Book Group Starting Oct 22 - “When Everything’s On Fire” by Brian Zahnd
NOTE: Dates of the group have been changed as of 10/3/24 - It’s going to be on Tuesday nights now, starting Oct 22.
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It’s easier to deconstruct something than to renovate it. It’s easier to tear something down than to build something back up that is better than the original. My own personal “deconstruction” of the way I had been taught and taught others in the Christian faith started about 10 years ago. There have been times I’ve wondered if anything was going to remain of my faith, and if so, how would it hold together?
I first heard of pastor and author Brian Zahnd through a friend who was going through his own deconstruction process, and I found his book, “Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God” so encouraging a couple years ago.
In 2021, in the midst of the chaos of Covid, Zahnd released “When Everything’s On Fire”, and I just found it at the library and devoured it.
Here’s a great quote from the book:
“During the many decades that I’ve sought to live as a follower of Jesus, I’ve had the experience of losing Jesus several times. It’s usually been something like Mary and Joseph’s experience of suddenly realizing they couldn’t find Jesus in the caravan they assumed he was in. It can be very distressing to realize you can no longer find Jesus in the movement you belong to. I first knew Christ in the Jesus movement and later in the charismatic movement, but there came a day when I could no longer find him there. I could either pretend everything was all right or seek to rediscover Jesus. The seeking may be distressing, but it is the inevitable pattern of spiritual growth. We have Jesus. We lose Jesus. We seek Jesus. We find Jesus. We rethink Jesus. We grow. I don’t think it can be otherwise.”
I found this book personally inspiring and challenging, forcing me to look back over my 45 years of following Jesus for the true foundation of my belief in Jesus, and encouraging me to keep moving forward into the next chapter of my spiritual life.
Zahnd weaves together insights from a wide variety of theologians and philosophers and authors, from Nietzsche to Kierkegaard to Dostoevsky, as he makes the case for moving through and beyond “deconstruction” to a new chapter of faith, one that has been “renovated” and can thrive in the modern world.
Here’s the description of the book from the back cover.
Is it possible to hold on to faith in an age of unbelief?
Intellectual certainty has long been a cornerstone of the Christian faith. But in an age of secularism, skepticism, and cynicism, our worldviews have been shaken. Various solutions exist—some double down on certainty, while others deconstruct their faith until there is nothing left at all. But Brian Zahnd offers a third way: what is needed is not a demolition but instead a renovation of faith.
Written with personal and pastoral experience, Zahnd extends an invitation to move beyond the crisis of faith toward the journey of reconstruction. As the world rapidly changes in ways that feel incompatible with Christianity, When Everything's on Fire provides much-needed hope. A stronger, more confident faith is possible when it is grounded in the beauty and truth of Christ. Zahnd permits us to risk the journey of deconstruction so that God can forge something more beautiful in its place.
Does this sound intriguing to you? If so, come join others in what will be a thought provoking 5-week discussion.
The group will meet at Whidbey Coffee next to Wendy’s in Oak Harbor, Tuesday nights from 6:30-8. Dates will be Oct 22, 29 and Nov 5, 12, and 19. (If there is demand for a virtual group one may be organized - let me know!)
Send an email to amorebeautifulstory@gmail.com to reserve your spot (seats are limited!) and order your copy of the book today! (Read the intro and the first 2 chapters for the first meeting.)