Stumbling toward Zion: Recovering the Biblical Tradition of Lament in the Era of World Christianity

by David W. Smith

Publisher:

Langham

, 2020

Overview

In this powerful and challenging book, David W. Smith identifies a crisis at the heart of the church. It is the crisis of triumphalism–the tendency to avoid honest engagement with brokenness and suffering, privileging victory while rejecting the practice of lament. This imbalance, Smith argues, threatens to undermine the credibility of faith for a watching world, alienating those experiencing hardship and oppression; those wrestling with doubt, uncertainty, and loss.

In Stumbling toward Zion, Smith reclaims the importance of lament throughout Scripture–from the Old Testament to the gospel narratives and Paul’s letters–and explores the history and impact of its loss within certain church traditions. World Christianity, with its heartlands in contexts of poverty, war and persecution, has a crucial role to play in recovering an understanding of God’s love for a suffering creation capable of restoring the credibility of Christian witness in the midst of our brokenness. Containing practical application for church life and mission, Smith offers an opportunity to reengage with biblical lament, rediscover neglected aspects of Christian faith, and reawaken to God’s heart for a suffering world.

Key Features

• Explores a crisis at the heart of the church
• Reclaims the importance of lament throughout Scripture
• Explores the history and impact of its loss within certain church traditions

Contents

• Foreword
• Preface
• Recovering a Lost Biblical Tradition
• The Testimony of Biblical Israel
• The Testimony of the Jesus Movement
• The Witness of Paul: Ecstasy and Agony
• Speaking of God
• Biblical Lament and the Future for World Christianity
• Appendix 1: Paul’s Missionary Theology
• Appendix 2: A Global Chorus Singing New Songs

Praise for the Print Edition

Stumbling toward Zion is an outstanding book that makes a unique contribution to understanding a spirituality of lament in the era of world Christianity. There is a deep authenticity about David Smith’s approach. He listens carefully to the biblical text, is attentive to a rich diversity of voices from the Majority World church and, crucially, demonstrates an honest and vulnerable spirituality in his own writing.

—Peter Rowan, PhD

Stumbling toward Zion offers a penetrating analysis regarding the loss of lament amidst global and cultural changes that are overtaking Christian faith and witness. The book is pregnant with biblical scholarship and insights from the world church; David Smith weaves personal stories of loss and hope and includes thoughts for reflection at the end of each chapter. I recommend this treasured gift warmly to mission workers and church leaders for careful study and application.

—Kang-San Tan, PhD

Product Details

• Title: Stumbling toward Zion: Recovering the Biblical Tradition of Lament in the Era of World Christianity
• Author: David W. Smith
• Publisher: Langham
• Print Publication Date: 2020
• Logos Release Date: 2021
• Pages: 148
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Laments in the Bible; Laments › Biblical teaching; Suffering in the Bible
• ISBNs: 9781783687770, 9781783688197, 9781783688203, 9781783688210, 1783687770, 178368819X, 1783688203, 1783688211
• Resource ID: LLS:STMBLNGCHRSTNTY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:11:25Z

About David W. Smith

David W. Smith spent eleven years as a pastor in the heart of Cambridge, UK, until he sailed to Africa with his young family in a Nigerian cargo ship to work in the rain forest and burgeoning cities of Africa. After returning to the UK with a host of questions, he earned a PhD in Secularization and Evangelicalism under Professor Andrew Walls at Aberdeen University. He later spent time in various leadership roles at theological institutions across the UK, where he made a significant contribution to the field of missiology.