Earthy Faith - by Craig L Nessan (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Earthy Faith is a fresh interpretation of the Christian faith, written for the Christian people with an eye toward providing a theologically robust resource for those who may not have formal theological training. Using a minimum of theological jargon, integrating Christian claims with consensus positions in the natural sciences, and forthrightly engaging in public theology, Craig L. Nessan has crafted a book that takes seriously all Christian believers.

Nessan deftly weaves the truths of the "Book of Scripture" and the "Book of Nature" into a rich tapestry of understanding. Three key terms in each chapter provide foundations upon which he layers insights drawn from a wide array of resources to explain such core theological concepts as creation, sin, the cross, suffering, formation, and liberation. With clearly written prose and concrete examples, Earthy Faith is unfailingly accessible but never oversimplified. Nessan approaches difficult topics with a pastoral sensibility, bringing readers along a journey from "alpha" to "omega" that constructs a systematic theology--comprehensibly! This is a rare book that will engage laypeople and ministers, seminarians and undergraduates alike.

Review Quotes

Rooted in a vibrant engagement with Christian tradition, yet welcoming contemporary concerns such as science, ecology, and social justice, Craig L. Nessan has truly written a theology for all Christian people. In a time of spiritual fragmentation, it will do the church good to have an accessible take on the whole of Christian faith. Like all good theology, Earthy Faith is richly rooted in Scripture. Fortunately, Nessan brings these ancient words of faith into dialogue with hard questions asked by everyday people of faith. The result is an invitation to conversation I hope many across the church--from youth groups to church assemblies--take up. --Christian Scharen, professor, Gordon Braatz Chair in Worship, and director of the chapel, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

A love letter to the Christian people! Taking seriously culture, science, ethics, imagination, wonder, and community, Craig L. Nessan offers a generous invitation to seek faith and understanding as we live out our human vocations in service to others. --Darryl W. Stephens, director of Compass Lifelong Learning Program, Moravian University School of Theology, and author of Trauma-Informed Christian Ethics: Bearing Witness Through Love, Justice, and Solidarity in Community

In Earthy Faith: A Theology for the People, Craig L. Nessan boldly threads a double helix of justification and justice through the doctrines of Christian faith, constructing a systematic theology that is both theoretically innovative and practically relevant. The book is strikingly humane in its emphasis on communal belonging with the environment and courageously redemptive in its advocacy for the care of the planet. It will inspire readers to take up responsibility for resisting death-dealing regimes and to communicate grace by living out the freedom of the Christian. --Christine Helmer, Peter B. Ritzma Professor of the Humanities, Northwestern University, and coauthor (with Amy Carr) of Ordinary Faith in Polarized Times: Justification and the Pursuit of Justice

At the Lutheran Diaconal Association (LDA), one of our Organizational Thrusts is to "teach the whole people of God about their call to diakonia." This manual is a comprehensive guide for those very people the LDA has been called to train. Earthy Faith is more than a manual; it gathers biblical evidence for why all Christians are called to embody the diaconate. Craig L. Nessan's reminder that "Jesus is a deacon" posits that we might "go and do likewise" regardless of the traditional hierarchical structures of ministry. Identifying ways Christ's ministry will be identifiable here on earth, Earthy Faith takes the reader from the beginning of our Christian faith traditions to our final and perfect praise in death. The LDA will reference this theological guide to respond faithfully and critically to its thrust, equipping and educating the Christian people. --Adrainne J. Gray, executive director of the Lutheran Diaconal Association and ordained deacon of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Clear, accessible language, carefully organized material, and suggested questions for personal reflection and group discussion make Craig L. Nessan's book Earthy Faith a gift to parish educators and classroom teachers alike. For the Christian educator looking for an accessible introductory text to the core tenets of our faith, Earthy Faith delivers a feast in digestible portions! --Greg Kaufmann, pastor and cofounder of the Lay School of Ministry of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America