The Sin of Certainty

Why God Desires Our Trust More than Our "Correct" Beliefs

By: Peter Enns

Narrated by: Tom Perkins

Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

With compelling and often humorous stories from his own life, Bible scholar Peter Enns offers a fresh look at how Christian life truly works, answering questions that cannot be addressed by the idealized traditional doctrine of "once for all delivered to the saints".

Enns offers a model of vibrant faith that views skepticism not as a loss of belief but as an opportunity to deepen religious conviction with courage and confidence. This is not just an intellectual conviction, he contends, but a more profound kind of knowing that only true faith can provide.

Combining Enns' reflections of his own spiritual journey with an examination of scripture, The Sin of Certainty models an acceptance of mystery and paradox that all believers can follow and why God prefers this path, because it is the only way by which we can become mature disciples who truly trust God. It gives Christians who have known only the demand for certainty permission to view faith on their own flawed, uncertain, yet heartfelt terms.

©2016 Peter Enns (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This is a very fine, very readable, often humorous, and much needed analysis of what Western Christianity is up against." (Richard Rohr, author of Falling Upward)

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

I found this book in the middle of navigating my own faith crisis; it has given me so much peace and clarity. It’s an easy, sometimes humorous, listen. I loved pretty much everything about it.

I need to read this again.

If you're lost in a faith deconstruction trying to find hard ground to stand on, read this book. And then when the ground shifts again... read it again. Breaking free of needing to have it all figured out is so difficult, but I'm looking forward to the freedom. Thanks, Pete. I needed to hear this.

Succinct commentary on embracing mystery

Having been on an ever evolving journey through faith, this book is a fantastic addition to those who find it difficult to believe in the doctrine of certainty. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to reconcile their faith and their experiences in life. Or someone who just wants to see a counter argument to the current Christian narrative that appears to be popular in the Western world.

Relatable and powerful

I got so much out of this book. I’m already thinking about rereading it. Pete talks about the fact that God asks for our trust. We often want certainty so we falsely or incorrectly incorporate it into our faith. Definitely a subject worth discussing.

wonderful

loved it another one of Pete's great books it's really a blessing that he shares his journey with us

Saved by grace through faith....not certainty

Deeply appreciative of Enns humble vulnerability and story telling of wrestling with what it means to have faith and trust in a world that desires certainty. Great balance of personal story telling, humor, history, context, and analysis that engages the reader to consider their own journey. Thank you for this great work!!!

Love you, P.E.

Great follow-up to BTMS. This guy is historical, hysterical, and my kind of heretical. Highly recommend it. So thankful.

Great book

Great book for those who are Christian as well as those who have suffered or are suffering through a faith crisis. It brings new light to what it means to have faith. It also provides a pathway for believing in God and Jesus without having any certain knowledge of the hows or the whys, and in fact makes the argument that striving to hold on to certain knowledge about God or his intents or “truths” is actually a sin and can and will derail us and our faith when we come to learn that those certain truths may not be exactly as we perceive them.

Unknowing faith

The author describes his journey of getting past the shaky foundation of knowing the correct way to believe into the difficult work of allowing Jesus’ faithfulness to be sufficient.

Exactly What I Needed To Hear

I, a young adult, and recent graduate from a Theology program encountered some pretty mind boggling facts and information i couldnt unlearn. i went through an unprecedented and troublesome season of doubt. Those close to me called me demon possessed, a pagan, apostate and much more for taking a break from the church to rediscover my faith in this post graduate life in the real world - outside of the bubble i grew up in. i never gave up on god or doubted my experiences with but i was confused, lost, unable to relate to anyone bc of what i learned and was rejected for it. this book has brought back hope, a tentative direction to go and some much needed support thru this time in my life. thank you peter enns for being a theologian who values and understands the human experience and so eloquently threads the possibility of having faith or trust in all contexts and phases of life.