Words Unspoken: An Invitation to Christian Faith

by Peter Schmiechen

Overview

This is a chance to explore the meaning of Christian faith for those in and outside of churches: adults who left the church in their youth, the many religious refugees pushed out by churches, as well as those in churches looking for serious reflection. With short chapters written in conversational style, it refuses to dumb down the presentation or offer false promises. There are no tricks, no bait and switch. It simply gives an account of the good news for our time. Christian faith is risky business. It requires that we consider the way the good news is subverted by religion itself and American culture. Most important, it means examining our own resistance to the message of Jesus. In the end, it involves a willingness to participate in a future marked by the unfolding glory of God.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621893752
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	07/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Peter Schmiechen is President Emeritus at Lancaster Seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he also taught theology. His writings have focused on the meaning of Jesus Christ and the church, the most recent being Defining the Church for Our Time: Origin and Structure, Variety and Viability (2012). In recent years he has spent time thinking how best to share faith with his children and grandchildren.
Peter Schmiechen is president emeritus and professor of theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary. He is the author of Saving Power: Theories of Atonement and Forms of the Church (2005) and Gift and Promise: An Evangelical Theology of the Lord’s Supper (2017).

Table of Contents

Welcome ix

Part 1 Origins

1 Speaking of Christian Faith 3

2 The Story of Jesus 6

3 The Messenger 10

4 Resistance 12

5 Grace 16

6 Justice 21

7 Compassion 26

8 Faith 31

9 Light 40

10 Purpose 47

Part 2 Reflections

11 Naming Jesus 55

12 Sin 66

13 Good News 74

14 The Church as the Community of Christ 83

15 Sacraments: The Bonds of Love 92

16 The Living God 100

17 Conclusion 108

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Words Unspoken is a richly written resource, which begins with a deeply sensitive and personal perspective: the parent of post-Christian adult children. From that personal concern, Peter Schmiechen begins, with honesty and vulnerability, as a contemporary pilgrim and theological thinker, giving daunting integrity to each chapter. With the critical insight of a seasoned theologian and teacher, he confronts us with seminal questions that are deeply relevant in our time . . . Yet, it is done with a personal faith and Christian hope. Words Unspoken is a rare gift from a rare theologian."
—Nathan D. Baxter, Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania

Editorial Reviews

"Words Unspoken is a richly written resource, which begins with a deeply sensitive and personal perspective: the parent of post-Christian adult children. From that personal concern, Peter Schmiechen begins, with honesty and vulnerability, as a contemporary pilgrim and theological thinker, giving daunting integrity to each chapter. With the critical insight of a seasoned theologian and teacher, he confronts us with seminal questions that are deeply relevant in our time . . . Yet, it is done with a personal faith and Christian hope. Words Unspoken is a rare gift from a rare theologian."
—Nathan D. Baxter, Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania

From the Publisher