Outlaw Christian: Finding Authentic Faith by Breaking the 'Rules'

by Jacqueline A. Bussie

Overview

Winner of the 2017 Illumination Award

Jacqueline Bussie knows that too many Christians live according to unspoken “laws” that govern the Christian life: #1: Never get angry at God; #2: Never doubt; #3: Never question; #4: Never tell your real story; #5: Always speak in clichés about evil and suffering; and #6: Always believe hope comes easy for those who truly love God.

Living according to these rules is killing real Christian life; Outlaw Christian proposes a rebellious, life-giving, authentic alternative. Through captivating stories and with disarming honesty, Bussie gives concrete, practical strategies to help readers cultivate hope, seek joy, practice accompaniment, compost their pain, and rediscover the spiritual practice of lament. Tackling difficult questions without political divisiveness, Bussie speaks to both progressive and conservative Christians in ways that unite rather than divide. And in doing so, she provides a new way to handle the most difficult and troubling questions of life in a broken world that God will never abandon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718076641
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	04/19/2016
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	668,601
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jacqueline Bussie is director of the Forum on Faith and Life and professor of religion at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Her first book, Outlaw Christian, won the 2017 Gold Medal Illumination Award for Christian Living. She lives in Fargo, ND.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Tired of Dishonesty? Become an Outlaw Christian 1

Chapter 2 Angry at the Almighty? Tell God the Truth 12

Chapter 3 Doubting Your Faith? Learn to Lament 39

Chapter 4 Sick of Hearing "God Has a Plan"? Surprise! God Is Too 93

Chapter 5 Scared to Tell Your Real Story? Compost Your Pain 135

Chapter 6 Longing for Hope? Seven Ways to Find It 187

Bibliography 250

Notes 256

Acknowledgments 265

About the Author 267

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/04/2016
Bussie, professor of religion at Concordia College, inveighs against the "cocky cliches," faith lies ("it's God's plan"), and platitudes that inform so many Christians' thoughtlessness. She spins Reynolds Price's term "outlaw Christian" into a solid exhortation to live outside the sphere of hackneyed holiness. "The faith of an outlaw Christian is bold, outspoken, and active in a world of pain," she begins. Bussie advocates being honest, expressing anger to God, lamenting, telling authentic sacred stories, and always questioning--in the good company of the psalmist, Mother Theresa, and Jesus. She grounds her excellent exegeses of Job and Thomas in a scholar's study and provides a scofflaw's authentic insights. At the end, she piles on stories of hope to countermand lies such as "nothing ever changes." She includes stories of her beloved students and family, quotes understanding theologians (Luther, Buechner, and Soelle), and recommends books and movies. Bussie writes with poetry, pathos, and pepper as she cheerleads for breaking "faith-laws." (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly