Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I've Crossed: Walking with the Unknown God

by Jay Bakker, Andy Meisenheimer (With)

Overview

Innovative pastor Jay Bakker thought he knew God: the God who rigorously patrolled every aspect of his life, the God who chose sides, the God who was always disappointed in him. But through the transformative power of grace, he discovered the God who loved and accepted unconditionally, freeing him to ask the hard questions and delve into one of Christianity's greatest taboos: doubt.

In FAITH, DOUBT, AND OTHER LINES I'VE CROSSED, Jay voices the questions that Christians are thinking but won't ask as he chronicles his doubt about God, the Bible, heaven and hell, church, society, relationships, grace, and love. In the process he encourages all of us to welcome "the other", to read the Bible differently but better, to draw together in community, and to seek an unknown God of limitless grace.

Brutally honest but full of grace, Jay invites everyone to cross the line, to dig deeper, and to discover a faith that is beyond belief.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780446539524
Publisher:	FaithWords
Publication date:	02/12/2013
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Jay Bakker is co-pastor of Revolution NYC, gay rights activist, and winner of the 2012 PFLAG Straight for Equality In Faith Communities award. He is a grace enthusiast, a dyslexic introverted pessimist, and a prisoner of hope. Bakker previous books include Son of a Preacher Man and Fall to Grace: A Revolution of God, Self, and Society. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.www.revolutionnyc.com

Andy Meisenheimer is a writer, editor, and stay-at-home dad. He and his family live in Manhattan, NY.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Walking with the Unknown God 3

Chapter 2 Doubting Faith 19

Chapter 3 Reading the Bible Differently 33

Chapter 4 Dying and Rising with Christ 51

Chapter 5 Recasting Eternity 62

Chapter 6 Rediscovering Grace 81

Chapter 7 Speaking Up for the Marginalized 92

Chapter 8 Seeking the Lost 113

Chapter 9 Opening Up the Church Doors 132

Chapter 10 Becoming the Outcast 142

Chapter 11 Hoping in the Unseen 155

Chapter 12 Losing Belief, Finding Faith 167

Conclusion: Unconditionally 181

Writer's Note 187

Acknowledgments 191

Editorial Reviews

Bakker (Son of a Preacher Man) calls his latest book "a chronicle of my doubt." The son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, televangelists tainted by scandal in the 1980s, Bakker outlines his struggles with his childhood faith and offers a vision of Christianity based on unconditional love, radical forgiveness, and full embrace of the Other. The pastor of a church that meets in a bar, Bakker has a special place in his heart for the GLBTQ community and offers a spirited biblical defense for the acceptance of sexual difference. He expresses a faith that encourages questions and emphasizes relationships rather than rules. Bakker writes in a simple, down-to-earth style as he counters the focus on exceptionalism, exclusion, sin, and guilt that dominate some forms of evangelical Christianity. Like fellow evangelical Rob Bell, Bakker doesn't believe in a God who would consign people to hell for all eternity. Love trumps justice; participating in community trumps official church membership; compassion trumps dogma. His book should appeal to seekers, youth, and all who are searching for a loving and forgiving Christianity.
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Publishers Weekly

"His demands for a more biblically literate, compassionate and socially-conscious Christian Church certainly hold merit."

The Christian Post

"Jay Bakker pens what may be the best explanation for the Christian emphasis on the church community that I've ever encountered."

Sojourners Magazine

"Jay Bakker pens what may be the best explanation for the Christian emphasis on the church community that I've ever encountered."—Sojourners Magazine

"His demands for a more biblically literate, compassionate and socially-conscious Christian Church certainly hold merit."—The Christian Post

"His demands for a more biblically literate, compassionate and socially-conscious Christian Church certainly hold merit."—The Christian Post

"This book - beautifully written and deeply honest - will save the faith of many people who don't fit in conventional boxes. Faith was never meant to be a box anyway!"
—Brian D. McLaren, author of Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (www.brianmclaren.net)

From the Publisher

"This book - beautifully written and deeply honest - will save the faith of many people who don't fit in conventional boxes. Faith was never meant to be a box anyway!"

Brian D. McLaren