"A Flexible Faith" delves into all those questions you've always wanted to ask about theology, but were afraid or discouraged to do so. This is not a light read, but it is an informative one and leads to many definitions of ideas, theology, hard issues and even explores denominational mores.Why do people believe what they believe? How does a Catholic differ from a Baptist? What is a charismatic? What are YOUR belief systems? Who are these founders of denominations and belief systems? What does the Bible say about it all? Where and how does Jesus fit into these churches or groups?Bonnie explores challenging topics and opens a door to how and why others believe what they do. I enjoyed delving into the 'backstory' of many denominations and organizations. Bonnie's ... More"A Flexible Faith" delves into all those questions you've always wanted to ask about theology, but were afraid or discouraged to do so. This is not a light read, but it is an informative one and leads to many definitions of ideas, theology, hard issues and even explores denominational mores.Why do people believe what they believe? How does a Catholic differ from a Baptist? What is a charismatic? What are YOUR belief systems? Who are these founders of denominations and belief systems? What does the Bible say about it all? Where and how does Jesus fit into these churches or groups?Bonnie explores challenging topics and opens a door to how and why others believe what they do. I enjoyed delving into the 'backstory' of many denominations and organizations. Bonnie's style is easy to understand and she has a conversational, rather than adversarial, way of sharing this information with the reader. She shares stories of those who have served and learned before us in the faith. There are short biographies, discussion questions and the author's personal viewpoints peppered in the chapters. There are also "elevator pitches" for many different, and perhaps, misunderstood, groups or people of faith.We would all do well to take the time to examine our own belief systems and be able to express the WHYs to those who don't believe like we do. Bonnie's book does this in a way that makes you want to invite others into the conversation of faith, without the fear of doing or saying the wrong thing. We are made for community, after all.I read an advanced reader PDF to review. I enjoyed this work very much, and all opinions are my own.

I have mixed emotions about this book. I highly agree with Kristian that we are in the midst of a knowledge crisis. People accept statements without documentation and criticize those who want evidence for a proposed truth. We don't even agree on the method for finding the truth. And, as Kristian says, this problem has infiltrated the church.Unfortunately, this book, while it is great in what Kristian says, it is not something my friend who reposts thoughtlessly would ever read. It is way too academic and not friendly to the common reader. This book may well be read by a pastor and then preached about. Otherwise I don't know how the people who really need the information included will get it.Here are some of the highlights of the book. I appreciate Kristian ... MoreI have mixed emotions about this book. I highly agree with Kristian that we are in the midst of a knowledge crisis. People accept statements without documentation and criticize those who want evidence for a proposed truth. We don't even agree on the method for finding the truth. And, as Kristian says, this problem has infiltrated the church.Unfortunately, this book, while it is great in what Kristian says, it is not something my friend who reposts thoughtlessly would ever read. It is way too academic and not friendly to the common reader. This book may well be read by a pastor and then preached about. Otherwise I don't know how the people who really need the information included will get it.Here are some of the highlights of the book. I appreciate Kristian reminding readers, "...Christian faithfulness does require sincere pursuit of truth in love." (557/4336) She explores news sources, admitting that most have a bias. She covers the lure of "fake news." She reminds us the explosive nature of words and that Christians are to put on kindness and respond with love. Christians should refuse to be part of the vindictiveness. She includes ideas on how to deal with conspiracy thinking. I like that she suggests we be intellectually honest people, asking ourselves whether we believe something because it is well-documents or because we just want it to be true. Further suggestions include eliminating social media apps and turning off cable news, rather choosing reliable sources. She also suggests reading about logical fallacies but offers no instruction herself.I wanted this book to be something the average Christian could read and from it glean some practical ways to evaluate statements and claims. I wanted a strategy for how one would go about determine the truth of a media post. While Kristian has provided an excellent analysis of the problem, there is a lack of applicability for the average Christian.