7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Facing the Monster, March 18, 2010
This review is from: The Promise of Despair: The Way of the Cross as the Way of the Church (Living Theology) (Paperback)
Andrew Root confronts us with the hollow sentimentality that surrounds so much of our culture both outside and especially inside the church. In this challenging book, Root calls for a church that bleeds, a church marked by the cross of Christ, honest about the reality of death and willing to face the myriad of cultural deaths in late modernity (deaths of meaning, authority, belonging, and identity). His argument rests on Luther's understanding of a "theology of the cross," by which we learn to utterly despair of our own ability before we are prepared to receive the grace of Christ.
Part One works through the reality of four deaths (see above) under which we live. The diagnosis of what has replaced meaning, authority, belonging, and identity is cutting and profound. To offer just one example: instead of receiving identity through work and love, we live in a world where careers and marriages are constantly transitional and we are on our own to construct makeshift and flexible identities through consumption and intimacy.
Part Two unpacks how the way of the cross might become the way of the church. Root begins with a complex chapter that reflects on the work of Christ on the cross, where death is taken into God's Triune being and so overcome. The ensuing chapters challenge the church to encounter discipleship through death, community through death, justice through death, and hope through death.
Each chapter begins with a personal story from the author (usually a clever insight from his young son Owen) and concludes with a reflection on a biblical story. I found this narrative framing style to be incredibly effective and powerful.
I highly recommend you read this book. Root's message will not allow you to rest easy, but rather wrestle with the presence of "the monster" in your life by confronting it head-on, and entering death wherein the hope of Christ may be found. The implications of this book for the life and ministry of the church will be an interesting discussion to follow. Application will demand creativity and courage.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must-Read for Anyone in Ministry, June 3, 2010
This review is from: The Promise of Despair: The Way of the Cross as the Way of the Church (Living Theology) (Paperback)
The Promise of Despair by Andrew Root is nothing short of a game-changer. While the majority of Christian authors are consumed with the question of "How?" (Traditional Church, Relevant Church, Emergent Church, Missional Church, Postmodern Church, House Church, Deep Church, Purpose Driven Church, Organic Church, Sticky Church, etc.), Root argues that the question we should, instead, be asking is "Where?" Where is God?
For Root, the answer to "Where?" is the great calling and Secret of the Church. It is the Secret that God can only be found in the despair, suffering, and death of the Cross. If God truly is found in this despair (or the Monster, as Root calls it), the Church must be willing to tackle it head on. Rather than running from despair and death, rather than avoiding it, the Church must embrace it. Despair must become a part of the Church's identity. In doing so the Church will also open itself up to the very presence of God, bringing hope, healing, life, and love.
Root's skills as a writer shine through in this book. I found the Promise of Despair to be accessible, intuitive, easy-to-read, and surprisingly funny (who would have guessed that from the title?) Root also has the uncanny ability to take deep, complex, concepts, break them down, and connect them to everyday life in a way that is all the while insightful, entertaining, hilarious, and heart-breaking.
Drawing on theologians such as Luther, Moltmann, Kierkegaard, and Douglas John Hall, Root constructs an imaginative theological vision for the Church that is incredibly helpful for anyone in the congregation, regardless of calling or formal education. Root's ease and familiarity with social commentators like Jean Baudrillard, Zygmunt Bauman, and Anthony Giddens give this book an even greater depth, extending his vision far beyond the walls of the Church and into our everyday lives.
The Promise of Despair was, for me, a breath of fresh air in the crowded room of ministry books. One could argue that Root's book lacks the sort of practical how-to that many other ministry books feature in spades, but I think that would be missing the point. In my mind, this book exists to serve instead as a prophetic re-direct that shifts the way we think about God, ministry, the Church, and faith itself.
The Cross has always been the predominant symbol of the Church. What Root has done with the Promise of Despair is to re-affirm the notion that Christianity itself finds its true identity in the God of the Cross - in God's suffering, death, and despair and in God's self-giving love and resurrection. Through the Promise of Despair, Root has re-affirmed the Gospel for our present time and present generation.
This book has changed the way I view the Church and my own Christian faith. I would highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of denomination, theological bent, or education. The Promise of Despair, in my opinion, really is a game-changer.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Real theology for the real world, May 27, 2010
This review is from: The Promise of Despair: The Way of the Cross as the Way of the Church (Living Theology) (Paperback)
First everyone who is in ministry should read this book. Andy is fearless in putting his ideas out there. This is not a popular subject in a consumerist feel-good era which we live. He takes Martin Luther's "theology on the cross" into our culture and deals with "the monster" of death--a taboo topic in our culture. If you want to remain popular you should be an optimist with a rosy outlook--it sells. When I saw the title, I winced. "The Promise of Despair" is not something that I am looking for in my life. I bought the book because I know Andy and respect him as a theologian. Andy believes that to be in ministry you must put theology into daily ministry. This is hard to do but he did just that in this book.
I think he could have said "get real" and it would have been accurate as well. Death as a theological concept goes beyond physical death of the body. It includes living the reality of the broken home, loss of a spouse, a disappointing job, and especially broken relationships. "The monster" as Andy calls it wins the battle in this world. Andy asks, "Why does the church not live in this reality as this is where God is?" (a summary) The answer is one we all know. It is because we don't want to face our biggest fears and after all we are the church.
You will come away from this book chewing on the main points. You may not agree with all his points but you can't discount them either. He has very good arguments to help you understand where he is going with the points in question. Andy uses his son, Owen, and other family members to make the book an easy read. His writing style is more like a novel than a book on theology. For this reason, many of the less formal ministers will find a book on theology refreshing to read.
In closing I say this is a must read for youth ministers. Most of our youth deal with the real world much easier than adults. The world they exist in, because of where they are in the life cycle, puts them in touch with reality. Andy's book is real. He doesn't waffle or avoid the topic because it is messy. He believes the church should be messy as it consists of messy people (My words). Thanks for a dose of reality.
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