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Overview
It seems that the God of the Christian faith is full of paradoxes:
- a compassionate God who sanctions genocide
- an all-powerful God who allows horrific suffering
- a God who owns everything yet demands so much from his followers
- a God who is distant and yet present at the same time
Many of us have big questions about God that the Christian faith seems to leave unanswered, so we push them to the back of our minds for fear of destabilizing our beliefs. But leaving these questions unexamined is neither healthy for us nor honoring to God. Rather than shying away from the difficult questions, we need to face them head on. What if the tension between apparently opposing doctrines is exactly where faith comes alive? What if this ancient faith has survived so long not in spite of but precisely because of these apparent contradictions? What if it is in the difficult parts of the Bible that God is most clearly revealed? In his new book Paradoxology Krish Kandiah makes a bold new claim: that the paradoxes that seem like they ought to undermine belief are actually the heart of our vibrant faith, and it is only by continually wrestling with them—rather than trying to pin them down or push them away—that we can really move forward, individually and together.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780830897728 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | IVP |
| Publication date: | 01/14/2017 |
| Sold by: | Bookwire |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 320 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
Krish Kandiah (PhD, Kings College London) is the founder and director of Home for Good, a charity finding homes for foster children and young refugees. An international speaker, he teaches regularly at Regent College and George Fox Seminary, and is the author of several books, including Home for Good. Krish is the vice president of Tearfund, a Christian relief and development agency. Previously, he was president of London School of Theology and also on faculty at Oxford University. He has also worked with students in the UK with UCCF, and in Albania with IFES. Krish lives with his wife, Miriam, and their seven birth, adopted, and foster children.
Krish Kandiah (PhD, Kings College London) is the founder and director of Home for Good, a UK charity finding homes for foster children and young refugees. An international speaker, he teaches regularly at Regent College and Portland Seminary and is the author of several books, including Paradoxology and Home for Good.
Table of Contents
The Preface (paradox)
Introduction
1. The Abraham Paradox:
The God who needs nothing but asks for everything
2. The Moses Paradox:
The God who is far away, so close
3. The Joshua Paradox:
The God who is terribly compassionate
4. The Job Paradox:
The God who is actively inactive
5. The Hosea Paradox:
The God who is faithful to the unfaithful
6. The Habakkuk Paradox:
The God who is consistently unpredictable
7. The Jonah Paradox:
The God who is indiscriminately selective
8. The Esther Paradox:
The God who speaks silently
Interlude at the Border
9. The Jesus Paradox:
The God who is divinely human
10. The Judas Paradox:
The God who determines our free will
11. The Cross Paradox:
The God who wins as he loses
12. The Roman Paradox:
The God who is effectively ineffective
13. The Corinthian Paradox:
The God who fails to disappoint
Epilogue: Living with Paradox
What People are Saying About This
"This is a book that dares to ask the questions we seldom voice, even to ourselves. We believe in a loving God yet see suffering on a global scale. We believe in a powerful God yet see unfettered injustice everywhere. Krish dares to bring all we see and all we believe together. It's a powerful work of unshakable faith."
"As I read this book I thought, I wish I had this book when I was in college—when I was studying theology and wrestling with life's challenges. As I continued to read I realized that a book like this is always timely because the more difficult biblical narratives are still there, and our life and faith will always present us with challenges. Krish Kandiah has given us a valuable treasure in his new book. Rich in theology, warmth, and honesty, Paradoxology offers a safe place to explore and engage tough questions."
"Being able to live within the tensions created by paradox is one of the most essential capacities for true spiritual deepening and growth. So to have an entire book devoted to reflecting on the reality that the life of faith is full of paradox, to acknowledge some of the most confounding ones, and then learn how to be with God in the midst of them—wow! What a gift! I am most grateful for this offering that clearly emerges from Krish Kandiah's honest wrestling with the great paradoxes of life."
