An Inquirer's Guide to Christian Believing

Description: Living by a biblical faith requires of us a yes a yes to the God continuously present to us within the life opportunities continuously offered us. Questions of belief in contrast require a yes and no. Genuine faith declares Brother David Steindl-Rast holds its beliefs firmly yes but ever so lightly. And the I dont mean maybe!? This has to do with the intensity in our questioning. Our ultimate concern after all is living a relationship in which we know ourselves not just as those who ask questions but as those who are the question and seek to know God not just as the one who gives answers but the one who is the answer. This book consists . . . of a series of questions about basic Christian beliefs the answers to which have been and continue to be controversial. Each chapter will try to make clear why the answer to its particular question has to be a yes and no and how the response can also include nevertheless an emphatic And I dont mean maybe! For those with some knowledge of Christianity but finding themselves confused about certain beliefs they have been led to identify as Christian this book can provide a greater clarity in their understanding of this familiar yet strange religion--thus addressing perhaps what pollster George Gallup Jr. identifies as the knowledge gap in the religious experience of Americans: the often vast difference between Americans stated faith and their lack of the most basic knowledge about that faith. Non-Christians may find here a useful survey of Christian belief presented in nontechnical style and noncoercive rhetoric. About the Contributor(s): Gunnar Urang held teaching and administrative posts in several colleges before being ordained an Episcopal priest in 1984. As a clergyperson he has continued his teaching ministry as well both in local church contexts and in Vermonts Diocesan Study Program. Urang is the author of Shadows of Heaven a study of religious themes and motifs in the fiction of C. S. Lewis Charles Williams and J. R. R. Tolkien.