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Book Cover for: There Must Be More to This: Reimagining Evangelical Faith with Justice at the Core, Matt Hyam

There Must Be More to This: Reimagining Evangelical Faith with Justice at the Core

Matt Hyam

There Must Be More to This is a book about social justice. To get there it may have to unpick a lot of evangelical assumptions that, perhaps, you did not know you were allowed to unpick, and it may need to ask questions, that, perhaps, you did now know you were allowed to ask. In the end, hopefully, we will be able to rediscover ancient truths that much of Western evangelicalism has discarded or forgotten. Like many, Matt Hyam was brought up within evangelicalism, believing that it was the only true Christianity, but when he looks at how many supposedly core doctrines simply do not stand up to scrutiny, particularly when held up in the light of the views of many of the most influential the Early Church Fathers and Mothers, he had to start questioning this. The picture that begins to emerge is of a devoted God who loves his entire creation, who always sides with the oppressed, and who urges his church towards social justice, love and care for those who are vulnerable.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Hopeful Ink.
  • Publish Date: Aug 2nd, 2021
  • Pages: 204
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 7.81in - 5.06in - 0.43in - 0.45lb
  • EAN: 9781739900809
  • Categories: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation - GeneralChristian Living - Social IssuesChristianity - History

About the Author

Hyam, Matt: - "Matt Hyam started Southampton Vineyard Church at the age of 23 and led it for 29 years. He studied at Spurgeon's College and Westminster Theological Centre. It is his firm belief that following Jesus is meant to be simple. His passion for theology is driven by the desire to dig through the dirt to uncover the simple message of Jesus' call to radical discipleship. He has written two other books - I Still Have More Questions Than Answers and Life Before Death."

Praise for this book

"Matt Hyam is right. Indeed, there must be more. More to Christian faith than believing our creeds and living polite, upright, status quo lives. At the heart of the Jewish prophetic tradition that finds its zenith in Jesus Christ, we see that doing justice and loving mercy were pressing concerns ... to "hunger and thirst for justice," to pray "on earth as it is in heaven," is to centre our gospel in Jesus' personal Luke 4 commission. Matt gets that right. But something else is going on here, too. Wherever the church abandons her obligation to justice, "social justice" can become its own Christless (and often vengeful) religion. There Must Be More not only calls Christ-followers back to justice but reminds those who hunger for justice that it is fulfilled in the Jesus Way."- Bradley Jersak, Dean of Theology & Culture, St. Stephen's University, author of A More Christlike Word.

"Matt Hyam pulls few punches in this hard-hitting but winsome appeal to evangelical Christians to review their priorities. He knows that I don't agree with everything he has written - you may not either. But I encourage you to read it, reflect on it and face the challenges it presents, especially if, like Matt, you identify with the evangelical tradition. Matt's passion for justice and unity is evident, and his readiness to re-examine what he believes and practices is testament to his understanding of discipleship as a journey of discovery and increasing faithfulness." - Stuart Murray, author of Post Christendom.

"I've journeyed with Matt for around 30 years as we have served together in the same city. I've watched him grapple with his faith through complex and devastating situations. He has not been afraid to challenge the status quo or to ask the uncomfortable questions. I may not come to all the same conclusions, but I admire his integrity as he has pursued his calling as a husband, father, pastor, and friend. This book is a great summary of some of that journey. I hope it inspires us all to engage seriously with the beliefs and theology that has shaped us and where necessary we adjust our practises in its light."- Billy Kennedy. Senior Leader, New Community Church. Pioneer International Leader.

"Taking his cue from Jesus' mission statement in Luke 4 - which itself sits in continuity with the Hebrew Scriptures - the heart of Matt Hyam's new book is what a gospel that is faithful to the scriptural story is saying and offering to the suffering, the marginalised and the underprivileged in our world. Writing from within evangelicalism, he takes aim at some of that movement's established assumptions. However, his objective is not a negative Postmodern deconstruction but an invitation to ask ourselves whether our Modern gospel rendering may have lost some alignment with the message, mission and values of its founder. Will you 'agree' with everything Matt says here? Unlikely! But that is not the point - feel free to leave the bones at the side of the plate. The point is to allow ourselves to fruitfully engage with the uncomfortable questions. After all, maybe there is more to it than this." - Stephen Burnhope, author of How to Read the Bible Well.

"If you have been a pastor of a local church for decades, and remained committed to thinking deeply and praying hard about all that you have experienced; or if you have been a committed disciple of Christ for decades and take seriously St Paul's maxim that "anyone who thinks they know something, does not yet know as they ought to know" - then this is the type of book you might have wanted to write. If you have been part of the local church for any length of time, if you are a committed disciple of Christ who takes seriously St Paul's promise that there is a more excellent way than we have yet discovered - then this is the type of book you will certainly want to read. And in either case, the questions this book is asking are ones we all ought to be talking about." - Rev Mark Stafford, St Cross College, Oxford University