Both-And - by Rich Nathan (Paperback)

About the Book

Rich Nathan and Insoo Kim have got some good news for an either-or world. Walking you through seven impasses in the journey of faith--progress or orthodoxy? unity or diversity? justice or mercy?--the authors show why the life centered in Christ (theGod-man) is life in the liberating reality of the both-and.

Book Synopsis

It's an Either-Or world. We find ourselves caught between competing factions, secular or religious, conservative or liberal. We are pulled between extremes on one side or the other. But the Christian faith holds together seemingly contradictory ideas: Jesus is both human and divine; God is both three and one. There is a paradoxical power in the both-and. Rich Nathan and Insoo Kim show how Christians can live out the fullness of the gospel through the both-and. They affirm that we believe in both proclamation and demonstration of the gospel, justice and mercy, and unity and diversity as one body with many parts. The answer is not to choose one or the other, but to hold both together for a richer, more holistic experience of Christianity.Then we will live into the realities of the kingdom of God, both now and not yet, on earth as it is in heaven.Both-And Christians are both timeless and timely, hewing to the orthodoxy of traditional belief while always contextualizing our witness ina rapidly changing world. Discover how you can deepen your discipleship with the larger vision of the both-and.

Review Quotes

"Both-And is a prophetic word for our day. It is relevant. It is challenging. It is compassionate. It is courageous. Get Both-And. Read Both-And. It is for your life."

"Charles Simeon (the great eighteenth-century evangelical vicar of Holy Trinity, Cambridge, England), when addressing some of the more challenging dilemmas of the Christian faith, famously observed that 'the truth is not in the middle, and not in one extreme, but in both extremes.' Following in this tradition, with his rigorous mind and his intrepid spirit, Rich tackles some of the issues of our day, but never without bringing to bear the instincts of his pastoral heart. An absolute treasureof a book--a treat awaits you when you come to read it!"

"In our polarized world, and in an equally polarized church, Rich Nathan and Insoo Kim's book, Both-And, is a breath of fresh air. Both-And calls readers to embrace a powerful, compelling and holistic Christian faith. This is a hopeful, practical and inspiring look at what Christianity is meant to be."

"Rich Nathan has, by the grace of God, founded and fathered one of the most beautiful and fruitful churches I have ever had the privilege to experience. Consequently, whatever Rich has to say on church vision, practice and leadership are words of the righteous overflowing with wisdom (Proverbs 10:31), which is clearly what we have with his latest book, Both-And. Rich Nathan, with his gifted copastor Insoo Kim, boils down the kingdom principles which compass their church life and ministry: grounded in Sacred Scripture, dependent on the Holy Spirit and attuned to twenty-first-century culture. Both-And exposes some of the cul-de-sacs Christians have walked blindly into and recalibrates us to the pathways where Christ walks. The authors' thesis is that God's ways are seldom found by forcing a dogmatic either-or, far less in a compromised halfway house, but rather by a robust holding of polarities in creative tension. Irenic and pastoral, humble and wise, provocative and prophetic, Both-And is a vision for church that deserves the widest readership across the traditions. Everyone who cares about the church should read this brilliant book."

About the Author

Rich Nathan is senior pastor of Vineyard Columbus. Prior to pastoring, Rich taught business law at The Ohio State University. He is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and received his Juris Doctorate with honors fromThe Ohio State University College of Law in 1980. Rich has served on the Vineyard's national board for nearly two decades and is currently serving as the Large Church Task Force leader for the Vineyard. He is a popular national and international conference speaker. Rich wrote Who is My Enemy? Welcoming People the Church Rejects (Zondervan, 2002) and coauthored Empowered Evangelicals (Ampelon, 2009) with Ken Wilson. He has written numerous articles in publications such as Leadership. Rich was born and raised in New York City. He and his wife, Marlene, have been married for over 35 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.