Overview

Are you tongue-tied about faith? Many Christians easily and eagerly talk about movies, sports, politics, jobs, and emotions. So why are we tongue-tied when it comes to talking about our faith--even with each other? Even with our kids? What renders us incapable, embarrassed, or hesitant to talk about God? In Tongue-tied, theologian and former seminary president Sara Wenger Shenk investigates the reasons that people who claim the name of Christ are so reluctant to talk about him. Recovering an authentic vocabulary of faith--and learning to speak in trustworthy, captivating ways--is an urgent task for followers of Jesus today. In an era of dying churches, polarizing cultural arguments, and environmental and humanitarian crises, many people are longing for deep conversations about things that matter. We are longing for genuine spiritual connection with a just and loving God. By reflecting theologically on biblical wisdom and our shared humanness, Wenger Shenk calls readers to recover the winsome language of Christian faith. We don't need to re-learn Christianese or brush up on churchy clichés. We need a language of faith that is authentic, candid, and robust enough to last.

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9781513807799

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A wise, much needed book offered to Western Christians who, for complex reasons, have become unable and/or unwilling to speak openly about the God of the gospel. Sara Wenger Shenk speaks clearly about how the church may faithfully, honestly, and persuasively speak about the God in whom it trusts. --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary In poetic and prophetic prose, Sara Wenger Shenk reawakens readers to the possibilities and power of authentically talking about faith. She evokes anew an imagination for articulating faith that wells up from the depths of soul, body, heart, and mind. --Sarah Ann Bixler, instructor in formation and practical theology at Eastern Mennonite Seminary In this book, Sara Wenger Shenk urges Christians to let their love--of God, and of narratives of faith--be known. The author does not offer easy platitudes, but convincingly asserts that faith stories - which are ultimately love stories--are worth talking about. --Regina Shands Stotlzfus, professor of peace, justice & conflict studies at Goshen College Releasing our tongues for witness is not about adopting the slickest strategy for evangelizing our neighbors. It is about doing the hard work of facing the obstacles that tied our tongues in the first place. Sara Wenger Shenk is a trustworthy guide leading us into the mess and back out again. --James R. Krabill, general editor of Worship and Mission for the Global Church Sara Wenger Shenk's assessment of the reasons for the lack of 'faith talk' in many parts of the church brings fresh, new thinking to a pervasive problem, and resonates with my own observations. Her wise reflections, paired with her particular gift for making scenes, experiences, and feelings come alive, makes the book both a sage analysis and enjoyable to read. --Jewel Gingerich Longenecker, dean of lifelong learning at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary Tongue-Tied is energetic, inspirited, inspiring, and passionate. Reading it opens possibilities for deeper, life-giving relationships with God, other persons, and creation. Sara Wenger Shenk is a reliable guide for everyday mystics and contemplative kindred spirits who seek to live with intention and talk with ease about the faith that grounds us. --Rebecca Slough, former dean at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

Author Information

Sara Wenger Shenk is a theologian, preacher, and the author of six books. She served as president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) for almost ten years, where her blog, Practicing Reconciliation, was lauded as a steady and deeply theological resource in anxious and polarized times. Shenk earned degrees from Eastern Mennonite University, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. For nine years, she and her husband, Gerald Shenk, served as students and teachers in the former Yugoslavia, and she has served on the faculty and administration of Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

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