C. S. Song is Professor of Theology at the Pacific School of Religion and past President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. He is the author of many books including Jesus in the Power of the Spirit. In this ambitious work, he seeks to engage readers with nine essential questions of Christian faith:
• What about Beginnings and Endings?
• Did Jesus Rise from the Dead and Does it Matter?
• Healed or Saved? Or Both?
• All Roads Lead to Rome?
• How Can We Know God and What God Wants?
• What is the Church?
• What is Christian Mission?
• What is Spirituality?
• What Do You Say God Is?
Song gets to the heart of the matter of faith in this quotation:
"Religion cannot be reduced to a system of 'correct' teachings, creeds, and doctrines about the absolute and/or concerns about the next life. Religion must be 'this worldly,' in the sense that it provides resources for addressing the questions and problems experienced in this life. Religion, viewed in this way, is more of an emotional, ethical, and spiritual undertaking than a speculative and intellectual enterprise. It is more a matter of heart than a matter of the head, more a matter of devotion to divine realities and commitment to responsibilities of life, than a matter of assent to doctrinal affirmations and agreement on theological formulations."
It is from this experiential perspective that faith opens the door to fresh assessments of a creation-centered theology; the importance of the body; everyday spirituality; ethical behavior stemming from the ethos of Jesus and the Christian community; cooperation with other religions in the commitment to practicing justice, peace, and loving kindness; mission as spreading freedom; a repudiation of the church of "Rome complex;" and a multidimensional appreciation of God as Spirit.
Song fulfills his intention to trace God's footsteps in the events of human history and personal experience. He challenges the Christian community to see faith with fresh eyes.
