The Unkingdom of God: Embracing the Subversive Power of Repentance
"Mark Van Steenwyk is a committed voice of a new generation rising to the ancient calling of radical discipleship. Mark's perspectives will seem new and troubling to American Christians, yet they are rediscovering the historic stream of gospel dissent to empire that has always survived at the margins of the church, following the Jesus who forever afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted." (Ched Myers, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries)"I've often wondered, if I had lived back in Old Testament times, would I have listened and repented of veering from God's ways or turned a deaf ear to the jarring words of his prophets? The prophetic message ofThe Unkingdom of Godbrings that question forward into the present. Gripping, unsettling and painful to read at points, this book exposes how we've reshaped Jesus in our own Western image and lost him in the process. Van Steenwyk calls himself and us to repent, rethink and 'rewild' our faith in God. Read at your own risk, but be forewarned--no one gets off easy." (Carolyn Custis James, author of Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women, www.whitbyforum.com)"Mark Van Steenwyk is a mystic, seeking to follow the wild and compelling guides of Scripture, Savior and Spirit. He is a sincere brother in the faith, sharing his own important questions. I have been challenged by his questions. Perhaps we all should be challenged by them." (Evan B. Howard, founder and director of Spirituality Shoppe and author of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality)"Sometimes I look around at the church and think its biggest need is a revolutionary manual, a manual for undoing the myths that enslave us, for revealing the ideologies that blind us, a manual that probes for new points of engagement where we can start living this grand radical life that has been made possible in Christ's victory over the powers. Mark Van Steenwyk's book could just be that manual." (David E. Fitch, from the foreword)