Patrick Henry's Flashes of Grace: 33 Encounters with God
Patrick Henry's new book, Flashes of Grace: 33 Encounters with God (the title is different from the provisional title noted in Patrick’s entry in our 60th Anniversary Report), with a Foreword by Joan Chittister, is now at the publisher's website. It is available for pre-order there
(https://www.eerdmans.com/Products/7864/flashes-of-grace.aspx),
at Barnes & Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flashes-of-grace-patrick-henry/1137387687?ean=9780802878649), Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Grace-33-Encounters-God/dp/0802878644/), and probably elsewhere.
Publication date is next February 2, so while it won't be available for you to give as a Christmas gift, you can give it for Groundhog Day (over and over again!--and the movie actually appears in the book).
Patrick has received some fine endorsements. Here are a few:
"Sadly, it’s a bit unusual to encounter a book on Christian faith that simply conveys the ‘unbearable lightness’ of that faith – not with the dire fixed jollity of the sales rep, but with the wit, realism and loving wonder that speaks of a lifetime’s delighted discovery; as a woman married for forty years might speak of a partner or a child. Patrick Henry draws on an immense range of learning – as well as offering theological reflections on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' – to chart for us a territory where we can explore in confidence, expecting at every turn the completely unexpected and completely committed grace of God in Christ."
--Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of Canterbury
"This thoughtful and thought-provoking book, rich in reference to theologians, historians, biblical scholars, philosophers, and social critics – including those critical of religion – is for anyone who wants to understand what a Christian faith can mean in the present day. If you’re a seeker and a doubter with a liberal and ecumenical bent, this book helps you understand that you’re not alone. The author demonstrates that people like you have long been a valuable part of the Christian tradition."
--Kathleen Norris, author of "Dakota: A Spiritual Geography" and "The Cloister Walk"
"Patrick Henry’s 'Flashes of Grace' is a fascinating book. Written with the swoop and dip of lively conversation, and ranging through a lifetime of opinions and experiences, it’s a portrait of a deeply sincere Christian fully open to being astonished and illuminated by a changing world. Since Henry is a scholar and a teacher, his personal musings are infused with the history of religion. I learned so much from this book! Its good spirited honesty cheered me up."
--Norman Fischer, poet, Zen Buddhist priest, author of (prose) "The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path" and (poetry) "On A Train At Night"
"Patrick Henry is a giant of ecumenical imagination, and just the sort of giant you’d hope to encounter on a walk through the theological woods – well-read, thoughtful, humble, and wise. St. Ignatius taught us to find God in all things, and Henry certainly does – from philosophy to music, literature to tv shows, loss to profound joy. It is a delight to follow along through his eight decades of encounters with the grace of a God who is not stingily either/or but generously both/and."
--Cameron Bellm, blogs at "Krug the Thinker: Seeking the Sacred in the Everyday"
