Description
Book SynopsisWhat if the annoying person you try to avoid is actually seconds away from becoming an accidental saint in your life? What if, even in our persistent failings, holy moments are waiting to happen? In Accidental Saints, New York Times bestselling author Nadia Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls “a religious but not-so-spiritual life.” Tattooed, angry, and profane, this unlikely priest stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. But God keeps showing up in the least likely of people—a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, and a gun-toting member of the NRA. As she lives and worships alongside these “accidental saints,” Nadia is swept into first-hand encounters with grace—a gift that often feels less like being wrapped in a warm blanket and more like being hit by a blunt instrument. But by this grace, people are transformed in ways they couldn't have been on their own. In a time when many have become disillusioned with Christianity, Accidental Saints demonstrates what happens when ordinary people share bread and wine, struggle with scripture together, and tell each other the truth about their real lives. This unforgettable account of their faltering steps toward wholeness will ring true for believer and skeptic alike. Told in Nadia’s trademark confessional style, Accidental Saints is the stunning next work from one of today’s most important religious voices.
Trade Review“This is a collection of stories about how liturgy (who would have imagined?), ritual (what?), church (really?), and a bunch of flawed people (like us?) can catch the light of grace and catch fire with the beauty of God. For so many reasons, you really should read it.” -- Brian D. McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity and A Generous Orthodoxy
“I always feel narcissistic when I affirm writers who think like I do. But Nadia says it–and does it–so much better, with much more humor, more living examples, and a conviction that will convict you!” -- Richard Rohr
“If Saint Augustine were to return to life and live among us now, he would be Bolz-Weber; and if his Confessions were to be written in 21st century rhetoric and style, they would be this book. Accidental Saints is what every Christian yearns to know is possible.” -- Phyllis Tickle
"Accidental Saints is a triumph in faithful storytelling. In just a few lines of description and dialog, Nadia Bolz-Weber manages to capture all that is beautiful and maddening and frightening about our shared humanity, including her own inconsistencies and struggles as a Jesus-loving sinner-saint. This is one of those rare books that will make you simultaneously wince with recognition and sigh with relief. A must read for every screw-up and asshole caught up in God’s grace.” -- Rachel Held Evans, author of A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Searching for Sunday
“Nadia Bolz-Weber’s new book is even tougher, sharper and sweeter than Cranky, Beautiful Faith: in painfully honest stories, she pulls back the curtains of religious life to show how church—the actual, living body of God—is created among us. This is a book for everyone who yearns to be made new.” -- Sara Miles, author of Take This Bread and City of God
“This book made me so happy to be a Christian. Honest and funny, deep and insightful, Accidental Saints disarmed me and then, right when I was vulnerable, Nadia’s words snuck right in to mess with me.” -- Sarah Bessey, author of Jesus Feminist and Out of Sorts
