The Orthodox Heretic: And Other Impossible Tales

by Peter Rollins

Overview

In this bold new book Peter Rollins presents a vision of faith that has little regard for the institutions of Christendom. His uncompromising critique of religion, while often unsettling, is infused with a deep and abiding love for what it means to genuinely follow Christ.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612618265
Publisher:	Paraclete Press
Publication date:	02/01/2016
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	4.38(w) x 7.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Peter Rollins has a B.A. in Scholastic philosophy, an M.A. in political theory and criticism, and a Ph.D. in postmodern theory. He is the founder of the Ikon community in Northern Ireland (a group which describes itself as iconic, apocalyptic, heretical, emerging and failing) and a working philosopher who has come to believe that the emerging church presents a singular, unprecedented opportunity to transform the theological and moral architecture of the Christian community.

Table of Contents

Introduction

-Dis-courses: The sacred art of (mis)commuwication ix

Part 1 Beyond Belief

1 No Conviction 3

2 Jesus and the Five Thousand (A First-World Translation) 10

3 Translating the Word (Adapted from a Buddhist Parable) 13

4 Turning the Other Cheek 19

5 Salvation for a Demon 24

6 The Pearl of Great Price 30

7 Great Misfortune 36

8 The Third Mile 43

9 The Invisible Prophet 49

10 The Payoff 52

11 Finding Faith 57

Part 2 G-o-d-I-s-N-o-W-h-e-r-e

12 Being the Resurrection 67

13 The Prodigal Father 75

14 Awaiting the Messiah 80

15 The Last Trial 87

16 Sins of the Father 90

17 The Orthodox Heretic 94

18 The Mission of Judas 100

19 The Agnostic Who Became an Atheist 104

20 God Joins the Army 111

21 Betrayal 117

22 The Believer 120

Part 3 Transfigurations

23 Blindness 127

24 The Father's Approval 131

25 Overthrowing the Emperor 137

26 The Unrepentant Son 144

27 Mansions 151

28 The Empty Exchange 155

29 The Last Supper 160

30 The Book of Love 164

31 A Miracle Without Miracle 168

32 The Reward of a Good Life 174

33 The Heretic 179

Acknowledgments 185

Notes 187

Editorial Reviews

Rollins has already established himself as a major voice and an astute, generative force within the emergence Christianity. The Orthodox Heretic is his most accessible and engaging work to date.” —Phyllis Tickle

“Pete Rollins writes with clarity and compelling conviction.” —Frank Schaeffer

“I remember driving around Belfast with Pete, sitting in the front seat listening to him tell these parables that he'd written—thinking, ‘Everybody needs to hear these.’ And now you can.” —Rob Bell, author of Jesus Wants to Save Christians

“As Peter Rollins, a barroom philosopher from Northern Ireland with a Ph.D. in postmodern theory, re-imagines the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus and His disciples collect food from the crowd, bless it and eat like kings in front of the starving multitudes. In another ‘impossible tale,’ a man dragged before a court on charges of being a Christian is enraged when there is not enough evidence to convict him. Difficult, challenging and transformative, these 33 subversive parables get under your skin and become impossible to ignore, until they start to change not just the mind but the heart.” —Relevant Magazine

From the Publisher