Johnson writes of the things Christians know first and best: patience, responsibility, solidarity, stewardship, peacemaking. His discussion, however, is no ordinary one. Johnson exposes the way in which these dimensions of faith have been flattened, drained, domesticated, and finally rendered innocuous.

Johnson teases us into a fresh, dangerous encounter with the core of faith. To do so, he shares his rich and varied reading. Indeed, his render- ing is a conversation with the most poignant voices among us. The out- come of his work could be freshness of faith, bread for the day, courage for the long haul, and all along - passion. Such freshness, bread, cour- age, and passion, however, require a deep unlearning for us and a patient relearning Johnson both unteaches and reteaches us with authority.

Walter Brueggemann Columbia Theological Seminary

Guilt can get us to donate Fear can drive us to act. But George Johnson wants us to experience a paradox to know the world's suffering with new depth and to find hope, even joy, and a lifetime of engagement. Because George Johnson lives what he writes, his book lets us believe that we each are capable of making this discovery.