Surprised by Paradox
The Promise of "And" in an Either-Or World
by Jen Pollock Michel
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Pub Date May 14 2019 | Archive Date Jul 12 2019
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Description
Word Guild Awards Shortlist — Apologetics/Evangelism
Word Guild Award — Best Book Cover Award
Christianity Today's Book of the Year Award of Merit - The Beautiful Orthodoxy
What if certainty isn't the goal?
In a world filled with ambiguity, many of us long for a belief system that provides straightforward answers to complex questions and clarity in the face of confusion. We want faith to act like an orderly set of truth-claims designed to solve the problems and pain that life throws at us.
With signature candor and depth, Jen Pollock Michel helps readers imagine a Christian faith open to mystery. While there are certainties in Christian faith, at the heart of the Christian story is also paradox. Jesus invites us to abandon the polarities of either and or in order to embrace the difficult, wondrous dissonance of and.
The incarnation—the paradox of God made human—teaches us to look for God in the and of body and spirit, heaven and earth. In the kingdom, God often hides in plain sight and announces his triumph on the back of a donkey. In the paradox of grace, we receive life eternal by actively participating in death. And lament, with its clear-eyed appraisal of suffering alongside its commitment to finding audience with God, is a paradoxical practice of faith. Each of these themes give us certainty about God while also leading us into greater curiosity about his nature and activity in the world.
As Michel writes, "As soon as we think we have God figured out, we will have ceased to worship him as he is." With personal stories and reflection on Scripture, literature, and culture, Michel takes us deeper into mystery and into worship of the One who is Mystery and Love.
Advance Praise
"What do you call a book that rattles our comfortable certainties while somehow leaving us sturdier and more joyful, a book that dances in the mysteries without going mushy or cynical, a book that stubbornly insists we find God in the kitchen as much as the cloister? I call this book a paradox. I call it a wonder."
-Winn Collier, author of Holy Curiosity
"Theological understanding should not become a substitute for faith. Studied rightly, theology should lead to awe and wonder. To that end, my friend Jen Pollock Michel has given us a gift. It seems to me that the church has a renewed appetite for wonder, mystery, paradox, and awe, so Surprised by Paradox comes at an important time."
-From the foreword by Russ Ramsey
"So much of the beauty of Christianity is in its paradoxes, the marvelous mysteries that form the center of our faith: the Word made flesh, God become human, law fulfilled by grace, death conquered by death once and for all. With beauty and elegance, Jen Pollock Michel reveals and revels in the mysteries of a faith that cannot be contained by human categories or understanding but beckons us to embrace its certainties and its wonders alike."
-Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well and Fierce Convictions
"What is the shape of the kingdom of God? And how can we find our fit? Jen Pollock Michel submits that it's only by embracing paradox—a God who is both king and baby, strong and vulnerable, and who says dying is the only way to live. With insightful clarity, Jen highlights our call to a faith that invites us to form a sacred, expectant circle around one tiny word—and. No matter how hard we may try to ease the tension of the kingdom life, this book is a subversive invitation to make peace with the paradoxical way of Jesus."
-Emily P. Freeman, author of Simply Tuesday and The Next Right Thing
"There is no one else I would rather see write a book on paradox than Jen Pollock Michel. Her writing is full of tension, cadence, wisdom, and beauty. She is a rare gift to the world of Christian publishing and Surprised by Paradox is unsurprisingly worthy of her writing and wisdom. She carefully draws out her readers while drawing them into the greater narrative of Scripture and God himself, showing us faith is in its nature, strange, surprising, and unequivocally beautiful. Each one of Jen's books becomes my favorite of hers and this one surpassed them all."
-Lore Ferguson Wilbert, author of Handle with Care
"In a world of us and them, the logical solution to every question must be this or that. Either you can believe, embrace, hold, and affirm this, or you can believe, embrace, hold, and affirm that. In Surprised by Paradox, Jen Pollock Michel calls us above these limited categories, directing us to the mystery of the both . . . and. But do not confuse this as a call for the mushy middle or even finding common ground. No, paradox does not let us escape so easily and is only satisfied when our eyes look beyond this earth in wonder of the Divine."
-Hannah Anderson, author of All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment
"A book that celebrates the glorious and (not or) of Christian spirituality. Surprised by Paradox has many ands of its own: it is accessible and smart, relatable and challenging, a page-turner, and theologically profound. With clarity and richness, Jen Pollock Michel invites us to sit before the beautiful mystery of God without resisting, diminishing, or seeking to solve or untangle it, which is to say, she invites us into the depths of worship."
-Tish Harrison Warren, Anglican priest, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary
"This book is wise and compelling. Jen Pollock Michel does what any good Bible scholar worth his or her salt does—examines the whole of Scripture, not just pet passages or doctrines. In doing so, Michel demonstrates that when it comes to God's kingdom, honesty requires we befriend paradox and the tension in the and instead of taking an immovable either/or stance. Does that mean anything goes, that truth is relative? Quite the contrary. If anything, Michel is thoroughly orthodox. She is one of the foremost public evangelical theologians and Bible teachers of our time. I for one look to her for wisdom."
