The Orthodox Heretic

And Other Impossible Tales

By: Peter Rollins

Narrated by: Peter Rollins

For so many, the Christian faith is viewed as little more than a drug that enables the weak to escape reality. An opiate that helps its users to avoid facing the injustice of the world and making a stand against it. In short, the Christian faith is perceived to be a counter-revolutionary ideology that keeps people passive, infantile, and ineffectual.

In contrast, Peter Rollins has crafted a series of parables that shatter this popular perception. Parables that demonstrate how radical faith has never been concerned with escaping the world we inhabit but rather with engaging it more fully. That genuine Christian faith has never capitulated to injustice but rather fought against it at every turn.

These parables outline a non-religious approach to a subversive message of Christianity, one that is not concerned with questions regarding theism and atheism, but rather one that invites us into a different way of living in the world.

©2008 Paraclete Press (P)2013 Peter Rollins

challenging and intriguing

i love his stories and he challenges my traditional ideas of the Christian faith. some of the stories will speak to you deeply depending on where you are on your journey.

Peter Rollins masterfully sets alight the heart

From page 1 Peter Rollins masterfully articulates the fruit of his pyro-theology, quickly burning through intricately and beautifully organized straw structures of the Christian faith. In true poetic and prophetic form, he points a finger at our clubhouse called church in the west and demands its burning; while reaching out to those not deemed worthy to entire its gates to feel the warmth of love as the embers burn. I have never read a book that is so enraging, while my conscious screams "though art the man!" (2nd Sam 12:1-15)

A book of stories or parables, replete with the wealth of wisdom, a treasure house of illustrations for the preacher daring enough to play with fire; and a kick in the gut to any who have relegated belief to a matter of the mind. Worthy of your time, but dangerous...which i believe was the intent. I will be meditating on this one the rest of my life.

incredible

best modern parables. so engaging and challenging and so true. read and be ready to see differently, if you let the lessons sink in

Creativity can be thought provoking

As a logical Western thinker it challenged me with eastern story telling. For a mid West person who values efficiency and effectiveness I was challenged to sit with the story and let it speak to me. Not just to find the answer and move on. But find an answer, and think about it, letting it marinate.

I really appreciated this book.

I devoured this book quickly. I listened to it on Audible while driving, so I’m not sure stopping it after each chapter made sense for me. After finishing it, I immediately ordered two copies- one for me and one for someone for whom I care deeply. I will now read it a chapter at a time to consider what each has to offer.

There are many reasons to read a book like this. I am a person of the Christian faith and read this in hopes it would challenge, deepen, and take my faith to more meaningful places. It did. Rollins plays with stories we have heard, even Biblical stories, and adapts some of them in ways which help us see some deeper truths we may not have considered before.

I feel that for the stories to have the most effect on the reader, he/she will need to allow the story to affect them. At least that’s how it was for me. I read hoping to consider something new, and most of the time I was not let down.

So read, reflect, ponder, and most importantly ACT on what you read.