When God Disappeared...and Where God Turned Up: A Spiritual Growth Book - Softcover

Jackson, Wayland Bryant

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1649704925 ISBN 13: 9781649704924

Publisher: Palmetto Publishing, 2020

Synopsis

If your religion isn't as lively as you would like, with fixed ideas and little breathing room, you might have something in common with Jackson, who began to doubt some of his long-held beliefs. Learning the value of asking questions, Jackson awakened to a new understanding of faith, chronicling discoveries that offer hope to fellow sojourners.

 

In a walk down memory lane, Jackson grows up in the South and settles into a Baptist church which steers him toward a dogma-filled, no-questions-required Baptist university. Moving to California, he starts a mission church, graduates from Golden Gate Seminary in Berkeley, and ministers in, not one but, three Baptist churches.

 

His career in full swing, Jackson becomes depressed without understanding why. He resigns from the professional ministry and joins a small study group where he faces questions Christians rarely ask, like "Who was the historical Jesus?" He forsakes his Baptist air of superiority, drops his sinner label in favor of simply being human, and expands his world, having fun teaching English in middle school and helping refugees assimilate into our country.

 

His life is turned inside out on a shopping trip to FoodMaxx when Jackson experiences what he calls GodPresent. God disappears-not by leaving, but by coming so close the space between them was gone. Now, he has more questions than ever . . . and he's loving it.

 

With humor and as much honesty as you can stand, WHEN GOD DISAPPEARED explains how a fundamentalist evolved into a religious adventurer. In its pages, Jackson invites us to come along and explore our own questions of faith.

About this title

About the Author

Wayland Bryant Jackson is a family historian, an essayist, a storyteller, and a poet. With degrees from Oklahoma Baptist University and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in California, he worked as an ordained minister in Southern Baptist churches in CA for eleven years. Changing careers, he completed a teacher credential program at California State University, Fresno, and taught public school in Fresno for 21 years. His letters to the Editor are often featured in the Fresno Bee, and his memoir, WHEN GOD DISAPPEARED...and Where God Turned Up, is his fourth book. He can be reached at: www.waylandjackson.com

Edition details

• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1649704925
• ISBN 13: 9781649704924
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 246
• Editor: Thompson Holly A