"When Everything's On Fire" (Brian Zahnd)

TITLE: When Everything's on Fire: Faith Forged from the Ashes
AUTHOR: Brian Zahnd
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 2021, (192 pages).
 

When the dark leads to emotional gloom and thoughts of doom, any light helps. For author and pastor Brian Zahnd, he notices how the pandemic has turned the world upside down. The economy is in upheaval. People's lives are uncomfortably rocked. Christians struggle with political views. Churches are mired in scandals. In times like these, it is easy to become discouraged amid the challenges of theological deconstruction. Yet, even when everything seems to be on fire, BZ reminds us that fire has one more quality: The purification of our faith. How do we recover from the ashes and be renewed in the Truth of living in the hope of the Resurrected Christ? Is Christian faith still viable in a secular age? BZ affirms that it is not only possible to survive, one can also flourish. Acknowledging the reality of skepticism, the challenges of cynicism, and the opposition of secularism is the first step to making sense of faith. Not only that, BZ identifies with the critics of past philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche, and in an imaginary conversation with the late German philosopher, BZ agrees with Nietzsche's sentiments but not necessarily the conclusions. BZ appreciates the struggles of life but not the dumbing down of faith. When everything is on fire for Nietzsche, the famed atheist declares that God is dead. BZ shows us that many critiques of Christendom while valid do not mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater. Instead, Christians ought to learn how to critique so as to refine the faith, just like how fire refines. Otherwise, one might end up like a pastor who turned to atheism when he could not distinguish the historic Christianity faith from modern fundamentalist beliefs. One of BZ's key convictions is to nurture a culture of sustained belief for his grandchildren and their generation. Reasons to believe are not enough. The beauty of the gospel is better. BZ shares about an experience in Paris talking with a young man who had lost his faith, only to be renewed once he is able to see the beauty of Christ. 

Specifically, what is the "everything" that the author is talking about? He begins with belief amid an atheistic climate that is threatening to weaken the faith of believers. Instead of capitulating to the skeptics, BZ sees doubts as a "furnace" to refine what we believe in. He recognizes the harm of "rigid, defensive fundamentalism" and seeks a way forward to shine hope for the disillusioned. Deconstruction of modernist fundamentalism does not necessarily mean jettisoning faith altogether. For instance, God gave us Jesus but the church created a form of Christianity not in the image of Christ but in the structure of Christendom. 

My Thoughts
BZ is pretty well-read in the classics, especially on European novelists like Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Pascal, and other spiritual classic writers. For anyone accusing Christians of kissing their brains goodbye, BZ is a testimony against that. With gentleness and reason, we get to understand the problem and the suggested way forward. Each chapter contains an observation of the challenges facing Christianity and the Church. BZ diagnoses the major problem as follows: The reason why many believers are facing a crisis of faith is that they are unable to distinguish True Historic Christianity from the modern fundamentalist movements. He builds for us several ways to mentally reconcile our doubts honestly, without necessarily abandoning faith altogether. For instance, by showing us the beauty that saves the world, we are reminded that the gospel is first and foremost beauty and not some kind of a religion based on logic and technique. For the realm of faith goes way beyond normal rationalization. Love for example is non-rational. How do we logically explain why Christ would choose to die for us? Distinguish between Church statements and Christ commandments. The Word of God is the foundation of the Church, not the interpretation per se. He frequently engages with critics and doubters with an honest conversation to point out that Christianity is reasonable. Compared with a faith that is largely untested, a faith that has gone through the fires of trials will come out more refined. BZ has experienced it and together with that conviction, believes that we too can grow strongly despite the cultural opposition of Christianity in the Western hemisphere. 

The second part of the book takes a more apologetics stand. From the beauty of the gospel, we learn of grappling with the mysteries of the gospel. many of the past spiritual masters were mystics. Their practice of faith had led to a profound discovery of joy and spiritual revival. The modern charismatic movement has managed to recreate some of that mystical experience. Unfortunately, the rise of consumerism has blunted its growth. Before one goes on accusing him of telling us to be mystics, BZ also reminds us that Jesus Himself had shown the way. The resurrection is one great example. This reminds me of one common spiritual purpose by the desert fathers: To become all fire. BZ may have begun like a spiritual fireman trying to help us douse the flames that are threatening to burn up our faith. He does more than that. In fact, he is trying to assure us that flames for refinement are a good thing. He then takes us beyond by showing us that there is the beauty behind the fires of redemption. There is the presence of Christ to guide us through the flames of the world. As we encounter more of God, we pray that our faith will become all fire, that just like the song "Pass It On"goes, may our little fires in our hearts light up other candles and pass on the good news and beauty of the gospel. 

What a powerful metaphor that we can take away from this book!

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for his theologically informed preaching and his embrace of the deep and long history of the church, Zahnd provides a forum for pastors to engage with leading theologians and is a frequent conference speaker. He is the author of several books, including Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, A Farewell to Mars, and Beauty Will Save the World.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.