Through a series of short, thoughtful meditations, Learning to Dream Again shows what true wisdom -- wisdom shaped by Jesus' earthy humility, shameful suffering, and effervescent joy -- might look like for Christians today. Through the lens of this Christian wisdom, Samuel Wells addresses a number of difficult personal and social issues, including taxes, abortion, torture, hunger, and Christian engagement with broader culture in the arts, sciences, athletics, and medicine.
As he seeks to present a faithful rendering of the mind of Christ, Wells deftly ties abstract ideas to everyday Christian living. He groups his meditations thematically into these six chapters:
Lillian Daniel
-- author of When "Spiritual but Not Religious" Is Not Enough
"With self-deprecating humor, Wells disarms us just enough to get us to consider the most countercultural matters of faith -- like why wisdom is unfashionable, how shame can play a useful role in our lives, and why discipline may do us more good than relentless self-expression. . . . He guides us out of our own egos and into a dazzling divine reality where learning and dreaming meet."
Cornelius Plantinga Jr.
-- author of Engaging God's World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living
"Samuel Wells has written a book so searching, so winsome, so wise that it will find your heart and dwell there. A beautiful piece of work."
Thomas G. Long
-- Emory University
"This very wise and moving book about renewal, identity, and the hopeful shape of the Christian life is a rare accomplishment. Wells helps us to think deeply about the ordinary round of life -- relationships, marriage, work, leisure, politics, death -- while at the same time encouraging us to lift our sights and to dream again, even the dream of God."
Michael L. Lindvall
-- The Brick Presbyterian Church
"How refreshing! Sam Wells offers intelligent and literary writing on Christian faith that is deeply rooted in Scripture and in his own faith and personal experience. He carries his readers far and wide into matters ranging from the routine challenges of daily life to those as edgy and current as the 'new atheism' and the threat of terrorism."
Interpretation
"A trained ethicist, Wells has the heart of a pastor, and this collection of essays reads like a series of sermons. Grounded in well-researched and thoughtful biblical exegesis, Wells explores the human condition through personal and pastoral stories, pop-cultural and artistic references. . . . Learning toDream Again lives up to its ambitious title, though this book is no flight of fancy."
Books at a Glance
"A captivating, yet hard to categorize work. . . . Perhaps it is best described as a Wisdom-Spirituality illustrated with personal testimony and contemporary moral reflection. . . . If you're willing to be stretched, challenged, and deepened, I strongly recommend Wells' Learning to Dream Again."