Overview

What if doubt isn't an obstacle to faith but an opening to authentic encounters with God? Writing with a pastor's heart and a storyteller's love of language, Jack Reese looks back on a lifetime of ministry to share what he has learned along the way: that seasons of uncertainty when old answers no longer hold are often when faith becomes most alive. With honesty, humor, and an abundance of hope, Reese reclaims the deeper storyline of Scripture, where unanswered questions and unresolved doubts are not obstacles on the spiritual path but openings--hidden patches of holy ground where we're likely to see God. Drawing from decades of walking with others through both beauty and brokenness, he offers glimpses of a God who often works in mystery--whose grace sometimes arrives in our lives head-on but more often emerges from the side, where we least expect it. Grace, Sideways isn't a book of scripted answers or spiritual clichés. It's a deeply personal witness from a seasoned pastor still learning to hold belief and doubt in the same hand. It's a companion for those with young faith--or no faith at all--who aren't sure what to do when the puzzle pieces don't seem to fit, and for those who have walked with God for years but now find some of their old beliefs cracking. Brimming with empathy and vivid insight, Grace, Sideways will encourage anyone who wonders whether doubts and difficult questions have a place in the Christian life.

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9780802885890

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Reviews

""Christians make a frequent and devastating mistake in believing they understand grace insofar as they have it neatly tucked away in some theological box. Jack Reese knows how we keep missing its true meaning. This book invites us to approach grace not as a doctrine to be deciphered but as a lived experience to be discovered--sideways. He writes with the ring of truth, revealing not only the gifts of his mind but, more importantly, the passions of his heart. Let Jack's beautiful words refresh your soul."" --Wes Granberg-Michaelson, author of The Soulwork of Justice ""For anyone who has struggled in a dark night of the soul when God seems to have disappeared, this honest, invitational account of one theologian's struggle with doubt will come as a healing balm."" --Elaine A. Heath, author of God Unbound ""Doubts about God and faith can feel paralyzing for Christians. Even worse, acknowledging our doubts about God and faith can feel unfaithful. That being the case, we often shove our doubts away or fear facing them. But it doesn't have to be so. In Grace, Sideways, Jack Reese helps guide us through the beautiful and harrowing dance between doubt and faith. His is a true journey with God. And because it is, his journey can help you too."" --Sean Palmer, author of Speaking by the Numbers

Author Information

Jack R. Reese has spent more than fifty years in ministry, serving as a senior pastor, university professor, seminary dean, campus minister, and community activist. He has taught courses in preaching, worship, ministry, social change, and New Testament texts. Beyond the church and academy, he has led nonprofit work addressing poverty and racism, creating pathways for personal and economic advancement through education in the humanities. Reese is the author of At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge and The Body Broken: Embracing the Peace of Christ in a Fragmented Church.

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