Cuckoos in Our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being Human
Ebook
Throughout the history of the Christian church there have been moments of significant theological crisis, and we are currently in the midst of another. But our pressing question is not "Who is Jesus?" (as it was in the fourth century) nor "How can we be saved?" (as it was in the sixteenth). Now it is, "What is a human being?" In many communities that claim the name "Christian," even people who can provide correct answers to the first two questions are currently confused when it comes to the third. This book is intended to help all such readers understand how they should, as faithful Christians, respond to this crucially important question, and how they should live as a result. At the same time, it seeks to equip these serious Christians to recognize the non-Christian roots of the powerful, competing ideas of "the human" that they encounter every day, both in contemporary society and in contemporary churches, and to have the courage to reject them. For these unbiblical ideas, when embedded in a church, do damage to Christian faith and life. They are destructive cuckoos in the Christian nest.
“The most challenging question facing the church today is not ‘Does God exist?’ or ‘Who do you say Jesus is?’ but rather ‘Who are you and what does it mean to be human?’ Iain Provan’s book is no joy ride over the cuckoo’s nest (his metaphor for unbiblical ideas that have crept into the church) but a surgical air strike. Here is sound biblical and Christian thinking about what it is to be human, and about the practical implications for all areas of life.”
—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, research professor of systematic theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
“Iain Provan is a trusted guide for thinking biblically about all of life and about the most pressing issues of our time. The short topical essays presented in this book are accessible, but they pack a real punch. They may be read individually in bit-size pieces and digested at leisure, but cumulatively they will provoke the reader to consider deeply how Scripture ought to inform our minds and hearts today.”
—Bruce Hindmarsh, professor of spiritual theology and history of Christianity, Regent College
“In the moral and ethical maze of our time, this gathering of Iain Provan’s insights will help to upend assumed and cherished cultural narratives and ground the thinking of the church in biblical and theological narratives instead. His insight that the primary theological question of our time is ‘What does it mean to be human?’ is, I believe, correct. The core answer to this question lies in Christian humanism grounded in the biblical texts and the incarnation. This kind of work will hopefully curb the descent of the West into dystopia.”
—Ross Hastings, chair of theology, Regent College
“The most pressing question of our day—which we find posed in news, in print, and in social media—is ‘What does it mean to be human? Are we really just spirits “merely clothed in physicality” that can be discarded? Or is there more to being human?’ Iain Provan answers this question with great insight into the biblical witness but also with profound engagement with contemporary issues. This book is a treasury of wisdom and insight. You will not want to be without it.”
—Ian Paul, author of Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary
- Title: Cuckoos in Our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being Human
- Author: Iain Provan
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666768725, 9781666768701, 1666768707, 9781666768718, 1666768715, 1666768723
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666768725
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-06-02T22:47:03Z
Iain Provan (PhD, Cambridge University) is Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. He is the author of commentaries on Lamentations, 1 and 2 Kings, and Ecclesiastes & Song of Songs; co-author of a major history of Israel; and co-editor of an important collection of essays in honor of H.G.M. Williamson. His books cover topics like the "myths" of the Axial Age and the Dark Green Golden Age (2013) and the real meaning and significance of the Old Testament (2014). Most recently he has published a major work on the Reformation and the Bible (2017). He is an ordained Presbyterian minister, a qualified ARA rowing coach in the UK, and a B-Provincial level soccer coach in Canada. His hobbies include fly-fishing.