Fresh Takes on the Big Questions
Ebook
This book takes a fresh look at a wide range of life's big questions and provides a resource as readers search for answers individually or together in group discussion. The goal is to explore how Christian faith relates to aspects of modern science, the problems of suffering and evil, and issues such as gender and sexuality, war and peacemaking, immigration, artificial intelligence, and life after death. It also considers historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus and the biblical promises of a time when God will restore and renew the world and all that lives within it.
“This is a thought-provoking exploration of profound inquiries where Christian faith and human experience intersect, and a must-read for anyone grappling with faith in contemporary life. We’re encouraged to wrestle with head-scratching topics, from suffering and evil to the universe’s origin, from immigration to AI, all the time engaging in honest, critical reflection. Illuminated with insights from thinkers, scientists, poets and theologians, it’s a timely guide for all seeking greater understanding in an increasingly complex world. “
—Noel Purdy, Stranmillis University College
“In recent years my son’s death has challenged my faith, so reading this book has been timely. It’s a book to open your mind, not dictating answers, but gently challenging and leading to an understanding that we have a God of love, whose ultimate purpose is to make all things new. I love the format with short chapters, easy to dip into. Questions included are ideal for small group discussion.”
—Rosey Bell, retired pathologist
“This book provides the scaffolding to support conversations that can be transformative for our lives. It unpacks human experience to the full and invites us to explore the conundrums, paradoxes, and dilemmas that emerge. It’s a book that will connect people to the wild, unconditional love that sits as the beating heart of the cosmos. With a Leonard Cohen image in mind, may it plunge its readers further into the rays of divine love.”
—Ian Mitchell, Quaker researcher
“This is writing of great depth, of immense benefit, a panorama of faith, challengingly described, and providing us with questions to think things through. The author invites us to look further, giving us a framework to do so without imposing answers. Is wrath redemptive? How should we be relating to the LGBTQ+ community? The book invites us not to weaponize God’s Word, but to delve the Scriptures and revise the paradigms by which we live.”
—Ian Taylor, retired medical doctor
“This book’s fresh thinking on important matters of Christian faith and practice is informed and enriched by wide reading, particularly in literature and the arts. While the book doesn’t solve some of my own difficulties with aspects of the God concept, it certainly challenges them. There is much here that deserves a very wide readership, not least the thoughtful consideration of Christian attitudes to LGBTQ issues and to other faiths.”
—Norman Richardson, Stranmillis University College
- Title: Fresh Takes on the Big Questions
- Author: James Ferguson
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9798385224791, 9798385224784, 9798385224777
- Resource ID: LLS:9798385224791
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-16T20:43:26Z
James Ferguson has worked in universities in the UK, Indonesia, and Japan, specializing in English language and literature, Old Testament prophets, and sociology of religion. His wife, Pamela, is a teacher and poet, and you can find stories of their life working together overseas in her book, From Shore to Shore: Living in God’s Global Kingdom. Their goal has always been to share the good news of Jesus and God’s love for the world.