You Can Trust a God with Scars - by Jared Ayers (Paperback)

About the Book

"This is a book for those who see no point in existence. It's also for those who fret about it -- and for thoese who do a little bit of both. How do you navigate doubt? Given the pain you see in the news and in your own story, can you really trust God? Many people feel spiritually adrift and disillusioned, questioning God, faith, and the purpose of life. It's hard to trust a church that has so much baggage, with both the incredible good and the horrific bad that it has contributed to the world. Does the Christian faith have anything meaningful to say to your deepest longings? Through art, music, literature, and Scripture, Jared Ayers invites you into a conversation about doubt, mystery, and the Christian story. You will rediscover meaning and hope in a God who does not avoid pain but enters into it, bearing wounds of his own. So: Could you trust a God with scars?"--

Book Synopsis

How do you balance the tension between doubt and faith?

Can you really trust God, considering the suffering, injustice, and hypocrisy you see in the news (and in your own life)? Can the Christian faith resolve your deepest longings? You are not alone if you feel spiritually adrift and directionless. Questions about God, faith, life, and the disillusionment toward church and religious leaders are widespread.

You Can Trust a God with Scars invites you to experience the broader Christian story. In these pages, the yearning and questions of your own story become grounded with a God who does not avoid pain but enters into it, bearing wounds of His own. In this timely book, Rev. Dr. Jared Ayers offers a guided tour of the Christian Story for you who may be unfamiliar, skeptical, hurting, and disillusioned, lingering in the borderlands between faith and doubt. With a fascinating mix of theology, art, Scripture, music, and literature, he invites you into a conversation about a Christianity that embraces doubt, mystery, and a God who understands suffering intimately.

Whether you are a Christian seeking to draw closer to Jesus amidst pain, have been hurt by the church, or are an agnostic or atheist, in You Can Trust a God With Scars, you will find:

• A series of conversations about Christian faith that are honest, hospitable, and intellectually compelling
• A meaningful framework to help you work through your beliefs
• Questions at the end of each chapter to guide reflection or discussion

Here is a safe, compassionate space to reawaken hope and find meaning in the Christian story, despite living in a fractured world.

Review Quotes

[Jared Ayers] explores how to grapple with the world's brokenness, noting that while the existence of suffering is something of a mystery, the knowledge that Jesus experienced earthly pain can reassure believers they're not alone.--Publishers Weekly

Riveting . . . another deftly crafted suspense thriller of a masterpiece by novelist Ryan Steck.--Wisconsin Book Watch