The Promise of Despair

The Way of the Cross as the Way of the Church

By Andrew Root

2010

First Published

4.38

Average Rating

192

Number of Pages

5H51M

Audio Length

Where is God present in the world? What hope does the church offer to folks who are struggling with death and despair in their many forms, from broken relationships to lost jobs to the seeming lack of meaning in our late-modern context? Some answer these questions by pointing to churches that have had success in growing their worship services and ministries. But Andrew Root invites us to answer the questions from a different angle. Rather than place primary focus on creating a successful church, he asks the church to open its eyes to the suffering and hopelessness of the world, to identify with and embrace it, because it is precisely in the world’s suffering that God is found. Using Luther’s theology of the cross as a lens, Root shows how the church’s willingness to become weak for the world’s sake results in a refocusing of Christian living and ministry, which he examines through the categories of discipleship, authentic hope, community, justice, and resurrection. Thus, as with the other books in the Living Theology series, this book brings theology to bear on life in suggestive and provocative ways, encouraging readers to think theologically about their specific contexts.

Avg Rating

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Author

Andrew Root

Author · 23 books

Andrew Root joined Luther Seminary in 2005 as assistant professor of youth and family ministry. Previously he was an adjunct professor at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington D.C., and Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, N.J. Root received his bachelor of arts degree from Bethel College, St. Paul, Minn., in 1997. He earned his master of divinity (2000) and his master of theology (2001) degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif. He completed his doctoral degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2005. Root's ministry experience includes being a gang prevention counselor in Los Angeles, youth outreach directed in a congregation, staff member of Young Life, and a confirmation teacher. He has also been a research fellow for Princeton Theological Seminary's Faith Practices Project. Root has published articles in the Journal of Youth and Theology, The International Journal of Practical Theology, and Word and World. He is a member of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry and the International Bonhoeffer Society.