Christianity's Living Fire: Meaning, Freedom, Community, and the Cross After Certainty

What remains when belief is fading? A Christianity for free people.For many thoughtful people, traditional Christianity no longer commands belief. Its miracles, doctrines, and claims to exclusive authority may feel impossible to affirm. Yet leaving certainty does not erase the human need for meaning, moral formation, ritual, forgiveness, community, beauty, or hope. Nor does it erase the enduring force of Jesus's life and teachings.Christianity's Living Fire asks whether the Christian tradition can be entered again without intellectual surrender.Rodney Ashfield separates the living fire of the Gospel-love of neighbour, freedom of conscience, solidarity with the vulnerable, forgiveness, service, courage, and shared responsibility-from the human containers that have too often claimed to own it. Drawing on history, philosophy, biblical scholarship, and lived religious experience, he examines the historical Jesus, the cross, resurrection, scripture, prayer, worship, confession, leadership, and community without demanding supernatural certainty as the price of belonging.This is neither a defence of inherited Christianity nor a rejection of everything it has carried. It is an effort to recover what still gives light while confronting the hierarchy, coercion, shame, exclusion, and abuse that have too often dimmed it.Inside, readers will discover: - What can responsibly be known about the historical Jesus- How the cross can retain meaning without punitive metaphysics- A naturalistic approach to resurrection, scripture, prayer, and worship- A faith shaped by practice, service, forgiveness, and moral courage- A church rooted in equal dignity, democratic restraint, freedom of conscience, and the right to leave- Appendices for communities seeking to renew their experience of Jesus- Teachings and insights for life in our material universeWritten for former Christians, questioning believers, non-theists drawn to Jesus, clergy seeking honest reform, and spiritually homeless readers who refuse both dogma and nihilism, Christianity's Living Fire offers a serious and constructive path forward.A faith after certainty. A church without domination. A living fire for our material universe.Rodney Ashfield has devoted these ideas and this entire series "Sacred Ideas in Our Material Universe" to the brave work of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the spirit of Christopher Hitchens-fearlessly, respectfully, and with curiosity."The kingdom of God is within you." - Luke 17:21 (NIV)