The Freedom to Choose Life

Scott W Gustafson

The Freedom to Choose Life
Format
Hardback
Publisher
Wipf & Stock Publishers
Country
United States
Published
28 May 2024
Pages
240
ISBN
9798385213191

The Freedom to Choose Life

Scott W Gustafson

In The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky proposes ministry as the way to resist and overcome the world's evil. He employs two plotlines to do so. The action plot concerns the events surrounding the murder of Fyodor Karamazov. All evidence points to Dmitri Karamazov. Rational, circumstantial evidence convicts him; yet the reader knows he is innocent. The ministry plot occurs in this dark context where "small acts of love" are performed by The Elder Zosima, Alyosha Karamazov, and many others. These acts of love all answer this unspoken question, "What can be said and done in Jesus' name that opens the future to new possibilities in contexts heretofore deemed closed and without hope?" Asking and answering this question is the essence of ministry, and since the question can be asked in any context, ministry is possible anywhere. Dostoevsky's unabashed antisemitism, however, undermines his brilliant analysis. The concluding chapters document how unconfessed sins like antisemitism exert a death-dealing power that undermines our cultures, our communities, and our ministries. The Freedom to Choose Life shows how ministry resists and overcomes evil by these small acts of love and by the global effects of repenting of humanity's unconfessed sins.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 2 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.