The Uncertain Certainty : Snapshots in a Journey from 'Either-Or' to 'Both-And' in Christian Ministry

An exploration of the pitfalls of certitude in Christian faith and ministry, offering instead a faith that embraces uncertainty, plurality and the unknown. Many people in Christian ministry are tired of simplistic certainties; what they need is permission to live with uncertainty, with mystery, ambiguity, and paradox. Because we inhabit a world that is far removed from the modernist version of reality, with its rational, clinical, and superficial presentation of life, we need the courage and wisdom to embrace the presence of uncertainties in the midst of certainty. In this book, the author offers snapshots of a number of central Christian topics – God, the gospel, the church, salvation, ministry – inviting us to treat them as features of a landscape to explore, rather than as a set of propositional statements to sign up to. Each chapter – short enough to provoke interest and curiosity – will be a catalyst for deeper reflection and enquiry, inviting us to discover a new freedom in ministry as we embrace a more generous “both-and” perspective in place of a more narrow “either-or” interpretation of the Christian faith. In the process, we may find ourselves rediscovering “the Life we have lost in living” as we imaginatively participate in the life, ministry, and mystery of the triune God of grace in our midst.