Paradox Lost: Rediscovering the Mystery of God

by Richard P. Hansen

Publisher:

Zondervan

, 2016

Overview

Too often the tensions and unanswerable questions of Scripture and the Christian life are seen as barriers to faith. In Paradox Lost, pastor and author Richard Hansen shows that they are exactly the opposite -- indeed, God’s mysteries are one of the places where we may encounter him most closely.

In exchange for Enlightenment-based rationalism that can stunt spiritual imagination, Hansen invites readers to:

• Discern that there is a hiddenness to God that can be inviting rather than threatening
• Appreciate that God is far greater than we sometimes assume, and to adjust our mental maps to make more space for awe
• Realize that faith and reason are not enemies but rather dance partners that complement one another

Hansen examines three kinds, or “orders” of biblical paradox, each at a deeper level than the last, demonstrating for readers that paradox is both endemic to modern life and also a natural part of the landscape of Christian faith. Paradox Lost doesn’t seek to solve or justify paradox; instead, it looks through paradox toward what it reveals--namely a holy, mysterious, and awesome God.

Contents

Introduction

Part I: A Strange Sort of Comfort: Rediscovering Paradox

1. Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
2. Newton’s Apple
3. Fog
4. Eagles and Hippos
5. Bill Gates’ Sunday Morning
6. The Duke Humphrey Library

Part II: Serious Playfulness: Paradoxes in Scripture

1. Serious Playfulness
2. Trying Harder?
3. New Frames
4. King Solomon’s Sword

Part III: The Tuning Fork: Paradoxes in Our Relationship with God

5. The Tuning Fork
6. Jesus and Jules Verne
7. God is Love
8. Job’s Dilemma
9. Pavlov’s Dogs
10. The Two-Headed Monster
11. An Intolerable Compliment

Part IV: The Two Handles: Paradoxes in God’s Being and in Ours

12. The Two-Handled Auger
13. A Hatred for Dirty Gray
14. Pascal and the Human Paradox
15. Would Jesus Sound Like John Wayne?
16. Paul Harvey
17. All for a Letter?

Epilogue: How Mystery Nurtures Faith---Reclaiming Spiritual Imagination

Appendix 1: Questions About Paradox

Appendix 2: A Field Guide to Mystery

Product Details

• Title : Paradox Lost: Rediscovering the Mystery of God
• Author: Hansen, Richard P.
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication Date: 2016
• ISBN: 9780310518396