The Theology of Surprise

John L. Epps has written "The Theology of Surprise" as a collection of essays, articles and reflections over a life time of his own encounters with life's mysteries. Through several decades he reflects on where mystery has impinged on his life as he sees it, part and parcel of the civilizing process around him.

In the Foreword to "The Theology of Surprise: Exploring Life's Mysteries" William A. Holmes, Minister Emeritus of United Methodism's National Church in Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Memorial says: "The Theology of Surprise: Exploring Life's Mysteries"....A book of essays on different subjects by the same author can be off-putting if that's all the subjects have in common. What one soon discovers in this book is that, for all its diversity of subjects, there is a bright thread running through John Epps' essays which connects them, not only to each other, but to an all-encompassing theological perspective. Without apology, that perspective is derived from the Judeo-Christian tradition - albeit existentially contemporized for persons living in a 21st Century world..

"If you are religious because you treasure "eternal verities," if you are happy that "on solid rock I stand," this book is probably not for you. But...if you are humble enough to lay your faith down before the Mystery of Life.... If you are unfulfilled by dogmatic certainties calcified in archaic language, you will benefit greatly by Epps' observations about theological surprise." Dr. E. Maynard Moore, WesleyNexus.org.

"The challenges facing the planet are known to us all. The clash amongst cultures, the persistence of hunger and disease, the apparent poverty of every political system in operation today, the overwhelming complexity of unraveling the damage that we humans have inflicted on our home, this planet: we are in an age of agonizing quandary...Here you will find theology being reinvented for now and the future. The work of this deeply grounded thinker is profoundly respectful of the entire array of religious traditions. Epps is convinced that we can invent a future that cares for all." John Patterson, Abby Gardens Community Trust.

"Every Sunday I go to church and wonder why I am there. The words, hymns, creeds, and stories I learned with my mother's milk are often more of a hindrance to participation than an inspiration...I think restatement of faith is the challenge of our time, for those of us both in and out of the pew. I know John Epps to be uncommonly thoughtful, with broad life experience." Louise Singleton, MSPH, HIV/AIDS Prevention.