Long captivated by the idea of one-way love or "God's grace," Paul Zahl has often contended with accusations of being "long on grace but short on law." "Grace in Practice" begins with Zahl's response to the classic tension between law and grace. He then sets up the four pillars of his own theology of grace: humanity, salvation, Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the Trinity. Having discussed grace in theological terms, Zahl goes on to address the practicality of grace, developing a systematic theology of grace that is radically understood from the Bible and consistently applied to everyday life. After helpfully narrowing down specific fields of grace, asserting throughout that grace always trumps both law and church, Zahl concludes with an expanded view of grace in everything, extending this good news to all creation.
Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life
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About the Author
Paul F M Zahl is Dean and President of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Pennsylvania. He is the author of several books including The First Christian.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an outstanding book for understanding a theology of grace and its implications for how we treat other people.
Zahl's section on anthropology, setting up his soteriology, is insightful. His argument for the "unfree will" is compelling as he makes us look hard at the realities of addictions, anger, depression, losing weight, etc. To tell someone to have a positive attitude when they are struggling with depression is inhumane. The Gospel is not about us pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. It is about Someone loving us when we are stuck, powerless and without hope.
Summary: Grace is One Way Love. Law is Two Way Love. The Law is good because it reveals God's standard. BUT the law is powerless to change us into those demands. Only Grace can do this. Christ loved us while we were yet sinners. May we learn to treat others the same way.
Zahl's section on anthropology, setting up his soteriology, is insightful. His argument for the "unfree will" is compelling as he makes us look hard at the realities of addictions, anger, depression, losing weight, etc. To tell someone to have a positive attitude when they are struggling with depression is inhumane. The Gospel is not about us pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. It is about Someone loving us when we are stuck, powerless and without hope.
Summary: Grace is One Way Love. Law is Two Way Love. The Law is good because it reveals God's standard. BUT the law is powerless to change us into those demands. Only Grace can do this. Christ loved us while we were yet sinners. May we learn to treat others the same way.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Paul Zahl writes triumphantly of the more-than conquering grace that flows from God in his unconditional "one-way" love. Zahl effectively defines grace and, more importantly, shows us how to experience and give grace in all areas of our lives. In effect, "Grace in Practice" is a life-changing book, as it will provide all that is needed to make all of your relationships "grace-full."
Zahl begins the book by writing extensively about the reality of grace and its conflict with law and judgment. This explanation of grace lays a firm foundation upon which Zahl builds the remaining two-thirds of the book. In Zahl's theology, there is a war between grace and law, and grace is man's only hope through which all blessings flow.
This is NOT a book only for theologians and "professional" Christians. As Zahl explains, the "focus is on everyday life..on how Christianity works...an attempt to bring the gospel of law and grace into direct encounter with the real and tangible stress of living a life within the swooning, human world."
Zahl reveals his uncanny gift of knowing the pulse of the church and the culture. In that gift, he stands alone among writers I have read as someone who relates the mysteries of Christ to matters of everyday life.
His chapter on "Grace in Families" has the insights to improve all of your relationships more than any "relationship" or "marriage" book I have yet read. "Grace in Church" shows the level of learning from experience that Zahl has garnered from over 30 years in ministry. These sections will open the eyes of ministers from all areas and ages.
"Grace in Society" and "Grace in Everything" round out the above sections. If there is any weakness in this profound exhortation to grace it is in the "Grace in Society" section, as I think Zahl leaves some important matters unaddressed in relation to dealing with criminals and terrorist states. In all others areas, his writings of grace are fully applicable and practical; however, in dealing with criminals and aggressive states, the practical application is lacking.
There are few writers or theologians who can effectively balance such writing with quotes from famed theologians along side quotes of vignettes from South Park, Hollywood or the like of The Beatles and Stephen King. Zahl pulls it off masterfully. All sorts of readers will be able to find answers to life's biggest questions and challenges in this book and will find it enjoyable and a pleasure to read.
Craig Stephans, author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays
Zahl begins the book by writing extensively about the reality of grace and its conflict with law and judgment. This explanation of grace lays a firm foundation upon which Zahl builds the remaining two-thirds of the book. In Zahl's theology, there is a war between grace and law, and grace is man's only hope through which all blessings flow.
This is NOT a book only for theologians and "professional" Christians. As Zahl explains, the "focus is on everyday life..on how Christianity works...an attempt to bring the gospel of law and grace into direct encounter with the real and tangible stress of living a life within the swooning, human world."
