle might be misleading is that it might lead one to believe that beliefs/doctrines don't matter. Instead, all you need to do is trust God. My sense from reading the book is that while Enns theological horizons have certainly broadened, and he's recognized the place and importance of doubt in the Christian journey, I don't think his theology has changed all that much.
I'll say more in my ERB review, but my sense is that the primary audience isn't someone like me, though it might have been twenty-five years ago. I could resonate with what he had to say, and the book is very personal, I don't need to be convinced of the problem of seeking certainty. I let go of that need a long time ago. But, I know that many are there and need this word. Thus, he's writing to fellow evangelicals who are struggling with the world as it stands and their attempts to connect this reality they're experiencing with their theology. What Enns does is invite them to let go of the need to make everything fit. The bible is an ancient book that is not meant to answer every question. However, the Bible, especially the Old Testament, offers us insight into the human soul and its relationship with the Creator.
It's a good book. It's personal. It moves along pretty well, though there are some points that feel repetitious. If you're struggling with your faith, especially dealing with doubt, then this book is definitely for you.
As I am going to be writing a review for the Englewood Review of Books, I won't go into full detail here. But, I will share a few tidbits, which I will expand in the ERB review.
The title of the book, is evocative, the subtitle may possibly be a bit misleading. It is true that the focus of this book is danger posed by Christians seeking certainty. You might call this a sin since the search for certainty, which Enns had pursued, focuses attention on doctrinal conformity rath than God. The reason why the subtitle might be misleading is that it might lead one to believe that beliefs/doctrines don't matter. Instead, all you need to do is trust God. My sense from reading the book is that while Enns theological horizons have certainly broadened, and he's recognized the place and importance of doubt in the Christian journey, I don't think his theology has changed all that much.
I'll say more in my ERB review, but my sense is that the primary audience isn't someone like me, though it might have been twenty-five years ago. I could resonate with what he had to say, and the book is very personal, I don't need to be convinced of the problem of seeking certainty. I let go of that need a long time ago. But, I know that many are there and need this word. Thus, he's writing to fellow evangelicals who are struggling with the world as it stands and their attempts to connect this reality they're experiencing with their theology. What Enns does is invite them to let go of the need to make everything fit. The bible is an ancient book that is not meant to answer every question. However, the Bible, especially the Old Testament, offers us insight into the human soul and its relationship with the Creator.
It's a good book. It's personal. It moves along pretty well, though there are some points that feel repetitious. If you're struggling with your faith, especially dealing with doubt, then this book is definitely for you.
skinnercolin221's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t agree with it all, but some of his points were so unique and helpful for the skeptically-minded Christian that I had to give him a good review. I’m at this point where I want my theologians to prove that not only have they wrestled with the hard stuff, but that they don’t have cookie-cutter solutions passed on from their favorite fundamentalist teacher. Pete is one of the first guys I’ve read that faces stuff head on and realistically. He also actually has clearly thought long and hard for better answers so if anyone is going to stir up my tiny faith it’s going to be him.
maryesthernev's review against another edition
5.0
This book was unbelievable. The writing is hilarious and well articulated and Enns' ideas are profound and thought provoking. I loved every second of this book. I can't wait to read it again as well of every other book by this author. What a refreshing flavor of what it looks like to follow Jesus. He never intended for the gospel to be a mental exercise to come to the correct conclusions on theology but rather a whole hearted trust in the person of God. He doesn't care about us being "right". Too many times our obsession with "right-belief" is simply an excuse for rampant unchecked Christian-approved pride. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with the current culture of the American church.
This is a long excerpt but too good not to share:
This is a long excerpt but too good not to share:
"Letting go of the need for certainty is more than just a decision about how we think; it’s a decision about how we want to live.
When the quest for finding and holding on to certainty is central to our faith, our lives are marked by traits we wouldn’t normally value in others:
•​unflappable dogmatic certainty
•​vigilant monitoring of who’s in and who’s out
•​preoccupation with winning debates and defending the faith
•​privileging the finality of logical arguments
•​conforming unquestionably to intellectual authorities and celebrities
A faith like that is in constant battle mode, like a cornered honey badger. Or like a watchman on the battlements scanning the horizon from sun up to sun down for any threat. And soon you forget what faith looks like when you’re not fighting about it.
That kind of faith is not marked by trust in the Creator. It is stressful and anxiety laden, and it doesn’t make for healthy relationships with others, including those closest to us.
On the surface, we might see here pride, arrogance, or belligerence, but those are simply symptoms of something deeper—a fear of being wrong and what might happen as a result.
But trust in God casts out fear and cultivates a life of trust that flourishes regardless of how certain we feel.
Trust is not marked by unflappable dogmatic certainty, but by embracing as a normal part of faith the steady line of mysteries and uncertainties that parade before our lives and seeing them as opportunities to trust more deeply.
Instead of relying on absolute either-or thinking, a trusting faith understands that trusting God is a process that takes times and practice. That pilgrimage doesn’t necessarily follow a linear progression but accepts the unpredictable and disquieting nature of life as an encounter with God—and a move ultimately toward God, trusting that God is involved in that very process. Rather than focusing on the badges that define our tribal identity (our church, denomination, subdenomination, doctrinal convictions, side of the aisle, whatever), a trust-centered faith will see the world with humble, open, and vulnerable eyes—and ourselves as members and participants rather than masters and conquerors. We will see our unfathomable cosmos and the people in our cosmic neighborhood as God’s creation, not as objects for our own manipulation or unholy mischief.
Rather than being quick to settle on final answers to puzzling questions, a trust-centered faith will find time to formulate wise questions that respect the mystery of God and call upon God for the courage to sit in those questions for as long as necessary before seeking a way forward.
Rather than counting on the acquisition of knowledge to support and defend the faith, a trust-centered faith values and honors the wise—those who through experience and mature spiritual habits have earned the right to lead and are given a central role in nurturing faith in others.
Rather than defining faithfulness as absolute conformity to authority and tribal identity, a trust-centered faith will value in others the search for true human authenticity that may take them away from the familiar borders of their faith, while trusting God to be part of that process in ourselves and others, even those closest to us.
The choice of how we want to live is entirely ours.
revdavidstippick's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
glendonrfrank's review against another edition
4.0
Enns' light and conversational prose makes this an easy entry into a deep and powerful on-going conversation.
I scrolled through a few negative reviews and I can only assume that some people read a different book than I did? Or at least read something with the least charitable lens possible. Enns asserts himself in a long-standing Biblical tradition that doesn't shy away from grief or doubt but encounters it head-on. This is a book that not only acknowledges the chaos of life but shows how the Biblical authors acknowledged and wrestled with that chaos, too. Enns seeks to shift the Bible away from being a weapon to win debates and towards being a means of cathartic healing and redemption. I feel only sympathy for anyone who would rather see it the other way.
Anyways, Enns' book is good, constructive, and certainly not heresy. I recommend it for a light read.
I scrolled through a few negative reviews and I can only assume that some people read a different book than I did? Or at least read something with the least charitable lens possible. Enns asserts himself in a long-standing Biblical tradition that doesn't shy away from grief or doubt but encounters it head-on. This is a book that not only acknowledges the chaos of life but shows how the Biblical authors acknowledged and wrestled with that chaos, too. Enns seeks to shift the Bible away from being a weapon to win debates and towards being a means of cathartic healing and redemption. I feel only sympathy for anyone who would rather see it the other way.
Anyways, Enns' book is good, constructive, and certainly not heresy. I recommend it for a light read.
allisonh59's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0