God Turned Toward Us: The ABCs of Christian Faith

by William H. Willimon

Overview

Talk the talk and walk the walk.

The challenge of the Christian life is learning to talk Christian. Somebody has got to tell us, give us the words that open the door to the faith called Christian. Each of us is due the delight of discovery that in submitting to God’s talk to us.

God Turned Toward Us: The ABCs of Christian Faith is organized by the words the church teaches us to use to talk about ordinary life apprehended by a God who is Jesus Christ–short, meditative reflections upon key concepts that guide Christians, new or longstanding.

Praise for God Turned Towards Us

“Reading God Turned Towards Us is like walking through a diamond mine. The opening segment on “Abortion” is itself worth the price of the book! Consider these gems: On the Cross: “The cross is a mirror that reflects who we really are as well as a window where we are given a privileged look into the heart of who God is.” On Sanctification: “The Gospels depict the disciples on a continual road trip. They journey, not only step-by-step closer to Jerusalem but also day-by day closer to Christ, that is, sanctification.”
--Mike Lowry, Resident Bishop of the Central Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church

God Turned Toward Us: The ABCs of Christian Faith is no ordinary book about Christian beliefs and practices. Rather, it is a sometimes jarring, always interesting, consistently insightful, and persistently provocative invitation to “talk the talk and walk the walk” of Christian discipleship. Addressing topics from A (Abortion) to Z (Zaccheus), Bishop Willimon prods us to listen more attentively to the God who continues to speak amid the confusion and turmoil of our times. This is a valuable resource for individuals and groups who genuinely want to hear a word from the Lord.
--Kenneth Carder, Retired Bishop of The United Methodist Church

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781791018900
Publisher:	Abingdon Press
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Sales rank:	659,724
File size:	874 KB

About the Author

Will Willimon is a preacher and teacher of preachers. He is a United Methodist bishop (retired) and serves as Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Duke Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina. For twenty years he was Dean of the Chapel at Duke University. A 1996 Baylor University study named him among the Twelve Most Effective Preachers in the English speaking world. The Pew Research Center found that Will was one of the most widely read authors among Protestant clergy in 2005. His quarterly Pulpit Resource is used by thousands of pastors throughout North America, Canada, and Australia. In 2021 he gave the prestigious Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale Divinity School. Those lectures became the book, Preachers Dare: Speaking for God which is the inspiration for his ninetieth book, Listeners Dare: Hearing God in the Sermon.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Entries

Abortion 1

Apocalyptic 2

Ass 5

Atheism 7

Atonement 9

Baptism 11

Beelzebub 12

Bible 15

Body 19

Boredom 20

Certitude 21

Child 23

Christian 24

Christology 25

Church 26

Clergy 29

Conscience 30

Conversion 31

Covenant 32

Creation 34

Creed 35

Cross 36

Death 37

Decalogue 39

Discipleship 40

Doubt 41

Election 41

Emigrant 43

Eschatology 43

Eternal Life 44

Ethics 45

Eucharist 47

Evangelism 47

Exodus 50

Faith 50

Fall 52

Forgiveness 53

God 55

Gospel 56

Gospels 56

Grace 57

Healing 58

Heaven 59

Hell 61

Heresy 62

Holy 63

Holy Spirit 64

Humility 66

Humor 67

Hunger 68

Idolatry 69

Immortal 71

Incarnation 71

Israel 74

Jesus 75

Joy 76

Judgment 77

Justice 78

Justification 79

Kingdom of God 80

Lord 80

Lord's Prayer 81

Love 83

Marriage 84

Mary 85

Messiah 85

Miracle 87

Mission 88

Neighbor 90

Omni 90

Onan 91

Parable 91

Pastor 93

Paul 94

Peace 95

Pelagian 95

Prayer 97

Preaching 99

Prelapsarian 101

Prodigal Son 101

Progress 102

Prophets 103

Providence 105

Quietism 106

Racism 107

Realism 107

Reconciliation 109

Repentance 109

Resurrection 110

Revelation 113

Riches 114

Sabbath 115

Sacraments 116

Salvation 117

Sanctification 119

Savior 120

Sentimentality 121

Sex 122

Sin 123

Solitude 126

Son of Man or Human One 127

Spirituality 127

Theology 128

Trinity 130

Troublemaker 131

Truth 132

Unity 134

Universalism 135

Violence 137

Vocation 139

Wait 141

Walk 143

Wealth 144

Witness 144

World 145

Worship 146

Xenophobia 148

YHWH 149

Zaccheus 150

Pathways to Follow 153

Notes 159