If Grace Is So Amazing, Why Don't We Like It?
1. Auflage Januar 2009
256 Seiten, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound . . . or is it? Grace set to music is one thing, but what about grace itself? What about grace as an idea, an act, a force? Grace upsets the natural balance, turning the law of cause and effect on its head. Our instinctive reaction is to pull back from grace. Rather than recognizing our unworthiness to receive this completely undeserved gift from God, we want to believe that, on balance, something in our lives merits the good that comes our way, that we deserve whatever gifts we receive. And if we find it difficult to accept grace for ourselves, how much more unwilling are we to have it handed to others? When someone gets off the hook too easily, aren't we uncomfortable? A miscarriage of justice, we think. That's not fair! But real Christian faith requires that we accept and embrace this radical thing called grace. It's not about being fair: God's grace will turn your world upside down¾ if you let it.
PART 1: Upside Down 1
1 How Sweet the Sound? 3
2 Hanging on a Hair 12
PART 2: Upside-Down God 21
3 Surprising, Not Predictable 23
4 For Us, Not Against Us 29
5 Near, Not Distant 39
6 Revealed in Weakness, Not in Strength 49
7 Rule Breaker, Not Rule Maker 59
8 Passionate, Not Unmoved 68
9 Therefore Risk Trust 76
PART 3: Upside-Down Self 89
10 Set Free, Not Condemned 91
11 Life, Not Death 101
12 Death, Not Life 110
13 Truth, Not Evasion 117
14 Delight, Not Manipulation 124
15 Giving, Not Getting 133
16 Therefore Be Human 141
PART 4: Upside-Down World 149
17 Love, Not Self-Centeredness 151
18 Affirmation, Not Condemnation 160
19 Forgiving, Not Keeping Score 171
20 Serving, Not Using 181
21 Creating Community, Not Competing 189
22 Peace, Not Violence 197
23 Stewardship, Not Ownership 206
24 Hope, Not Despair 215
25 Therefore Bear Witness 228
Notes 235
The Author 245
