Sublime

Theology mattered greatly in the substantive moral systems the church once offered. We needed to think deeply about what certain practices do to us, both in time and in eternity. We needed to be concerned about which forms, virtues, and character traits draw us near to the divine or toward damnation.

Yet what’s fascinating is that Henry upped the ante. He called for a change in the conception of the pastor. Henry claimed that the pastor is to witness to this divine

But as we’ll see, both needed to take on particular visions of divine action next to their pastoral practice, embedding their own personhood in these visions to clearly lead their people into divine action.

But it’s much less so for persons seeking a good life, and communities of faith seeking the communion of the Holy Spirit through the crucified Christ felt as the shalom of God the Father.

But this prodding would no longer come from a set-apart holy man, consecrated by enchanted oil or a Yale degree. Rather, Henry’s prodding was done as “one of us.” Henry threw off any sense that he was a class above or beyond, as so many clergy embodied.

Some of the beliefs that I will address are: “You don’t need to believe in God to have a full life of meaning, hope, and satisfaction” (chapters 3, 4, and 8). “You should be free to live as you see fit, as long as you don’t harm others” (chapter 5). “You become yourself when you are true to your deepest desires and dreams” (chapters 6 and 7). “You

action by personifying acceptance and friendship. It is the pastor’s task, Henry believed, to run at the speed of intimacy—and this was very different from pastors before him.