Embrace the Paradox of the Christian Faith, Says Author Jen Pollock Michel

What role should surprise play in our lives with God?

JEN: My central thesis is that paradox isn’t the exception in life with God: it’s the rule. From the way Jesus’s life unfolds (from the incarnation to his public ministry and then to his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascent), everything is full of surprise. God upends our expectations along the way, which seems to insist that we must approach theology with a great deal of modesty.

This approach is distinctive perhaps in that it’s committedly biblical. As opposed to a Parker Palmer approach, for example, it’s not just commending mystery in the abstract. It’s having readers draw close to scripture and explore the tensions.

What do you hope readers take away from Surprised by Paradox?

JEN: I want them to realize that:

• The study of scripture doesn’t untangle every theological knot.
• For all that we can systematize in our theology, there’s still a lot of mystery.
• God is often to be found in the “and,” which is to say places of dissonance, tension, and perplexity.
• Curiosity, wonder, and humility are part of the posture of worship.

Surprised by Paradox releases May 14, 2019.