num_pages: 384
description: Struggling with her return to the Christian church after many years away, Kathleen Norris found it was the language of Christianity that most distanced her from faith. Words like "judgment," "faith," "dogma," "salvation," "sinner"—even "Christ"—formed what she called her "scary vocabulary," words that had become so codified or abstract that their meanings were all but impenetrable. She found she had to wrestle with them and make them her own before they could confer their blessings and their grace. Blending history, theology, storytelling, etymology, and memoir, Norris uses these words as a starting point for reflection, and offers a moving account of her own gradual conversion. She evokes a rich spirituality rooted firmly in the chaos of everyday life—and offers believers and doubters alike an illuminating perspective on how we can embrace ancient traditions and find faith in the contemporary world.
language: English
title: Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith
titlecomplete: Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith
genres: Christianity, Essays, Religion, Theology, Spirituality, Faith, Biography, Christian, Memoir, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 6450
awards: awardedAt: 946713600000
name: Society of Midland Authors Award
category: Adult Nonfiction
publisher: Riverhead Books