We in the Shadow
Surprising Places to Find Hope When All Appears Lost and God Far Away
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
204 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.41 in
- Paperback
- 9781666767759
- Published: April 2023
$28.00 / £23.00 / AU$42.00
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For centuries the belief that God was directly engaged in our individual lives has comforted untold numbers of people, but today that belief is being challenged by many within the community of faith. The randomness of violence, innocent suffering, and inexplicable evil has pushed believers to question whether God is personal in any meaningful way.
How can we believe that God is involved in our daily lives when so often God appears deaf to our prayers and indifferent to our broken world? We in the Shadow explores how or in what way God may be personal. Unless this question can somehow be thoughtfully and practically answered, faith will be viewed as an option only for those who skim over the incomprehensibly cruel surfaces of life with eyes closed and fingers stuck firmly in their ears.
For almost forty years Michael D. Riley served as pastor to both small and large congregations. He has pastored churches in Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida. Michael graduated from Baylor University (BA) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas (MDiv and PhD).
He and his wife DeDe live in Jacksonville, Florida, with their terrier mix, Hannah. They have two grown children. He writes a weekly blog at michaeldriley.com that focuses on relevant cultural and religious issues.
“We in the Shadow is an honest, courageous sharing of pastoral vignettes which normalize the authentic doubts and uncertainties of people of faith, particularly in times of deep suffering and loss. With refreshingly rare humility and transparency for a pastor, Michael Riley integrates his personal struggles with belief and invites readers to reflect upon faith with more depth, release outworn beliefs, and consider creative ways to find meaning in living and dying.”
—Ed Wilder, APC board certified chaplain
“We in the Shadow is a remarkably honest and deeply human book. Using personal examples, moving anecdotes, and relevant quotes from theologians and writers of all perspectives, as well as the wisdom of Scripture, Michael Riley has written a book for those seeking an authentic faith that works not only in the beautiful moments when God seems near, but in those times of spiritual eclipse when belief is tested.”
—Timothy Moody, former minister and freelance writer
“Ministers today tend to peddle a God who constantly watches over you. A ‘faithful’ Christian means never doubting God. Michael Riley provides a more realistic alternative. A pastor for forty years, he writes for anyone who has experienced ‘the shadow side of life.’ We in the Shadow gives voice to those who, in the midst of life’s worst possible experiences, want answers from God, but receive only silence.”
—D. Dixon Sutherland, professor emeritus of religious studies, Stetson University
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