-Marlena Graves, author of A Beautiful Disaster: Finding Hope in the Midst of Brokenness
"Oversimplifications are dangerous. Especially in theology and public life we need and rely on people who are capable of living into the challenging paradoxes we find in the Gospels. Rich with personal stories and reflections, Michel's explorations of what it means to live by 'both-and' rather than 'either-or' offer a vision of Christian hospitality without laxity and theological integrity without rigidity. This is a timely, practical, and thought-provoking book."
-Marilyn McEntyre, author of Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, Word by Word, and Make a List
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780830845644 |
| PRICE | $18.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 192 |
Featured Reviews
Linda J, Reviewer
I enjoyed and was challenged by this book. She speaks to living in Christ in the everyday things of life.
I received this book free from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.
Megan O, Librarian
Surprised by Paradox is fantastic - Michel's chapters on grace have made me stop and contemplate my current views and practice of grace. I will be recommending this book to many, and pre-ordered a physical copy so I can I spend more time reading and underlining in it.
Educator 528984
In the book Surprised by Paradox, Jen Pollock Michel examines four of the different paradoxes that are a part of the Christian faith. She argues that we need to learn to be comfortable with the word "and" when it comes to describing what we need and that accepting paradox does not mean that we are doubtful. Rather, it is a way to embrace the complexity of Christianity. I found the sections on grace and lament to be the strongest towards supporting the arguments of the book. Both of these sections deal with important paradoxes that are often overlooked on one side or the other in American evangelicalism. Michel supports her arguments with Scripture and thinkers both ancient and modern. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in a deeper study of how the seeming paradoxes of Christianity can actually lead us into a deeper faith.
Catherine N, Reviewer
For non-fiction, Christian books, I often turn to the endnotes to determine whether or not I will read the book. Anyone who quotes Fleming Rutledge and Ta-Nehisi Coates in the same chapter will get moved to the top of my to-read list, and I was not disappointed with Jen Pollock Michel's new book. Divided into four sections (Incarnation, Kingdom, Grace, Lament) that come with reflection questions, this book led with more questions than answers. It was refreshing to consider the great mysteries of the faith, and be invited into the wondering, as she writes "Mystery is inherent to the nature of the gospel, whose wisdom confounds more than assists."
The section on lament resonated with me most deeply, and I would appreciate an entire book on lament, hope, and suffering from the author. There are no easy, pat answers given, only the opportunity to see that lament leads us back to God: "Lament isn't the road back to normal. It's the road back to faith."
Michelle K, Reviewer
Surprised by Paradox
The Promise of “And” in an Either-Or World
by Jen Pollock Michel
InterVarsity Press
IVP Books
Christian , Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 14 May 2019
I am reviewing a copy of Surprised by Paradox by Intervarsity Press and Netgalley:
I found by Surprised by Paradox to be a well written book, that would be great for personal use or in a Bible Study setting.
What if certainty isn’t the goal? In a world full of challenges many of us are searching for a belief system that provides straightforward answers to
help us through the difficult times. We want our faith to act like a neat set of truth claims designed to solve the problems life throws at them.
Jen Pollock Michel helps readers imagine a
Christian Faith that is open to mystery. There are certainties in Christian Faith at the heart of it there are paradoxes as well. Jesus invites us to abandon the polarities of either in order to embrace the difficult wondrous dissonance of and the incarnation. The paradox that God made humans teaches us to look for God made human teaches us to look for God in the body and spirit, heaven and earth. In the kingdom, God often hides in plain sight and announces his triumph on the back of a donkey. In the paradox of grace, we receive life eternal by being active participants in death. And lament, with its clear-eyed appraisal of suffering alongside its commitment to finding audience with God, is a paradoxical practice of faith. Each of these themes give us certainty about God while also leading us into greater curiosity about his nature and activity in the world. As Michel writes, “As soon as we think we have God figured out, we will have ceased to worship him as he is.”
I give Surprised by Paradox five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
JT T, Reviewer
Let me just say this, the section on lament was worth the book. I think the book is excellent and to allow her voice to speak into our chaotic world today is so good...but the section on lament. Oh my! The Lord has just opened my eyes around the ideal of lamenting and so I was both shocked and thrill to have that section in this book. To allow Jen to speak into my life around that topic was so worth it. So blessed by this book. Thanks.
Ali G, Reviewer
This isn’t a natural go to book for me but I am so glad I did. This is a beautifully written book which explores the paradoxes of faith. It looks at four themes: incarnation, kingdom, grace, and lament. I like certainty where God is concerned but Jen encourages us to embrace the mystery of God when we find there is no definite answer. Jen encourages us to open the lid on the either/or boxes we have contained God in and make us think about an ‘And’. I particularly liked the section on grace. This is a meaty book but written in an easy to read way. Great for Christian and skeptic alike.
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