Zahl reveals his uncanny gift of knowing the pulse of the church and the culture. In that gift, he stands alone among writers I have read as someone who relates the mysteries of Christ to matters of everyday life.
His chapter on "Grace in Families" has the insights to improve all of your relationships more than any "relationship" or "marriage" book I have yet read. "Grace in Church" shows the level of learning from experience that Zahl has garnered from over 30 years in ministry. These sections will open the eyes of ministers from all areas and ages.
"Grace in Society" and "Grace in Everything" round out the above sections. If there is any weakness in this profound exhortation to grace it is in the "Grace in Society" section, as I think Zahl leaves some important matters unaddressed in relation to dealing with criminals and terrorist states. In all others areas, his writings of grace are fully applicable and practical; however, in dealing with criminals and aggressive states, the practical application is lacking.
There are few writers or theologians who can effectively balance such writing with quotes from famed theologians along side quotes of vignettes from South Park, Hollywood or the like of The Beatles and Stephen King. Zahl pulls it off masterfully. All sorts of readers will be able to find answers to life's biggest questions and challenges in this book and will find it enjoyable and a pleasure to read.
Craig Stephans, author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
On the messy world of contemporary American Evangelicalism, filled with moralistic would-be theologies and sermons about "5 ways to improve your life," "8 ways to be a man of integrity," "5 Pervasive Paths to Prayer"(all beginning with the letter 'P'), and "31 ways to be a Proverbs 31 woman," a light has dawned!
Paul Zahl's book, "Grace in Practice," breathes fresh air into the lungs of any burned-out (or soon to be burned out) Christian. Tossing out the tired, moralistic approaches to Christianity that are popular but which bury the true message of the faith (the Vox Ipsissimi Christianismi), Zahl goes back to the basics of the Christian Gospel--namely, Christ's unmeritted, one-way love to sinners (including Christian sinners).
Zahl stresses the early Reformational insights of distinguishing Law and Gospel, Low Anthropology and High Christology, Judgment and Love. His understanding (which is not his alone, but is a largely-forgotten treasure shared by Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Cranmer) that Grace actually produces what the Law commands is life-changing.
Anyone, especially any clergy person who is in need of the refreshing truth of God's Grace, which trumps all other messages, needs to look no further than "Grace in Practice." This book, which concretizes God's grace in all aspects of life (and is chuck-full of great movie quotes!) will hopefully shake-up and shake-off the toxic and widespread moralism of current American Christianity.
Paul Zahl's book, "Grace in Practice," breathes fresh air into the lungs of any burned-out (or soon to be burned out) Christian. Tossing out the tired, moralistic approaches to Christianity that are popular but which bury the true message of the faith (the Vox Ipsissimi Christianismi), Zahl goes back to the basics of the Christian Gospel--namely, Christ's unmeritted, one-way love to sinners (including Christian sinners).
Zahl stresses the early Reformational insights of distinguishing Law and Gospel, Low Anthropology and High Christology, Judgment and Love. His understanding (which is not his alone, but is a largely-forgotten treasure shared by Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Cranmer) that Grace actually produces what the Law commands is life-changing.
Anyone, especially any clergy person who is in need of the refreshing truth of God's Grace, which trumps all other messages, needs to look no further than "Grace in Practice." This book, which concretizes God's grace in all aspects of life (and is chuck-full of great movie quotes!) will hopefully shake-up and shake-off the toxic and widespread moralism of current American Christianity.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but unbalanced at parts
This book starts out well with Zahl illustrating the Lutherian distinction of Law & Gospel in compelling and vivid terms. Read more
Published 26 days ago by The Beetle
1.0 out of 5 stars
Theological Confusion
This is another book about Grace that begins ok and then crash lands half way through. This is a very confused theologian. In his theology, God is replaced by big government. Read more
Published 8 months ago by swalk
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Book on God's Grace!!
I honestly believe that the message of God's grace is the least understood and yet most important message that Christianity has to offer to the world. This "one-way-love" as Rev. Read more
Published on February 10, 2009 by Stephen Akinduro
5.0 out of 5 stars
A scholarly survey perfect for classroom debates and in-depth...
How can Christians live life under grace? Paul Zahl is a scholar and a dean of Trinity Episcopal school for Ministry: his GRACE IN PRACTICE: A THEOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE is for any... Read more
Published on June 17, 2007 by Midwest Book Review
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grace, Grace, Infinite Grace
When a book gets positive endorsements from both Ligon Duncan, conservative PCA pastor, and Peter Gomes, openly gay theologian at Harvard Divinity school, you know that you are... Read more
Published on April 21, 2007 by wisdomofthepages.com
