If Grace Is So Amazing, Why Don't We Like It? - by Donald McCullough (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound . . . or is it? Grace set to music is one thing, but what about grace itself? What about grace as an idea, an act, a force? Grace upsets the natural balance, turning the law of cause and effect on its head. Our instinctive reaction is to pull back from grace. Rather than recognizing our unworthiness to receive this completely undeserved gift from God, we want to believe that, on balance, something in our lives merits the good that comes our way, that we deserve whatever gifts we receive. And if we find it difficult to accept grace for ourselves, how much more unwilling are we to have it handed to others? When someone gets off the hook too easily, aren't we uncomfortable? A miscarriage of justice, we think. That's not fair! But real Christian faith requires that we accept and embrace this radical thing called grace. It's not about being fair: God's grace will turn your world upside down3/4 if you let it.

From the Back Cover

"Donald McCullough understands that God's generosity gets up our nose and that, if we are honest, we find the teachings of Jesus offensive. It's an old spiritual maxim that the most privileged access to grace is through our greatest weakness. Who needs it? The author looks the issue in the eye with clarity and humor, showing us that our freedom and joy depend on a truth-telling that exposes not only our weakness and fragility but also the breathtaking grace of God, which rescues us from despair and makes us radiant with God's delight."
--Alan Jones, dean, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, and author, Reimagining Christianity

Grace Will Turn Your World Upside Down--If You Let It

"Donald McCullough's wonderful book offers a fresh perspective on grace as God's wild pursuit of our lives. This is not a book to comfort you. It's a book to help you become fully alive."
--M. Craig Barnes, Robert Meneilly Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

"I have always thought that most of our adult Christian life is spent relearning who God is. It's like we are looking in one direction and Don's words call loudly to us, 'No, over here!' And as we snap our head to look, we see a God who makes our jaw drop, our eyes well, and floods us with joy."
--Nancy Ortberg, church consultant and former teaching pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

About the Author

Donald McCullough is president of Salt Lake Theological Seminary and a former president and professor of theology and preaching at San Francisco Theological Seminary. The author of seven books, his writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Christian Century, and many other magazines and journals.