Paradox Lost: Rediscovering the Mystery of God

For any Christian who’s grown weary of pat answers and would rather find a way to embrace the unanswerable questions of life and faith rather than seeking to explain them away, Richard Hansen’s Paradox Lost provides a bracing and wonder-filled invitation to a deeper, better way of knowing God.

Too often the tensions and unanswerable questions of Scripture and the Christian life are seen as barriers to faith. In Paradox Lost, pastor and author Richard Hansen shows that they are exactly the opposite—indeed, God’s mysteries are one of the places where we may encounter him most closely.

In exchange for Enlightenment-based rationalism that can stunt spiritual imagination, Hansen invites readers to:

• Discern that there is a hiddenness to God that can be inviting rather than threatening
• Appreciate that God is far greater than we sometimes assume, and to adjust our mental maps to make more space for awe
• Realize that faith and reason are not enemies but rather dance partners that complement one another

Hansen examines three kinds, or “orders,” of biblical paradox, each at a deeper level than the last, demonstrating for readers that paradox is both endemic to modern life and also a natural part of the landscape of Christian faith. Paradox Lost doesn’t seek to solve or justify paradox; instead, it looks through paradox toward what it reveals—namely a holy, mysterious, and awesome God.