How (Not) to Speak of God

With sensitivity to the Christian tradition and a rich understanding of postmod-ern thought, Peter Rollins argues that the movement known as the “emerging church” offers a singular, unprecedented message of transformation that has the potential to revolutionize the theological and moral architecture of Western Christianity.

How (not) to Speak of God sets out to explore the theory and praxis of this contemporary expression of faith. Rollins offers a clear exploration of this embryonic movement and provides key resources for those involved in communities that are conversant with, and seeking to minister effectively to, the needs of a postmodern world.


“Here in pregnant bud is the rose, the emerging new configuration, of a Christianity that is neither Roman nor Protestant, neither Eastern nor monastic; but rather is the re-formation of all of them. Here, in pregnant bud, is third-millennium Christendom.” —Phyllis Tickle


“I am a raving fan of the book you are holding. I loved reading it. I have already begun widely recommending it. Reading it did good for my mind and for my soul. It helped me understand my own spiritual journey more clearly, and it gave me a sense of context for the work I’m involved in. In fact, I would say this is one of the two or three most rewarding books of theology I have read in ten years.” —Brian McLaren, from the Foreword


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The Fidelity of Betrayal: Towards a Church Beyond Belief

What if one of the core elements of a radical Christianity lay in a demand that we betray it, while the ultimate act of affirming God required the forsaking of God? And what if fidelity to the Judeo-Christian scriptures demanded their renunciation?


In short, what if the only way of finding real faith involved betraying that faith with a kiss, like Judas did to Christ? The author of last year’s much-talked-about debut, How (Not) to Speak of God—is at it again.


Employing the insights of apophatic theology, Soren Kierkegaard, and deconstructive theory, The Fidelity of Betrayal seeks to explore the subversive and clandestine nature of a Christianity that dwells within religious institutions while simultaneously undermining them.


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The Orthodox Heretic and Other Impossible Tales

For so many the Christian faith is viewed as little more than a drug that enables the weak to escape reality. An opiate that helps its users to avoid facing the injustice of the world and making a stand against it. In short, the Christian faith is perceived to be a counter-revolutionary ideology that keeps people passive, infantile and ineffectual.

In contrast Rollins has created a series of parables that shatter this popular perception. Parables that demonstrate how radical faith has never been concerned with escaping the world we inhabit but rather with engaging in it more fully. That genuine Christian faith has never capitulated to injustice but rather fought against it at every turn.


“I remember driving around Belfast with Pete, sitting in the front seat listening to him tell these parables that he'd written—thinking, ‘Everybody needs to hear these.’ And now you can.” —Rob Bell, author of Jesus Wants to Save Christians


"Rollins is a tremendously talented writer and thinker whose challenges to Christianity-as-usual should be well-received by the emergent church crowd, if not beyond" -Publishers Weekly

Release date: April 2009

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