A Christian Survival Guide: A Lifeline to Faith and Growth

by Ed Cyzewski

Overview

What enables some to survive as Christians when so many others falter? Without resorting to empty answers, clichés, relativism, or smug certainty, A Christian Survival Guide provides an accessible and safe place to deal with issues that can give Christians sleepless nights. By focusing on spiritual practices, discussing solutions to faith struggles, and offering perspectives from multiple Christian traditions, this survival guide moves readers into a thriving relationship with God, even if that means not necessarily finding all the answers.

A Christian Survival Guide doesn’t run away from the big, tough questions of life like:

• Does the Bible have to be “true”?
• Where is God in an evil world?
• Did God sanction genocide?
• Is hell eternal conscious torment?
• Does money keep us from following Jesus?

Candid and wry, Cyzewski deals with the tension of hard questions without resorting to empty answers, clichés, relativism, or the smug certainty that can so often drive seekers and strugglers further away. He writes for those who both care and question deeply, and offers survival tips to help readers move from living on the edge to a place of health and life. This survival guide is not meant to be a "one size fits all" handbook. It is a first step to confronting the big issues and challenges of a life of faith—even the ones that Christians fear most.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780825485589
Publisher:	Kregel Publication
Publication date:	06/12/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	775 KB

About the Author

Ed Cyzewski is the author of Coffeehouse Theology and the coauthor of Unfollowers: Unlikely Lessons on Faith from Those Who Doubted Jesus and The Good News of Revelation. He is a freelance writer who has contributed to numerous magazines and book projects. He writes about imprefectly following Jesus at www.edcyzewski.com

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Introduction: From Surviving to Thriving 11

Part 1 Christian Beliefs

1 Prayer: A Still Small Voice for Big Loud Problems 23

2 The Bible: A Source of Crisis and Hope 34

3 Violent Bible Stories: Deliver Us from God? 46

4 Deliver Us from Evil: Is God Late? 59

5 Hell: Getting Our Goats… and Sheep 74

6 Errors in the Bible?: Fact-Checking the Holy Spirit 90

7 The Bible and Culture: Less Lobster, More Bonnets 103

8 No Doubt? Are Christians Beyond a Doubt? 116

9 Apocalypse Now? Yay! It's the End of the World! 126

Part 2 Christian Practices

10 Sin Addiction: The Freedom of Restraint 143

11 Money: Give Everything Away and Then Tithe 10 Percent to Jesus 154

12 Community: When Bad Churches Happen to Good People 163

13 Not Ashamed of the Gospel? Death of a Sales Pitch 174

14 The Holy Spirit: Flames of Tongue-Tied Fire 182

Notes 195

For Further Reading 203

About the Author 208

Editorial Reviews

05/12/2014
In relatively little space, blogger Cyzewski (Hazardous) tackles a host of Christian beliefs and practices that can be roadblocks for those new to the faith and which each take up entire shelves in bookstores. Major topics in the Christian beliefs section include the reliability of the Bible, evil, hell, and the role of doubt, while the practices section is equally deep, with chapters on sin, the role of money, evangelizing, and the Holy Spirit. Cyzewski approaches each topic with candor, sharing stories that make it easy to relate to the topic at hand. While many of the topics are complex, he provides a point of entry into each and raises thoughtful questions about how much importance Christians can assign to aspects of the discussion. If anything, Cyzewski would have done well to include points to ponder and a list of further reading resources at the end of every chapter. What emerges, however, is an accessible and thoughtful work that is well suited to those new to Christian faith and practice. Agent: Karen Neumair, Credo Communications. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"We don't have to keep running from our doubts or today's toughest questions. A Christian Survival Guide shows us how we can find a sturdy, life-giving faith in the midst of tension and mystery."

Matthew Paul Tuner

"How should Christians handle their doubts, discomfort over violence in the Bible, fears about the future, or a number of other troubling issues that just never seem to go away? A Christian Survival Guide takes by the throat many challenging topics for Christians today and provides encouraging and thought-provoking glimpses into biblical responses. Cyzewski doesn’t spell out all of the answers. Rather, in an easy-reading style, he helps fellow pilgrims ask better questions and take the next steps on their journey of faith."

Peter Enns

"What do you do with the Bible’s most disturbing stories? What about those nights when doubt eats away at your insides? Ed Cyzewski’s Christian Survival Guide bravely and honestly delves into questions that each of us face at some point in our faith journey but may not have the courage to ask."

Sarah Cunningham