What is God like? Toxic images abound: God the punishing judge, the deadbeat dad, the genie in a bottle—false gods that need to be challenged.But what if, instead, God truly is completely Christlike? What if His love is more generous, his Cross more powerful, and his gospel more beautiful than we’ve dared to imagine? What if our clearest image of God is the self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering Love revealed on the Cross? What if we had 'A More Christlike God'?Endorsements:"This excellent and much-needed book confrontswith both open heart and very goodmind the major obstacles we have createdfor people in their journey toward God! Somany of us are asking, “Why didn’t peopleteach us this many years ago?” I am sograteful that Brad Jersak is re-opening thedoor that Jesus had already opened 2000years ago. It is so terribly sad that it wasever closed."— Fr. RICHARD ROHRCenter for Action and Contemplation"With theological integrity and open-heartedcompassion, Brad Jersak creates a beautifulspace for Jesus to challenge our views ofGod. A breath of clean and clarifying air."— WILLIAM PAUL YOUNGAuthor of The Shack"Brad Jersak has given us a gift of greatestvalue: a fresh vision of God, Christ, theCross, Scripture and ourselves. He displaysthe rare ability to take deep theologicalissues and make them understandableto everyone. Jersak represents a new generationof Christian theologians whose workis both desperately needed and wonderfullyliberating."— BRIAN D. McLARENAuthor of We Make the Road by Walking"Brad Jersak has immersed himself in thecompany of the poor, the addicted, theoutsiders. He is determined to recover theessence of the “beautiful” gospel for allof us. The conspicuous mark that characterizesevery page of this winsomewitness is that it is a “lived theology.” Hehas given attentive detail to what is in thetheological libraries, but is not contentwith that. He has worked it out on thestreets and in the lives of those withwhom he has chosen to share his life andChristlike God witness, a convincinglybeautiful Gospel."— EUGENE H. PETERSONTranslator of The Message“'Good souls many will one day be horrifiedat the things they now believe ofGod.' George MacDonald’s prophecyhas found its fulfillment in Brad Jersak’sjourney from the ‘volatile moral monster’to the face of Jesus’ Father. Here theancient song of light sings us new eyes:Behold the Lamb, just like his Father.A priceless treasure, worthy of seriousreflection."— BAXTER KRUGERAuthor of The Shack Revisited and Patmos

A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel

Religion & Spirituality

Jersak, Bradley

Christian Books & Bibles

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

FROM THE CAVE TO THE CROSS: The cruciform theology of the George Grant and Simone Weil - is an academic work that enucleates the core tenets of Canadian political philosopher, George P. Grant, and his dependence on French philosopher-mystic, Simone Weil, in developing and articulating them. Grant's foundational theology (Platonic Christianity) includes his critique of modernity, his contemplative epistemology, his cosmology / anti-theodicy of the Cross and his cruciform public ethics. For each of these pillar beliefs, the author demonstrates Grant's overt affinities to Weil, cross-referencing his thought to hers and explicating the deep faith foundations of both of their politics, philosophy and ethics.

From the Cave to the Cross: The Cruciform Theology of George Grant and Simone Weil

Everlasting hell and divine judgment, a lake of fire and brimstone--these mainstays of evangelical tradition have come under fire once again in recent decades. Would the God of love revealed by Jesus really consign the vast majority of humankind to a destiny of eternal, conscious torment? Is divine mercy bound by the demands of justice? How can anyone presume to know who is saved from the flames and who is not? Reacting to presumptions in like manner, others write off the fiery images of final judgment altogether. If there is a God who loves us, then surely all are welcome into the heavenly kingdom, regardless of their beliefs or behaviors in this life. Yet, given the sheer volume of threat rhetoric in the Scriptures and the wickedness manifest in human history, the pop-universalism of our day sounds more like denial than hope. Mercy triumphs over judgment; it does not skirt it. Her Gates Will Never Be Shut endeavors to reconsider what the Bible and the Church have actually said about hell and hope, noting a breadth of real possibilities that undermines every presumption. The polyphony of perspectives on hell and hope offered by the prophets, apostles, and Jesus humble our obsessive need to harmonize every text into a neat theological system. But they open the door to the eternal hope found in Revelation 21-22: the City whose gates will never be shut; where the Spirit and Bride perpetually invite the thirsty who are outside the city to "Come, drink of the waters of life."

