Brian Zahnd and his wife, Peri, founded Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. The church has experienced remarkable growth, and now has over 4,000 active members. He also travels throughout the nation and overseas ministering in churches, international crusades, and pastors' seminars. He and Peri have three sons.
"Pastor Brian Zahnd once had a framed copy of Jonathan Edwards’
1741 sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of a Angry God'—which helped
spark a Great Awakening in America—in his office. But since then,
he’s begun to question the theology of a wrathful God who delights
in punishing sinners, and has started to explore the real nature of
Jesus and His Father. The book isn’t only an interesting look at
the context of some modern theological ideas; it’s also offers some
profound insight into God’s love and eternal plan." —RELEVANT
MAGAZINE (Named one of the Top 10 Books of 2017)
"I thoroughly enjoyed Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God. It
will stir your mind, heart and soul and cause you to wrestle with
your beliefs. I found myself challenged and stretched by this vital
book. It is important for the Church to counter inaccurate
portrayals of God, for believers and non-believers alike. As
Zahnd's book shows, we are not sinners in the hands of an angry
God, we are forgiven sinners in the hands of a loving God."
—Salvationist Magazine
"With the heart of a pastor and the skill of a poet, Brian Zahnd
cuts through all the fear and fundamentalism to reveal a gospel
that is indeed good news. Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God is a
beautifully written, pointed, and prophetic tribute to the love of
God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. As Zahnd shows us,
this love is not weak; it’s not a safe, feel-good cop-out. Rather,
it’s the very revelation of God, the force that changes the
world."
—Rachel Held Evans, author of Searching for Sunday
"The same attributes that make Brian Zahnd a great pastor make him
a gifted author: he’s honest, humble, willing to change his mind,
and unfailingly centered on Christ. For him to reconsider his view
of God took study and prayer, and we benefit. Sinners in the Hands
of a Loving God will be an extraordinary gift to many, for it
clearly and compellingly teaches God’s love. This is the book that
the evangelical church needs."
—Tony Jones, author of Did God Kill Jesus?
“Brian Zahnd walks boldly into the violent propensity of so much
Christian theology and preaching that has wounded so many people, a
propensity in which he himself has participated. He not only shows
what bad, irresponsible theology this is, pervasive as it continues
to be; he exposes the ‘hackneyed trope of dispensationalism’ that
feeds so much worldly violence and that authorizes so much
wounding. But more than that, in his poetic mode, Zahnd invites to
an alternative that is grounded not in ‘Biblicism’ but in the
reality of Jesus who embodies the inexplicable love of God that
passes all human understanding. Zahnd writes as one emancipated to
evangelical joy. He invites his readers to walk with him into such
a God-given vocation that honors the God of love and that loves the
neighbor.”
—Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary
“I know we’re a bit too quick to say things like ‘This will change
your life!’ these days, but seriously: this book will change your
life. For too long, too many of us have wondered if God is angry or
disappointed or frustrated or disgusted with us: you don’t need to
wonder anymore. Brian’s new book is one of the most beautiful,
truthful, and compelling visions of God as revealed by Jesus I have
ever read. I can’t shut up about this glorious, necessary, healing
book: it is a must-read for every Christian.”
—Sarah Bessey, author of Jesus Feminist and Out of Sorts: Making
Peace with an Evolving Faith
“I can’t count the times I felt like standing and cheering while
reading this book. Brian Zahnd knows his material extremely well.
He speaks from a blend of study and experience, with the authority
of a theologian, the care of a shepherd, and the inspiring beauty
of a poet. From Genesis to Revelation, Brian helps us identify,
expose, and oppose the weaponization of Scripture and instead
embrace Jesus as the Bible’s central theme and God’s ultimate
self-disclosure. If you read one book about Jesus this year…buy
mine. But if you read two, this one will do just nicely.”
—Bruxy Cavey, teaching pastor at the Meeting House, and author of
The End of Religion and (re)union: the Good News of Jesus for
Seekers, Saints, and Sinners
“With too many American Christian leaders echoing the angry,
arrogant, vindictive, and violent rhetoric of our political
culture, it’s hard to imagine a book more relevant and needed than
Brian Zahnd’s Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God. Zahnd rightly
helps us see that for better or worse, we reflect the image of the
God we believe in. Zahnd’s insights into Scripture are rich and
deep, making clear that if we want a less violent future, we need a
vision of a nonviolent God.”
—Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration
“I have come to love Brian Zahnd and his writings. They are deep,
reflective, authentic, and inspiring. Sinners in the Hands of a
Loving God is a brilliant and important book that every Christian
should read. If you’ve ever struggled with the violence attributed
to God in Scripture, or the angry and vengeful images of God
sometimes taught in Christian circles, this book will speak to
you.”
—Adam Hamilton, pastor and author of Making Sense of the Bible
“Without overstatement, I believe we are living in the midst of a
seismic, apocalyptic shift in how we understand the character of
God. There is a widescreen revelation of God’s heart unfolding,
shaking the very foundations of the Church. This revelation of the
tenderness of God is so vast and pervasive that all kinds of former
assumptions must be called into question—demanding that violent
‘texts of terror,’ in Phyllis Trible’s phrase, be revisited. Brian
Zahnd is the most lucid, crisp, prophetic articulator of this
revelation/revolution, and Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God is
him at his incisive best. It is masterfully written, illuminating
both the Jesus of Scripture and the violence of the world that
rejected him. At the intersection of John the Baptist and Bob
Dylan, Brian Zahnd prepares the way for us to behold and see that
the God we heard was a lion, was actually a lamb all along. This is
startling, revelatory reading.”
—Jonathan Martin, author of How to Survive a Shipwreck and
Prototype
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
