When Faith Fails

When Faith Fails

Wrestling with doubt can be profoundly lonely, but Portland pastor Dominic Done offers a safe place to openly wrestle with your faith without being criticized or judged. Writing with humor and candor out of his own experiences, and incorporating Scripture, literature, and accounts of others who have doubted, Dominic Done argues that not only is questioning normal, it is often a path toward a rich and vibrant faith. Rather than viewing trust and doubt as incompatible, When Faith Fails provides readers with a way to wrestle and ask questions while growing ever closer to God. No subject is off-limits, and Dominic fearlessly and graciously addresses topics including: the experience of tragedy the difficult parts of the Bible the intersection of science and faith the times when God is silent By walking in the path that many others have trod, you can move through doubt into a deeper, fuller faith—a faith that doesn’t run from questions and the hard work of honest wrestling but instead embraces the mysteries of belief. "This book is for those of us who have experienced a gut check, or two, when it comes to some of the intersections between our lives and our faith. It’s for those of us who no longer want to add unnecessary explanations to our beliefs just because we can’t fully see what God is doing in our lives." —Bob Goff, New York Times bestselling author of Everybody, Always “This book is one of those books that I will be buying to give to multiple friends.” —Jefferson Bethke, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus > Religion “This book will help you surrender and trust the areas of your life that are meant to exude God-designed mystery, while also holding your hand as you search for substance and truth.” —Audrey Rolo­ff, coauthor of A Love Letter Life, founder of Always More, and cofounder of Beating50Percent “Doubt is such a pertinent issue in this cultural moment. Dominic walks us through the issues of doubt with which we wrestle but he does so in pastoral practicality. One feels as though you are seated in his living room sipping coffee. Dominic is the type of soul who understands the questions of the heart. He never shames. He’s always transparent. He gives substantive hope.” —Emerson Eggerichs, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Love & Respect

When Faith Fails

On January 24, 2018, Dr. Larry Nassar was sentenced to 40-175 years in federal prison for abusing more than 245 athletes that were under his care spanning 30 years. At his sentencing, Randall Margraves had the opportunity to speak as the father of two of the abuse victims. Riddled with anger and grief, Mr. Margraves did what every parent in the courtroom wanted to do--he lunged at Dr. Nassar after being denied by the judge five minutes alone with him. Statistics of sexual abuse continue to rise in the United States. Sadly, a deviant culture has invaded our shores and stolen the innocence of our children. Kathryn’s story is only one of the millions of mothers who have had to deal with the repercussions of the sexual abuse of their daughters, and I would like to thank Kathryn and Kara for their bravery in sharing their personal experiences. For parents, it is a never-ending heartache filled with guilt and regret. Hopefully, the journey that God has brought Kathryn and Kara through will assist or enlighten the millions of parents coping with the aftermath of sexual abuse in their families. May you be spared of such devastation, but if not, until parents speak out, the world will never change. When your faith fails, please know that believing again is possible. Beth Withers Banning

Sunday School Journal for Teachers and Young People