 About the Book
As a minister, I serve people who demand that I reflect upon what works—and what doesn't work—in the Christian heritage. They know there is something in the faith that they need and want. But they struggle with Christian traditions that in so many ways contradict their intuition and common sense.
Students and parishioners demand straight talk from me when they ask what relevance Christianity has for living. Like them, I need to square my life story with the religious story of which I am a part. But my embrace of the religion is significantly different from that of my ancestors in the faith. I have sought out another Christian road that can lead me to my spiritual home.
Jim Burklo has earned a reputation as a caring, articulate spiritual leader and an original thinker. In Open Christianity, Jim offers readers an inspiring invitation. Emphasizing substance over form, he presents a way of faith that is liberated from the doctrines and dogma that have been barriers to so many seekers-even those with Christian roots.
The book evolved out of Jim's work as a United Church of Christ pastor, Protestant chaplain at Stanford University, and minister to the homeless. Having to answer the tough questions posed by his unconventional flock led him to write about such issues as:
- Is Christianity the only true path to God?
- Was Jesus uniquely divine?
- The "hard questions" of theology: death, sin, good and evil, resurrection, creation
The book concludes with a chapter-by-chapter set of discussion questions for study groups.
"If you are not a Christian," he says, "this book invites you to explore the teachings of Jesus without requiring you to accept the Bible as literally true, or to follow an extreme, inflexible, or nonsensical theology. If Christianity is your heritage, this book invites you to love God and neighbor as Jesus did; to abandon or reinterpret any dogma that gets in love's way; and if you have left that heritage, to come back to it with joy."
Who Should Read OPEN CHRISTIANITY
Many Christian-heritage seekers struggle with conflicted yearning. They value much that the tradition offers. But the church door feels closed unless they accept beliefs at odds with logic and the truth of their hearts. Open Christianity maintains that, yes, you can leave behind that which has ceased to make sense, and still be very Christian. It encourages spiritual growth that won't founder on efforts to believe the unbelievable.
Burklo's book is an answer to the student doubts and questions he deals with constantly as a Stanford chaplain. It's also a theological response to his United Church of Christ parishioners as they try to reconcile faith with God-given common sense. And it is a product of soulful encounters with street people during his years as founder and director of the Palo Alto Urban Ministry.
Burklo takes the Bible seriously because he doesn't take it literally. He offers an effective guide to replacing doctrines and practices that no longer speak for the soul. His discussion of topics such as "a theology of enough," "soulful sexuality" and "the gospel truth" will be controversial but enlightening. Stories of Burklo's real-world pastoral experiences, including frank discussion of his mistakes and failures, lend "been there" credibility to his proposals.
The book ends with his "Credo for Christians:" a fresh formulation of Christianity for our time. The door into the Christian church just opened wider. Poetic and prophetic for all people determined to find their spiritual path, Open Christianity charts a new road to the heart of Christian faith.
What People Are Saying about Jim Burklo and
OPEN CHRISTIANITY
Many congregations have ongoing book groups or adult education classes. For groups looking for their next book, Open Christianity is a real winner...It is accessible to a wide range of folks without being so simplistic as to offend serious theological scholars and clergy...The straightforward and breathtakingly succinct language illuminates decidedly complex theological questions as well...For someone who is struggling with a sense that Christianity is too dogmatic, this book could be salvation.
-The Pacific United Church News
People who have been offended by traditional Christianity, but who admit a spiritual hunger, will find that this book lives up to its title. Burklo's invitation to come "home by another road" draws on his own rich experience, illustrated with believable stories about real people.
-James R. Adams
President, The Center for Progressive Christianity
Open Christianity is both compelling and timely. I will be recommending it widely.
-Carol Lee Flinders
author of At the Root of This Longing
There is substantial evidence that God is growing a new soul within us. Jim Burklo clearly perceives the nature of that new soul and pens a marvelous book.
-L. Robert Keck, Ph.D.,
author of Sacred Quest: The Evolution & Future of the Human Soul
About The Author
Jim Burklo is the Protestant minister for the United Campus Christian Ministry at Stanford University, and the minister of College Heights United Church of Christ in San Mateo, California. A graduate of the University of California, he received his Master of Divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1979 and was ordained in 1981. He was founder and later director of the Urban Ministry of Palo Alto, serving low-income and homeless people. His first book, Bread and Asphalt, a chronicle of his years working with the homeless, can be read at OpenChristianity.com.
Author Appearance Schedule
See "Book Talk" at www.OpenChristianity.com.
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