G Douglas Hammack

Rethinking Our Story: Can We Be Christian in the Quantum Era? G Douglas Hammack

Brief Description: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But it's no secret that the Christian church is "broke," and does need fixing. Despite great effort, things are going badly for us. We've tried trendy and tech-savvy, entrepreneurial and coffee-house gritty. They're not helping. Our problem is deeper than that. Our problem is our instincts--instincts informed by our story. There was a time when the Christian church was a powerfully transformative presence in society. It can be again--but it will require radical rethinking of the story that informs our instincts. And it's time! It's been five hundred years since the Reformation, our last major update. Today is a pivotal moment in history. With our worldview upended by quantum physics, history is demanding we renew the Christian story for our times. Rethinking Our Story reframes the elements of the Christian narrative for the new era. It explores "quantum" ways of thinking about God, human nature, Jesus, salvation, and the afterlife. The future of the church and the health of our society depend on our willingness to rethink, retell, and live out a better story. We will either update our instincts and contribute to the earth's well-being--or disappear into oblivion. Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references.; Print version record.; EBSCO complete collection. Table of Contents: Acknowledgments -- 1. The Universe Is Changing -- Rethinking the Bible -- 2. The Bible Gets Us in Trouble -- 3. A Bible for Our Children -- Rethinking God -- 4. New Metaphors for a New Day -- 5. Trade Your God In For a New One -- Rethinking Human Nature -- 6. Original Sin. Really? -- 7. Leftovers from Gnostic Dualism -- Rethinking Jesus -- 8. Divinity in a Human Body? -- 9. Following Jesus the Man -- Rethinking What Happened -- 10. Restoring Mystery to Easter -- 11. The Harsh Side of Our Story -- 12. Problems with the Anselm-Niagara Story -- 13. Historical Alternatives -- Rethinking What Will Happen -- 14. A Beautiful Story Gone Bad -- 15. Fuzzier than We Thought -- 16. Shall We Keep the Afterlife in Our Story? -- 17. Hammering Out a Better Story -- Afterword -- 18. Can We Still Be Christian? -- Bibliography. Publisher Marketing: Description: ""If it ain't broke, don't fix it."" But it's no secret that the Christian church is ""broke,"" and does need fixing. Despite great effort, things are going badly for us. We've tried trendy and tech-savvy, entrepreneurial and coffee-house gritty. They're not helping. Our problem is deeper than that. Our problem is our instincts--instincts informed by our story. There was a time when the Christian church was a powerfully transformative presence in society. It can be again--but it will require radical rethinking of the story that informs our instincts. And it's time! It's been five hundred years since the Reformation, our last major update. Today is a pivotal moment in history. With our worldview upended by quantum physics, history is demanding we renew the Christian story for our times. Rethinking Our Story reframes the elements of the Christian narrative for the new era. It explores ""quantum"" ways of thinking about God, human nature, Jesus, salvation, and the afterlife. The future of the church and the health of our society depend on our willingness to rethink, retell, and live out a better story. We will either update our instincts and contribute to the earth's well-being--or disappear into oblivion.