Affirmations of a Dissenter

Like many churchgoers, C. Joseph Sprague finds himself in a quandary: he loves the church but often finds himself at odds with its principles and/or practices. What makes his situation unique is that in addition to his role as worshiper, he is a bishop who is charged with the responsibility of leadership. In Affirmations of a Dissenter, Sprague gives readers a composite of affirmation and dissent, of faith and protest. He writes about his trust in and commitment to God's hospitable, unconditional love for all humankind as well as about his discomfort with discernible public trends in religious institutions, particularly United Methodism. The brief chapters of this book cover a variety of topics: biblical literalism; the power of biblical witness; biblical authority as related to homosexuality, divorce, violence, and women; the nature and person of Jesus; hope in the church; leadership; and racism.Read less