Growing in Faith: A Guide for the Reluctant Christian

Young covers everything from church history...to worship and prayer...this is an excellent book. --Publishers Weekly

"This book is dedicated . . . to all those . . . who consider themselves Christian but . . . are unsure of their beliefs . . . and to the millions of church-going Christians whose faith was formed and informed in childhood but is stuck there." With these words Yount, a former clergyman and now chairman of the Seminary at the Washington National Cathedral, opens a work of astounding depth and thoroughness. Yount covers everything from traditional church history and personal relationships with Jesus to liturgy, worship and prayer as well as a catalogue of problems ranging from the unpopularity of many messages implicit in Christianity to the unresolvable mysteries explicit in Christian and Jewish scripture. There are incisive questions for study after each chapter and three appendices for further help in guided reading and the nurture of faith. Suitable for groups or individuals, this is an excellent book.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Yount has been involved in Christian education for much of his career and has taught continuing education to clergy of various denominations. He addresses his book to those who consider themselves Christians but . . . are unsure of their beliefs or are alienated from the faith of their childhood and seeks to provide a better understanding of what adult faith means. He covers the common ground of basic Christian belief, ethics, history, and practice; he also includes study questions, guides to Bible reading, and a collection of prayers from various sources. Yount writes clearly and engagingly, addressing the reader in a straightforward and unsentimental tone: The two great commandments are to love God and to love one's neighbor. All the rest is footnote. He faces difficult theological issues with an unflinching honesty that should appeal to the skeptic. Occasionally, he shows his Catholic perspective, but usually he succeeds in avoiding sectarian bias. His book fulfills its promise and should appeal to thoughtful readers. Carol Branscomb