"Jesus didn't write books about theology or church doctrine; he spent his life telling stories. Why? Because stories are the most powerful way to share a message that triggers questions, starts conversations, and changes lives. That's why Krish Kandiah's book Paradoxology is so powerful and timely. If we could recapture this incredible idea, it would transform the way we connect with and engage today's culture."
"Following Jesus is a paradox: Christianity asks its followers to place their total faith in a 'personal friend and savior' who is likely to be quite 'silent' for most of that follower's remaining time on earth. Any normal person, Christian or not, would wonder how to keep these kinds of tensions in balance. Paradoxology shows that these tensions—even apparent contradictions—actually provide texture and truth to Christianity. After reading Paradoxology you may think that some of the doubts and contradictions you were so certain disproved Christianity were a result of seeing the world in two dimensions, rather than the robust 3D nature of the gospel."
"Paradoxology is one of the most straightforward and honest books I have read on the inherent tension of faith. Krish's seminal work leads us deeper into faith not by erasing doubt or the awkwardness of trust, but by moving us through it—as was the experience of the prophets of old, and as is the witness of Scripture. Paradoxology has a clean structure that should make it easily accessible for churches, small groups, and book clubs, which is good, because this book deserves a wide reading."
"In Paradoxology, Krish Kandiah explores some of the most fascinating characters in the Scriptures, specifically highlighting some of the paradoxes in their lives. He treats difficult issues with grace and humility, handling the texts well and explaining theological truths clearly."
"In a complex, unpredictable world, we yearn for simplicity and easy answers. Christianity can become a safe haven for many who just want to pull their boat into a port and enjoy life. In Paradoxology, Krish Kandiah dispels that myth with biblical clarity. God is God, and we are invited into a journey with Christ, out in the wild deep where the Spirit is moving across the waters. This book is for pastors and spiritual leaders, Christ-followers and seekers who truly wonder about the character of God and the nature of faith. Kandiah proposes a biblical way to construct a sturdier boat and a truer spiritual journey."
"We have always believed that all our greatest truths (the Trinity, the Incarnation, predestination and free will, good and evil) are in the end paradoxical and invite us into mystery and propel us to worship. Here is highly readable book from a very credible voice in British Christianity about engaging paradox. What's not to like?"
"Let's be honest: we all have questions about life, God, and the Scriptures. If you're looking for a book that provides answers in a perfectly packaged and simplistic manner, it's probably best that you pass on this book. But if you're looking for a resource that gives permission, space, and grace to engage many of those deeper questions, this book is truly a gift. Krish Kandiah's Paradoxology is honest, sincere, theologically robust, and biblically engaging. A Christian spirituality that leaves no room for doubts, questions, and messiness will inevitably lead to challenging consequences. A false illusion of faith and discipleship sets people up for epic failures, bouts with disillusionment, and, at times, a slow but sinking spiral into cynicism. Read this book. Engage your questions. Grow in your faith."
"With theological wisdom, a storyteller's craft, and, most importantly, a pastoral hand, Krish Kandiah shows the reader that Christianity's paradoxes do not refute faith. Rather, when cherished and contemplated, they lead us into the ever-deepening mystery of God's love."
"Apologetics in a postmodern world is looking less for historical proof, scientific demonstration, and systematic omniscience. Rather, it is looking for honest, open, and genuine probings that have less certitude while holding firm to belief in a good God who loves us but who has not created a world where everything ends up with happy emojis. Krish Kandiah explores here the genuine paradoxes of the Bible in an open and honest manner. Paradoxology will bless a new generation with a new kind of apologetics."
"Read this book, and you'll be concerned and comforted. You'll question and doubt—and believe more deeply than ever. You'll despair at times . . . and hope like never before. In short, you'll be doing the best Christian theology, which takes you to places dark and mysterious and to vistas bursting with light and beauty, often both at the same time. That's what it means to live by paradox, where the deepest truths lie."