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Holy Unhappiness by Amanda Held Opelt (Hardback)
£22.00
Out of stock
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781546001928
Published:
03 Aug 2023
Format:
Hardback
Number of pages:
272 pages
Dimensions:
232x156x26mm
Weight:
0.440kgs
Author:
What does it mean to be blessed? Are Christians entitled to happiness, fulfilment, and perfect peace? 'Holy Unhappiness' explores these questions and challenges the false beliefs many in the church hold about 'the good life' and what it means to walk in communion with God. American Christians have developed a long list of expectations about what the life with God will feel like. In 'Holy Unhappiness', Amanda Held Opelt, author of 'A Hole in the World', grapples with her own experience of disillusionment when life didn't go the way she expected. She examines some of the historic, religious, and cultural influences that led to the idolization of positive feelings and the marginalization of negative feelings.
American Christians have developed a long list of expectations about what the life with God will feel like. Many Christians rightly deny the prosperity gospel-the idea that God wants you to be healthy and wealthy- but instead embrace its more subtle spin-off, the emotional prosperity gospel, or the belief that happiness and spiritual euphoria will inevitably follow if you believe all the right things and make all the right choices. In this view, frustration is deemed unholy, fear is seen as a failure of faith, and sadness is a sign of God's disfavour.
In Holy Unhappiness, Amanda Held Opelt, author of A Hole in the World, grapples with her own experience of disillusionment when life with God didn't always feel the way she expected it to feel. She examines some of the historic, religious, and cultural influences that led to the idolization of positive feelings and the marginalization of negative feelings. Unpacking nine elements of life that have been tainted by the message of the emotional Prosperity Gospel - including work, marriage, parenting, calling, community, and church - she points to a new path forward, one that reimagines what the "blessed" life can be like if we release some of our expectations and seek God in places we never thought to look.
This is a book that asks "what good is God?" when he doesn't always make sorrow go away or soothe every fear. It is a book that explores our aversion to sadness and counts the costs of our unrelenting commitment to optimism. This is a book that insists there is holiness to be found even in our unhappiness.
About the Author: Amanda Held Opelt is a speaker, songwriter, and author of the book A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing. She believes in the power of faith, community, ritual, worship, and shared stories to heal even our deepest wounds. Amanda has spent the last 15 years in the non-profit and humanitarian aid sectors. She lives in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina with her husband and young two daughters.
| Number of pages | 272 |
|---|
We will despatch your order as quickly as we can. If, for whatever reason, a product is out of stock we will contact you to discuss the likely delivery time or an alternative product.
| First Item | 2 Items & Over | |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £3.75 | £5.00 |
| EU | £15.00 | £30.00 |
| USA & Canada | £30.00 | £50.00 |
| Rest of the World | £45.00 | £60.00 |
| Collect in Store | free | free |
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First Item @ £30.00
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First Item @ £45.00
2 Items & over @ £60.00 in total
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