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hell, Hope, and the New Jerusalem

Wipf & Stock Publishers

The Scriptures are an essential aspect of the Christian faith. But we have often equated them with the living Word Himself, even elevating them above the One to whom they point. In doing so, we have distorted their central message--and our view of God. Tragically, this has caused multitudes of people unnecessary doubt, confusion, and pain in their encounters with the Scriptures. Many people understand God as being truly loving and good. Yet, they struggle with depictions of God in Scripture as wrathful, violent, and genocidal. These "toxic texts" have caused some to set aside their Bibles as R-rated and unreliable. They have led others to completely reject their faith. Author and theologian Bradley Jersak has wrestled deeply with such passages over many years. He has experienced the same questions, doubt, and pain. In A More Christlike Word, he offers a clarifying and freeing path forward. Whether readers consider themselves believers, doubters, or skeptics, all are invited to a more beautiful and ancient way of reading the Scriptures. Bradley calls this path the "Emmaus Way" because it demonstrates how Jesus regarded all Scripture as fulfilled in himself, the final Word of God who reveals the true nature of the Father. After deconstructing the modern biblicist/literalist approaches to Scripture interpretation that have failed us, Brad turns to the early church for a hermeneutic of prefigurement, treating the Bible as the grand narrative of redemption, told through a polyphony of voices and worldviews, culminating in the arrival of Christ as the eternal Word of God--what God has to say about himself. The interpretive system of the church fathers and mothers who gathered the New Testament and preached the gospel from the Old Testament has largely been ignored or dismissed by both evangelical and liberal movements, the twin children of modernity. The patristics explain and model the apostles' Christ-centered interpretation of the Scriptures. Brad applies their approach to "unwrath" sample passages from each genre of the Bible, showing how even the cringe-worthy texts have an important place in the Christotelic saga of divine love. Your journey on the Emmaus Way will open up to you the fullness of the Scriptures, and, most important, lead you to the God who deeply loves and welcomes you. &nbsp;

A More Christlike Word: Reading Scripture the Emmaus Way

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Whitaker House

Deconstruction: Trendy brand name for falling away from belief in God? Or a process essential to authentic faith?\nLiberation or trauma? Prison break or exile?\nIt’s complicated. Just like you.\nChristian history records a Great Reformation and a Great Awakening. But today’s “Great Deconstruction” will surely leave an equally profound impact.\nIn Out of the Embers, Bradley Jersak explores the necessity, perils, and possibilities of the Great Deconstruction—how it has the potential to either sabotage our communion with God or infuse it with the breath of life, the light and life of Christ himself.\nIn this collection of vulnerable memoirs, philosophical memos, and candid provocations, Jersak resists both the hand-wringing urge to corral stray sheep and the exultant desire to play the happy-clappy Ex-vangelical cheerleader. He employs the wisdom and expertise of the great deconstructionists—Christianity’s ancient influences (Moses, Plato, Paul, and the Patristics), “beloved frenemies” (from Voltaire to Nietzsche), and the masters of deconstruction (Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, and Weil)—to double down and deconstruct deconstruction itself.\nWhere is faith after deconstruction? The author’s heart is to engage and empathize with the bereft and disoriented, stoking the brittle ashes for live embers. In this quest for the resilient gospel of the martyrs, the marginal, and those outside the threshold...inexplicably, in this liminal space, life stirs. A Light shines through the ashes. We find, often for the first time, that living connection Jersak calls “presence in communion.”\nThere is a sea change occurring across the Western church and civilization. Whether we’re watching a radical course correction or a complete collapse remains to be seen, and how it pans out will likely depend on how we see what’s happening, who we are becoming, how we live in response—and, most important, where we find Christ situated in this storm.

Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction

What is God like? A punishing judge? A doting grandfather? A deadbeat dad? A vengeful warrior? 'Believers' and atheists alike typically carry and finally reject the toxic images of God in their own hearts and minds. Even the Christian gospel has repeatedly lapsed into a vision of God where the wrathful King must be appeased by his victim Son. How do such 'good cop/bad cop' distortions of the divine arise and come to dominate churches and cultures? Whether our notions of 'god' are personal projections or inherited traditions, author and theologian Brad Jersak proposes a radical reassessment, arguing for A More Christlike God: a More Beautiful Gospel. If Christ is "the image of the invisible God, the radiance of God's glory and exact representation of God's likeness," what if we conceived of God as completely Christlike--the perfect Incarnation of self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love? What if God has always been and forever will be 'cruciform' (cross-shaped) in his character and actions? A More Christlike God suggests that such a God would be very good news indeed--a God who Jesus "unwrathed" from dead religion, a Love that is always toward us, and a Grace that pours into this suffering world through willing, human partners.

Plain Truth Ministries

Christianity’s infamy is that our way and our faith have not been very Christlike. A More Christlike Way is a book for our time, where so much of what is called Christianity has been hijacked to serve agendas that are decidedly un-Christlike. In this sequel to A More Christlike God, Brad Jersak an award winning author, accomplished theologian, grounded in Scripture and Patristics, writes from decades of pastoral experience. A More Christlike Way is a book about Jesus Christ. Jersak lays out how Jesus Christ of Nazareth, in his fully human nature, forged the path for a new and true humanity. We’ll call it the Jesus Way.The author critiques four common counterfeits to the Jesus Way:1 Moralism: When Morality Becomes Heresy2 Partisan Amoralism: When Politics Trump Morality3 Retributive Factionalism: Are You on the Spectrum? 4 Nationalism &amp; Civil ReligionHe then describes seven facets of a more Christlike Way:Facet 1 – Radical Self-givingFacet 2 – Radical HospitalityFacet 3 – Radical UnityFacet 4 – Radical RecoveryFacet 5 – Radical Peacemaking/Forgiveness Facet 6 – Radical SurrenderFacet 7 – Radical Compassion/JusticeFinally, Jersak closes with “A More Beautiful Vision: Abba’s ‘I have a dream speech’”A More Christlike Way sets forth a vision for following Jesus that is in keeping with the kind of faith that first turned the world upside down two thousand years ago.

