Help My Unbelief

by Rutledge

Powerful reflections on faith and doubt by a leading contemporary evangelist. Fleming Rutledge s first book, The Bible and the New York Times, has been hailed for its up-to-the-minute relevance to contemporary life. With this new volume Rutledge speaks directly to readers who are plagued by doubts and uncertainties about Christian faith. Among the host of challenging questions she addresses Doesn t everyone have their own idea of God? What if I m not very religious? Can we still believe in the Resurrection today? Rutledge s approach has been described as a combination of pastoral warmth and intellectual fearlessness. She aligns herself with the struggling questioner as she faces the most penetrating theological challenges of our day. At the same time, she entrusts herself as a preacher in this new millennium to the explosive force of God s Word. Duke University chaplain William H. Willimon, in choosing one word to characterize her, selected biblical. Provocative, learned, and displaying the elegance of expression for which Rutledge is well known, Help My Unbelief offers satisfying answers for those struggling with faith and doubt in our modern world.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Spirituality

308 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2000

Reviews

[Kim Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fleming Rutledge is a brilliant preacher. She knows how to distill principles in a very down to earth way. She is actually more "evangelical" than many Evangelical preachers I have heard, despite the fact that she is Episcopalian. I wonder how people in her own denomination felt about her. Her sermons really expose who God is and what he has done for us.

I would have given it a five-star rating except for the fact that she refers to events in the news in every sermon. Most of these were written between 1995 and 1999, and a younger reader would have a little trouble understanding some of the comparisons she made. Furthermore, it is a collection that I don't think anyone outside of a fairly middle-class, affluent culture could identify with. It is very American. That said, the collection was encouraging and challenging.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of sermon preached by Fleming during the 90’s. The chapter headings are a little misleading because the sermons are not necessarily tied together. Most of them do wrestle with the idea of faith and doubt.

What you should know about Rutledge’s style is that she constantly references current events and preaches in the mainline episcopal context. Her sermons continually refer to the liturgical calendar and different episcopal quirks. Your familiarity with these contexts will affect your experience of the sermons. Her continual references to the news is fascinating. Most of them are dated 20 years later, but it is interesting to see what was happening at the time.

If you are a fan of Fleming, then you will enjoy this book. If you haven’t read her before, then I would suggest starting with the crucifixion for a theological work, or her Advent sermon collection. I think these sermons are a weaker collection compared to her other work, but still worth reading.

[Andy White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fleming Rutledge sermon is a beautiful thing. An intertwining of current events, church calendar and lectionary readings that offer up theological insight and biblical truths that elevate the listener's (or in this case the reader's) gaze to who God is, how He acts on our behalf and who we are in Him. This is a collection of over 30 of these type of sermons. Reading this alongside another of her books The Crucifixion as you get to see how her theological understanding translates into congregational preaching.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collected sermons of my favorite preacher

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good collection of sermons, especially for those who are in doubt. Fleming's ability to speak to current events from the words of Scripture is incredible!

[Barb Terpstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fleming Rutledge is my new favorite Christian author. I just finished it last night and the last 2 sermons really spoke to me (Gideon and Peter's denial of Christ). I was looking for a highlight to share, but honestly, I feel like I've practically highlighted the entire book. I would highly recommend this book for it's practical and clear teachings.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another superb collection of sermons by Fleming Rutledge. She has an amazing way of combining orthodox Christianity with current events and our culture. Easy to read, hard to put down, but also intellectually challenging.

[Dorothy Greco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. 35 sermons preached at various times and in various locations by the author. They are insightful, pertinent, and short! They have become my evening devotionals.

[Jon Anderson]

Wonderful collection of sermons. Wish I had discovered Rutledge sooner

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of Fleming Rutledge sermons from the 90s. Anglican sermons are short and to the point. This is a reissue of the book first released 20 years ago.sermons are collected into topical areas. She is direct and clear as she outlines core Christian orthodox beliefs.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was under my desk at work. In my semi-annual purge of that black hole, I read a few pages of this and decided to bring this collection of sermons home. Either I hadn't noticed or had forgotten that Fleming Rutledge is a woman. She is one of the first women that the Episcopal church ordained in 1977.

I was able to use this as part of my devotions for about two months. Rutledge is a good writer and I could tell that her sermons would be interesting to hear. She had refreshing things to say about Paul and I found her sermons about Ruth and Lydia fascinating.

If I am going to enjoy a book, I want to learn something or have something to think about at the end. I want interesting characters and the better the writing, the happier I am. Fleming Rutledge gave me all these things. I may have to find something else to read that she has written.

I recommend this mostly to Christians of the liberal persuasion, to readers looking for something inspirational and to those who like to pick books up, read a bit and put them down. Most of these sermons were about five pages.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful collection of sermons by Fleming Rutledge. These are on the topic of belief in modern times. She always provides an original perspective on the Biblical text. You may not always agree with her, but she will provide thought-provoking interpretations which will aid in your reading and understanding of the text. Enjoy!

[Ryan Geer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot recommend this book highly enough. An outstanding collection of sermons.