Preaching the Uncontrolling Love of God

Just about everyone knows that large numbers of people-especially younger and more educated people-are dropping out of church. To stop this trend, some focus on hot music or cool graphics or casual dress or catering to what people want politically. But more and more of us are coming to the conclusion that many people are leaving because they see deep and significant problems in what most Christians believe and preach. This book could help tens of thousands of churches and pastors imagine a better way forward...real-life sermons from the fresh and needed perspective of open, relational, and process theology. Enthusiastically recommended! - Brian D. McLaren, author of Do I Stay Christian? Anyone who ventures behind a pulpit is taking a risk, wagering there's good news left in our ancient texts. Too often, the goodness of God is hidden under the bushel of Almighty dogma and a controlling tradition. In this timely and needed volume, you hear from a staggeringly diverse collection of proclaimers who haven't escaped the call to preach but insist the goodness of God should not be compromised because the power of God is love. I'm thrilled to have a preaching book to recommend without hesitation! - Tripp Fuller, host of Homebrewed Christianity For far too long, classic Christianity has held to a view of God as unchanging and the nature of God's interaction with the world as controlling. Scripture presents God as creative and responsive, however, intentional, initiating, and influenceable-a God who works in partnership with humans. This book demonstrates through the preaching of Scripture that God's good, loving, dynamic power operates in process with the freedom of others. God takes risks that may lead to evil and suffering, as well as to the righteous work of cooperative partners. - Karen Strand Winslow, author of Imagining Equity: The Gifts of Christian Feminist Theology