What Jesus Intended
Description
Have you lost your footing in church? Or has the church lost its footing?
Many of us feel unsteady, disoriented, even crushed after an endless string of scandals within the walls of a place meant to offer compassion and safety. Others feel forced to draw back or distance ourselves from the church. All the while, our instincts tell us this is not what Jesus wanted for his people. But what did he intend?
After four decades of ministry, Anglican bishop Todd Hunter isno stranger to betrayal and pain in the church. Still, he has hope. He believes more than ever that Jesus is who the world needs and that Jesus has plans for his followers. In What Jesus Intended, Hunter offers a vision for emerging from the rubble of bad religion and rebuilding faith among a community of sincere believers. By unpacking the purposes of Jesus, we can expose twisted, toxic religion for what it is and embrace the true aims of the gospel.
Come for a fresh hearing ofJesus-one that offers us the healing and goodness we've always longed for.
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Person
Bishop Todd D. Hunter leads Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO), a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. He is a past president of Alpha USA and former national director for the Association of Vineyard Churches. His books include Christianity Beyond Belief, The Accidental Anglican, and Deep Peace. Recently, he established The Center for Formation, Justice and Peace. Todd and his wife, Debbie, live in Franklin, Tennessee.
Content
Foreword by Esau McCaulley Introduction 1. Am I the Only One Who Thinks This? How the Church Failed Us 2. Can I Find Faith Again? A Fresh Proposal Regarding Jesus 3. I Am Failing to Connect to Faith and Church: Jesus' Self-Identity Is Our Rescue 4. I've Lost the Religious Plot Line: Jesus Knew He Was Living in an Unfolding Story 5. I Feel Pain, Cynicism, and Despair-Where Is Jesus? Jesus' Orientation to the Kingdom of God 6. What About All the Bad Things Done in God's Name? Jesus Taught That Eternal Life Empowers Good Religion 7. Can I Trust the Church to Be an Instrument of Restoration? Jesus Was a Healer 8. How Can I Find Vibrant Faith? Jesus' Teachings Point Us to a New Way of Life 9. Why Is Consistent Spiritual Growth So Difficult? Jesus' Emphasis on the Centrality of the Heart 10. Is There an Authentic Community of Faith? Jesus Intentionally Called and Sent a People 11. Do My Religious Reservations and Churchly Hesitations Disqualify Me? Jesus Walks with Us on a Journey of Doubt Acknowledgments Notes
