Leaps Of Faith [Hardcover]

If you are passionate about participating in the recovery of preaching for the spiritual formation of God's people, then you will want to jump into this lively collection of biblically rigorous, culturally intuitive, grace-drenched sermons. Robert Dean sets the bar very high, even as he throws the gauntlet down, with these remarkable expressions of all that preaching was supposed to be and can still become. Animated by the conviction that the preached word is the playground of the Living Word, the pages of Leaps of Faith are populated by saints and sinners, pimps and prophets. Unexpectedly and delightfully, Bono works alongside Bonhoeffer, Dr. Phil learns a lesson from the Amish, and a discussion of body odor primes the senses for contemplating the mission of God. Rooted deeply in the lives of actual worshipping communities, these wonder-laden sermons from the prophetic imagination of an emerging pastor-theologian dare the reader to leap into the continuing story of the Triune God and, in doing so, discover that all of life has been taken up in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In one of these sermons Robert Dean remarks that the Gospel is simple but not simplistic. That insight also describes these well-wrought sermons. Dean has a gift for helping us see our lives storied by the story of the Bible. It is by no means clear in our time what a sermon should be, but Dean's sermons are clearly examples of what sermons should be--that is, serious but avoiding all forms of sentimentality. --Stanley Hauerwas, Duke Divinity School To read Leaps of Faith is to experience the breathtaking sensation of encountering preaching that only makes sense if the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. Dean dares to proclaim Good News that is not based on human truisms but divine revelation. These are words to live by. --Timothy Larsen, Wheaton College Dean's sermons are courageous, invigorating leaps of faith that always manage to land us in the arms of a loving God. --Will Willimon, Duklã*