A More Christlike Way: A More Beautiful Faith

This sequel to a "More Christlike God", is a book about Jesus Christ. In "A More Christlike Way", Jersak lays out how Jesus Christ of Nazareth, in his fully human nature, forged the path for a new and true humanity. We'll call it the Jesus Way. 
This is literally crucial. When referring to the Jesus Way, we're describing the life and faith of a man--the Jesus of the four Gospels--whose earthly sojourn embodied complete surrender to and trust in the God he called his Abba (Papa). 
Knowing that our subject matter is "the man Christ Jesus" matters greatly because herein, we'll make no grandiose claims for any church or any individual disciple, alive or departed. Christianity's infamy is that our way and our faith have not been very Christlike. 
Observers attempting to retrace the Jesus Way from the path walked by those who identify as Christian would become hopelessly lost. They would stumble over all manner of obstacles to our beautiful faith. Jesus alone created the Jesus Way and walked it perfectly.

What is God like? The answer depends on the imagination of those we ask. Some of those answers are not very healthy—especially for children! Many ideas and images of God are harmful, such as the angry God who threatens us. Or the distant God who is not there when we need him. Or the magical God who will grant our wishes if we are good enough or beg hard enough. Such ideas of God make it hard for us to love God with our whole heart or to let God love us. God noticed this problem. God wanted us to know what God is really like. So God decided to do something. What’s the best way for God to tell us what God is like? By showing us—in person! And that is exactly what God did! God came into our world as Jesus Christ. Jesus is what God has to say about Godself. What did Jesus show us about God? Jesus showed us that God is Love!Not just any kind of love. God is perfect love that never stops loving. Jesus showed us this in so many ways. The four gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, tell us that story. They tell us how Jesus showed us God. Everything Jesus said and did was about this message: God is Love.God loves everyone, and that means God loves you. Each page of this book shares the gospel story of God’s love, seen in Jesus. What is God like? Jesus showed us! Jesus showed us God is Love! * This book is suitable a 16-week Sunday School study on Jesus (1 page/lesson). Children's ministries and retailers may contact Eden at freshwindpress@gmail.com for bulk discounts. The illustrations in “Jesus Showed Us” are inspired by Ethiopian and Coptic Orthodox iconography. They were rendered by Shari-Anne in gouache, watercolor, pencil, and ink. She gave about thirty hours of love to each piece. Quality prints of the art can be purchased through Shari-Anne Vis. Contact her at www.shariannevis.com.

Jesus Showed Us!

Children's Books

Religions

Brad Jersak

Pude seguir adelante, “dejar todo en manos de Dios”, como dicen. Y cuando lo hice, las ventanas y las puertas se abrieron de par en par. La luz entró a raudales, una luz que ahuyentó al miedo y eliminó la ira. Lo solté, en verdad lo solté, y fui libre […] la elección fue mía. Podía elegir perdonar o no. Perdoné porque me habían perdonado. Y cuando perdoné llegó la liberación». ―La señal Una crisis nerviosa. Un ataque de pánico en pleno sermón. ¿Quién diría que eso podía pasarle a él? Un hombre de fe tan respetado, tan seguro de sí mismo y de sus palabras. Han tenido que ingresarlo en un pabellón psiquiátrico junto a todos aquellos insensatos a los que alguna vez despreció: pecadores, hipócritas, imperfectos, enfermos… Entre ellos se encuentra Max, un paciente a quien le hará mucho daño, pero que terminará mostrándole que a veces Dios se comunica a través de las personas menos esperadas. Obligado a revisar su pasado y sus propios errores, el pastor deberá enfrentar la prueba más difícil si quiere encontrar el Amor y la Gracia, pero ¿será capaz de dejar ir el dolor?, ¿se dejará sanar? La señal explora el peligroso viaje de la voluntad humana a través de los parajes más oscuros de la desesperación y la derrota, para dejarse guiar por la esperanza y alcanzar la redención que solo se consigue al rendirse ante Dios y entregarse a su Amor. Si La cabaña te marcó, La señal no te dejará indiferente.

La señal (Spanish Edition)

Young, Paul Wm.

Planeta Publishing

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jersak, Bradley. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Jersak, Bradley

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jersak, Bradley. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel

From the Cave to the Cross: The Cruciform Theology of George Grant and Simone Weil

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hell, Hope, and the New Jerusalem

A More Christlike Word: Reading Scripture the Emmaus Way

Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction

A More Christlike God: A More Beautiful Gospel

A More Christlike Way: A More Beautiful Faith

A More Christlike Way: A More Beautiful Faith

Jesus Showed Us!

La señal (Spanish Edition)