Awe and Expectation: On Being Stewards of the Gospel

Awe and Expectation charts new territory in exploring the intersection of theology and stewardship. Theologians ministers and lay members of the church will find in this book material to fuel their imaginations as they rethink the role of stewardship in a post-Christendom church. Starting with sacrament and ending with word Awe and Expectation surveys how a theology of stewardship illumines those core activities that define the church and how these same practices shape the contours of stewardship. It encourages Christians to understand the explosive potential of stewardship both within and beyond the walls of the church. This book will enable Christians to see the world in Awe and Expectation as Stewards of the Gospel. Rather than relegating stewardship to a capital campaign or a special Sunday service Jorgenson makes a compelling case for reclaiming a theology of stewardship that permeates Christian life. Rich with scriptural insight and sacramental wisdom Jorgenson uncovers the awe and expectation at the heart of our lives as stewards--not just of money but of all of Gods creation. --Deanna A. Thompson Professor of Religion Hamline University Allen G. Jorgenson approaches the subject of stewardship with historical learning and deep meditative theological thoughtfulness. Through the lenses of history theology--a wonderful integration of Luther Schleiermacher and Rahner--the sacraments and of preaching Jorgenson develops an understanding of stewardship that is in relationship with the most exigent questions of everyday experience. This is theology at its most honest. I read Awe and Expectation with great pleasure. --Christine Helmer Professor of Religious Studies Northwestern University Awe and Expectation is a stunning account of stewardship grounded in the mysteries of the gospel and the core practices of the church. Allen Jorgenson wisely reminds us that stewardship has to do with who God is and what God has done and the means through which God acts in and through us. I wish Id had a book like this when I was leading stewardship programs as the pastor of a local congregation. --John Vissers Principal The Presbyterian College McGill University Yes stewardship is a process for raising dollars for the church but Jorgenson shows that its much more: its our engagement with the gospel. In demonstrating this truth this book does something amazing: it distills the wisdom of Christian teaching the foundations of Christian spirituality and the privileges and challenges of Christian worship and mission into a lovely and literate essay. --Alan L. Hayes Director Toronto School of Theology Allen G. Jorgenson is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Assistant Dean at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary Waterloo Canada. He is the author of The Appeal to Experience in the Christologies of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Karl Rahner (2007).