A Gentler God

Editorial ReviewsReview“This is a beautiful piece of work. In the first half of the book, I thought: ‘This is the best and deepest diagnosis of what’s wrong with American evangelicalism I’ve ever read.’ In the second half, I thought, ‘This is one of the most moving accounts of Jesus’ humanity and death I’ve ever read.’ This book will stay with me for a long time.” (Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity and Naked Spirituality)“Doug Frank is kind and gracious and dangerous and fearless and honest – all at the same time. This book will help lots of people find liberation from the malevolent Being they never believed in in the first place.” (Rob Bell, author of Love Wins) “The gentleness with which Doug Frank deconstructs the Almighty of popular preaching and the schizoid salvation story of America’s patriarchs could not be more respectful of the God of infinite love, the forgiveness of Jesus and the evangelical tradition itself.” (David James Duncan, author of The Brothers K) “A Gentler God is a fascinating insight into the psychology of evangelicalism and the men who gave shape to it. Doug Frank carefully, lovingly uncovers the emotional damage that can result from clinging to a magical almighty deity, when our souls might be saved by the messy and merciful Jesus.” (Debbie Blue, pastor at House of Mercy, St. Paul, MN, author of Sensual Orthodoxy)“A Gentler God is a rich ragout of theology, American church history, pop culture, scripture, and psychology… Frank’s book is compelling because of Frank’s own gentleness – gentleness that has conviction and energy…. One senses that this book is a life-work, an outcome of a long, patient journey where enough time has passed and enough wisdom been gained for sour grapes to have become sweet and nourishing.” (Perspectives)”Narrating extensive stories of his own spiritual pilgrimage away from … the wrathful God of his youth and recounting experiences of others who have been wounded by their experiences in evangelical families, churches and colleges, Frank develops a full-scale psychological interpretation of evangelical pathologies and a full-scale theology to remedy those pathologies.” (Christian Century)Product DescriptionWhat is God like? Is God the lofty Almighty of conservative religion, with power to stop human holocausts and deadly natural disasters, but who inexplicably declines to do so? Is God the callous Judge, offering his favorites a place in heaven while summarily casting the damned into everlasting hell? Is God the vain King on his throne, requiring us to stroke his ego by praising him unceasingly for his awesome power? If this is the God we’ve been taught, no wonder so many have come to realize that they don’t like – let alone trust – God. The simple certainties of their childhood no longer make sense. But the equally assured assertions of today’s atheists leave them cold. They want a personal connection with God – an honest faith that grows out of their own felt truth and touches them at the deepest levels of their being.