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kealex02's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this book is like sitting down for a cuppa tea with an old friend. Sarah's words captivated my heart and moved my spirit. I especially appreciated the chapter and the evangelical hero complex. As a preachers wife, I have asked many of the same questions Sarah poses. Her articulation of calling and vocation and living life fully where we are refreshes my soul and gives me hope. A beautiful book. Highly recommend!
jayoder16's review against another edition
5.0
Sure, there are parts of this i might not agree with, but it was oxygen to my wandering soul and wondering heart and mind.
lrl38's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Words of encouragement, but nothing from her story of detangling her personal faith
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Miscarriage
emilyrbedwell's review against another edition
4.0
I signed up for Sarah Bessey's launch team, not knowing what to expect. I've had Jesus Feminist sitting on my nightstand for the better part of a year, but it gets moved to the bottom of the pile as other books get added to my never-ending TBR pile.
I expected to find the book fine. I expected to find the book worth reading. I expected Out of Sorts to be another book I would be glad I'd read and then move on from, happy to have helped another book launch into the world.
Out of Sorts was all of that. It was all of that and more.
I wish I could just show you all the highlighted sections, but that would be ridiculous. I would have to just give you my PDF. I've attempted to write this review several times, but I couldn't figure out how to narrow down my thoughts. Then, in a moment of clarity, I realized what I wanted to say.
grace changes
Why are we so scared of change? Why are we so scared of our theology changing? Why are we so sure that questioning things will break our fragile faith into something different? Why do we not trust our own faith enough to know that God can take our questioning?
I used to think God was something I had to be careful about so I didn't rock the boat. Now I know God doesn't just accept our questions, he wants our questions. He wants us to question, to search, to find our theology and our faith in Him.
I have long been interested in the idea of childlike faith. I used to think I knew what that meant, but Bessey changed everything when she wrote this,
"The asking isn't wrong. The wondering isn't wrong. the doubt isn't wrong. It's humbling to admit you don't know; it takes guts to ask and wrestle. The childlike quality isn't unthinking acquiescence: it's curiosity. But here is the key of a child, the true wonder of childlike faith: They truly want to know. They're not asking to be cool or to push back on the establishment or to prove anyone wrong or to grind an ax or make a point without making a change. Tinies ask because they want an answer."
It's not about unthinking trust without questioning. Faith is asking the questions and finding the answers in the person of Jesus. It's about loving yourself enough to admit that the questions themselves are okay and the answers may change everything, but that's okay. Changing faith is real faith.
Changing theology is about the Jesus we thought we knew becoming the Jesus he has always been.
Sarah Bessey writes with a style that is all her own; unfinished thoughts and simple sentences written alongside deep questions and painful realizations that there are things that can change and that her journey matters. From a faith to not believing to back to finding Jesus as He has always been - steadfast, patient and present. Bessey's personal narrative is passionate and unflinching as she talks about how she wanted to believe but found her faith struggling. She is an honest, open writer who doesn't apologize but instead embraces her story. And then, at the end, the benediction and prayer will change your world.
Out of Sorts is worth the read, worth being challenge and worth trusting. Be brave. Find your faith again.
I expected to find the book fine. I expected to find the book worth reading. I expected Out of Sorts to be another book I would be glad I'd read and then move on from, happy to have helped another book launch into the world.
Out of Sorts was all of that. It was all of that and more.
I wish I could just show you all the highlighted sections, but that would be ridiculous. I would have to just give you my PDF. I've attempted to write this review several times, but I couldn't figure out how to narrow down my thoughts. Then, in a moment of clarity, I realized what I wanted to say.
grace changes
Why are we so scared of change? Why are we so scared of our theology changing? Why are we so sure that questioning things will break our fragile faith into something different? Why do we not trust our own faith enough to know that God can take our questioning?
I used to think God was something I had to be careful about so I didn't rock the boat. Now I know God doesn't just accept our questions, he wants our questions. He wants us to question, to search, to find our theology and our faith in Him.
I have long been interested in the idea of childlike faith. I used to think I knew what that meant, but Bessey changed everything when she wrote this,
"The asking isn't wrong. The wondering isn't wrong. the doubt isn't wrong. It's humbling to admit you don't know; it takes guts to ask and wrestle. The childlike quality isn't unthinking acquiescence: it's curiosity. But here is the key of a child, the true wonder of childlike faith: They truly want to know. They're not asking to be cool or to push back on the establishment or to prove anyone wrong or to grind an ax or make a point without making a change. Tinies ask because they want an answer."
It's not about unthinking trust without questioning. Faith is asking the questions and finding the answers in the person of Jesus. It's about loving yourself enough to admit that the questions themselves are okay and the answers may change everything, but that's okay. Changing faith is real faith.
Changing theology is about the Jesus we thought we knew becoming the Jesus he has always been.
Sarah Bessey writes with a style that is all her own; unfinished thoughts and simple sentences written alongside deep questions and painful realizations that there are things that can change and that her journey matters. From a faith to not believing to back to finding Jesus as He has always been - steadfast, patient and present. Bessey's personal narrative is passionate and unflinching as she talks about how she wanted to believe but found her faith struggling. She is an honest, open writer who doesn't apologize but instead embraces her story. And then, at the end, the benediction and prayer will change your world.
Out of Sorts is worth the read, worth being challenge and worth trusting. Be brave. Find your faith again.
edgoff's review
5.0
If you want a careful and structured Christianity, don't pick up Sarah Bessey's book. She embraces life, full of questions, limited answers, but she speaks and questions what she's heard her whole life. Sarah attempts to allow you to walk through her struggle while you're walking through your own. She isn't afraid to be bold. Rocking the beliefs that we believe just because someone told us to believe them. She's refreshing, candid and shared about her grief regarding losing her unborn babies and burn out from ministry. Questions and doubts don't need to be tampered.
tamara_joy's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
3.75
Thoughtful and easy to read; more like an honest conversation about her faith than some theological treatise.