What do you see when you look around? Where does it lead, and to what end? Is there some purpose to it all? And if so, where do you fit in? And how might we fit in together? Maybe you have a faith but desire greater understanding. Maybe you had a faith and are disillusioned. Or maybe you want a faith but are skeptical.
This book invites another look. It begins a conversation. Who is God? What is faith? What does God want from us? Why suffering? Why worship? Why work? Through these and other everyday questions, this book suggests possible answers. Answers don't arrest thought. Answers provoke thought and action--life. This book invites readers to look around so that they might discover a faith for the twenty-first century, a faith in conversation with science, a faith fit for deep personal questions, a faith ready to engage complex public issues. Like Moses on Mount Pisgah wondering about a land he could see but never enter, when looking around we may be awakened to hope.
George R. Sinclair Jr. is a retired Presbyterian Church (USA) minister. He is the author of Walking in Wonder, Resilience in Ministry (2014).
“George R. Sinclair Jr., honorably retired pastor, has written a book for lay persons seeking deeper understanding. The religious landscape of our current national context has changed dramatically. A new form of discipleship is required that takes seriously the disillusionment many of God’s people have with institutional Christianity and engenders hope. Look Around takes the reader on a meditative journey, engaging science and theology, in the joys and wonders of possessing a personal and public faith.”
—Alton B. Pollard III, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
“If you have ever wanted to have an honest, jargon-free conversation with a wise and open pastor about the Christian faith, this is your book. George Sinclair knows the questions people have. . . . He is not afraid to give answers, faithfully confessing what we do know and candidly admitting where human wisdom ends. For those seeking to understand the basics of Christianity, this book is a treasure.”
—Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology, Emory University
“Look Around begins a vital conversation, particularly for the moment we live in. Raising courageous questions and seeking to ground responses to those questions in his religious tradition, the author conducts readers into exactly the kind of intellectual and spiritual exploration that will benefit us all, especially pastors and preachers who have the role of speaking a clear word in a time of crisis.”
—Michael Jinkins, Austin Presbyterian Seminary and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
“This contemporary presentation of the Christian faith and its relationship with a generous God affirms all the questions. It also connects our curiosity with the ancient questions that people of faith have always asked. Whether you already claim the faith and want to be reminded why, or are a modern seeker searching for a host of answers, you will not want to put this book down.”
—Theodore J. Wardlaw, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary