{"product_id":"surprised-by-paradox-the-promise-of-and-in-an-either-or-world-9780830845644","title":"Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of and in an Either-Or World","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Guild Awards Shortlist -- Apologetics\/Evangelism\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWord Guild Award -- Best Book Cover Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristianity Today's\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Year Award of Merit - The Beautiful Orthodoxy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat if certainty isn't the goal?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith signature candor and depth, Jen Pollock Michel helps readers 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 \u003ci\u003eeither\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eor\u003c\/i\u003e in order to embrace the difficult, wondrous dissonance of \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe incarnation--the paradox of God made human--teaches us to look for God in the \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Michel writes, \"As soon as we think we have God figured out, we will have ceased to worship him as he is.\" With personal stories and reflection on Scripture, literature, and culture, Michel takes us deeper into mystery and into worship of the One who is Mystery and Love. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eJen Pollock Michel is the author of \u003ci\u003eTeach Us to Want\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eKeeping Place\u003c\/i\u003e, both published by InterVarsity Press with video curriculum available from RightNow Media. She is a regular contributor for Christianity Today and Moody Bible Institute's \u003ci\u003eToday in the Word\u003c\/i\u003e. A wife and mother of five, Jen lives in Toronto, Canada.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"IVP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50523859550482,"sku":"9780830845644","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_85237208-00ad-45df-970d-75f87caa25ac.jpg?v=1731170271","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/surprised-by-paradox-the-promise-of-and-in-an-either-or-world-9780830845644","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}