Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of "And" in an Either-Or World

Jen Pollock Michel

Hun 2019 · Christian Audio · Isinalaysay ni Jen Pollock Michel

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In a world filled with ambiguity, many of us long for a belief system that provides straightforward answers to complex questions and clarity in the face of confusion. We want faith to act like an orderly set of truth-claims designed to solve the problems and pain that life throws at us. With signature candor and depth, Jen Pollock Michel helps listeners imagine a Christian faith open to mystery. While there are certainties in Christian faith, at the heart of the Christian story is also paradox. Jesus invites us to abandon the polarities of either and or in order to embrace the difficult, wondrous dissonance of and. The incarnation-the paradox of God made human-teaches us to look for God in the and of body and spirit, heaven and earth. In the kingdom, God often hides in plain sight and announces his triumph on the back of a donkey. In the paradox of grace, we receive life eternal by actively participating in death. And lament, with its clear-eyed appraisal of suffering alongside its commitment to finding audience with God, is a paradoxical practice of faith. Each of these themes give us certainty about God while also leading us into greater curiosity about his nature and activity in the world.

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Jen Pollock Michel is the author of Teach Us to Want, Keeping Place, and Surprised by Paradox. A Wheaton College graduate, she holds a master's degree in literature from Northwestern University and has written for Christianity Today, Image Journal, Comment, First Things, and The Gospel Coalition.