Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry

by Brad East

An invitation to the Christian faith for the bored, the distracted, and the spiritually hungry 
 
Dear future saint, 
 
Why is the gospel worth living for? 
 
Why is it worth dying for? 
 
In these letters, a fellow pilgrim addresses future the bored and the distracted, the skeptical and the curious, the young and the spiritually hungry. Lively and readable, these bite-sized letters explain the basics of Christian life, including orthodox doctrine, the story of Scripture, the way of discipleship, and more.  
 
Interweaving Scripture, poetry, and theological writings, Letters to a Future Saint educates readers in the richness of the Christian tradition. But beyond that, this earnest and approachable volume offers young people— who may be largely uninformed of the depths of faith despite having been raised in Christian homes —an invitation into the life of the church and into a deeper relationship with God

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Spirituality

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

Brad East (PhD, Yale University) is assistant professor of theology in the College of Biblical Studies at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He is the editor of Robert Jenson’s The Triune Story: Collected Essays on Scripture (Oxford University Press, 2019) and the author of The Doctrine of Scripture (Cascade, 2021) and The Church’s Book: Theology of Scripture in Ecclesial Context (Eerdmans, 2022). His articles have been published in Modern Theology, International Journal of Systematic Theology, Scottish Journal of Theology, Journal of Theological Interpretation, Anglican Theological Review, Pro Ecclesia, Political Theology, Restoration Quarterly, and The Other Journal; his essays and reviews have appeared in The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Comment, Commonweal, First Things, The Hedgehog Review, Living Church, Los Angeles Review of Books, Marginalia Review of Books, Mere Orthodoxy, The New Atlantis, Plough, and The Point.

Reviews

[Amy Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely book. I’m not sure it *quite* hits the accessibility level to be able to hand to a teenager as their “first” theology book, or to make sense to readers without some prior Christian education. It might be at its best possible use case in a small group setting, going thru a few letters at a time, with a leader capable of providing more context.

Still a beautiful work from Brad!!

P.S. I’m *very* critical of whoever did the design on this one. Brad’s lovely writing would be so much better served if the aesthetics, setting, typography of the book had been better crafted. Sad to see good writing not complemented with excellent design!

[Evan Dozer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, East aims to lay out the foundations of the Christian faith throughout 93 letters. While certainly not exhaustive, he makes them clear and accessible to anyone willing to pick up this book and read it.
His goal throughout the letters is not to represent one denomination, but rather the one faith of Christ's body that would be recognizable by both the Christian today and the Christian who lived 1500 years ago.
This book challenges the reader to think about what Scripture has to say about creation, mankind, sin, death, Israel, the gospel, and the end times (to name a few). The letters take us throughout the whole realm of Scripture while also tying in various aspects of poetry, theology, and church history.
While most will not agree with every single one of East's beliefs, every Christian will delight in where he lays his foundation and hope throughout this book - the One who is at the center of the faith, Jesus Christ.

[Simon Wadlington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly my book of the year. As it stands*. Year isn’t over sweetheart 😈😉 Solid read, compelling medium of letters. Deep ideas into conversational tone with clearly communicated ideas through beautiful illustrations and imagery. Cannot recommend it enough and I tell everyone about it.

[Michele Morin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brad East writes beautifully about what he believes to be true about God, the church, prayer, the sacred text, and what it means to live as a believer in the historic Christian faith. He shares important points of history that have shaped Christianity and its practice and asserts that "we need not build Christianity from scratch in each new generation. We build on what came before us..." I found his emphasis on adoption to be enlightening and clarifying and his cautionary words about doubt as a virtue to be spot on.

In my opinion, Letters to a Future Saint is strongest on the points where East and I disagree. I've never been disagreed with so graciously! Ultimately, we are both submitting to the process of being made holy. We are both "future saints," and I can't think of anything I'd rather be.

[Josh Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book I really really liked, and I appreciated the structure of short personal letters. I'm not really sure who it would be good for though. It's addressed to the "spiritually hungry," but I can't imagine giving it to someone who isn't already pretty invested in their faith. I don't think a seeker would give it the time of day, since it already assumes the truthfulness of the Christian faith (i.e. this is not an apologetics book). It might work well as a sort of catechism or new member class at a church, or maybe a small group Bible study. I like a lot of how he explains Christian doctrine, but I really did not like his chapter on creation and evolution. I appreciated his generous spirit, in not maligning those he disagrees with, but did not think he explained it well.

[Bicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich and beautiful journey through the story of the Christian faith told through passionate, personal letters from a believer whose life has been utterly transformed by walking in the Way. East helps readers navigate crucial questions, pointing out areas where not all Christians agree; he does share his own perspective, however, while showing respect to those who think differently. He also skillfully instructs Christians in practices of ethics and liturgy, upholding them as the means of God’s grace in our lives. East’s masterful work celebrates the glory and beauty of the great hope to which the church is called: a full and trusting self-surrender to the work God in Christ, our all in all.

[Erik Bonkovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book. I almost gave it 5 stars.

First, it’s written as letters and yall know I’m a sucker for letters.

Second, it is an irenic summary of the basic ideas of Christianity.

Third, it’s written in a tone that’s approachable for seekers and for searchers. I thought of multiple people I’d like to give this book.

I think the best way to read it might be one letter per day, slowly and meditatively. Even better, do that within a group of a few others and text one another about the meaningful parts of each day’s chapter.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It's organized as a series of letters to a future Christian so presumably it's for a young person who's exploring the faith and as such it's a combination of apologetic (a little bit) and catechism (mostly). I echo some of the other reviews in that I'm not sure it fully works for that purpose - while friendly and concise, it's also fairly dense in ideas and terminology. I would even say it may work better as a refresher for people who already believe, as it summarizes the faith really well. That's actually why I liked it so much, it made me ponder quite a bit.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure I would have picked this book, I read as part of a group at my church. The short letter style makes it easier to read but some of the ideas and language are aimed at readers a higher reading level and knowledge of Christianity.

[Phil Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

an accessible, ecumenical, narrative catechism in an epistolary format. drawing from a deep and wide pool of the Christian tradition and many of our wisest saints, East unveils a beautiful depiction of the Christian faith boiled down to its essentials. loved it. will return to it.

[Melanie Springer Mock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Current magazine will be forthcoming. I'm definitely not the primary audience for this text, though can imagine readers for whom this book will be very meaningful.