Beyond the Parameters

""Richard Irwin shows us that one doesn't need mind-numbing jargon to write a powerful, challenging, and compelling book on following Jesus in our chaotic and hazardous world. It is many things braided together: a sustained engagement with Jeremiah, a series of sermons and pastoral reflections, and profound personal testimony. As a veteran pastor and a serious student of Scripture and the world, Irwin does so much of importance in relatively few pages. Be good to yourself and your friends and take time to sit with Irwin's humble-yet-courageous gift to the church."" --Michael L. Budde, Professor of Political Science and Catholic Studies, DePaul University ""Forget the 'nice book, ' this is a theological punch in the gut. Through the fierce, faithful lens of the prophet Jeremiah, Irwin delivers a timely and unsettling confrontation for the American church. Supported by powerhouse scholars, he precisely exegetes Scripture to draw incisive parallels between Judah's fall and the church's precarious witness. This essential work tackles the central question: What does faithful leadership look like when everything is falling apart? It doesn't sugarcoat. It tells the truth loud, clear, and costly, and dares you to hope anyway."" --Stephen Cheyney, Minister, Niner United, University of North Carolina Charlotte ""Part essay, part commentary on Jeremiah, part sermon--Irwin lays out the challenges facing the church in the United States in this 'time of profound loss.' Through it all, his pastoral heart and love of the church shine bright as he calls us to a 'more faithful, cross-carrying way, ' and to 'live out the story of hope' in these times."" --Victor Hinojosa, Associate Professor of Political Science, Baylor University ""Pastor Irwin is an unlikely Jeremiah. He lives in the foothills of Western North Carolina and could take refuge there in an easy path to being a white Christian. Instead, he decries--not the deep faith or the authentic civic belonging of his fellow believers--the terrifying idol of an 'America' that has taken root across the nation. Irwin's Appalachian jeremiad will raise up new leaders for the church and nation."" --Peter Casarella, Professor of Theology, Duke Divinity School ""Richard Irwin shows us that one doesn't need mind-numbing jargon to write a powerful, challenging, and compelling book on following Jesus in our chaotic and hazardous world. It is many things braided together: a sustained engagement with Jeremiah, a series of sermons and pastoral reflections, and profound personal testimony. As a veteran pastor and a serious student of Scripture and the world, Irwin does so much of importance in relatively few pages. Be good to yourself and your friends and take time to sit with Irwin's humble-yet-courageous gift to the church."" --Michael L. Budde, Professor of Political Science and Catholic Studies, DePaul University ""Forget the 'nice book, ' this is a theological punch in the gut. Through the fierce, faithful lens of the prophet Jeremiah, Irwin delivers a timely and unsettling confrontation for the American church. Supported by powerhouse scholars, he precisely exegetes Scripture to draw incisive parallels between Judah's fall and the church's precarious witness. This essential work tackles the central question: What does faithful leadership look like when everything is falling apart? It doesn't sugarcoat. It tells the truth loud, clear, and costly, and dares you to hope anyway."" --Stephen Cheyney, Minister, Niner United, University of North Carolina Charlotte ""Part essay, part commentary on Jeremiah, part sermon--Irwin lays out the challenges facing the church in the United States in this 'time of profound loss.' Through it all, his pastoral heart and love of the church shine bright as he calls us to a 'more faithful, cross-carrying way, ' and to 'live out the story of hope' in these times."" --Victor Hinojosa, Associate Professor of Political Science, Baylor University ""Pastor Irwin is an unlikely Jeremiah. He lives in the foothills of Western North Carolina and could take refuge there in an easy path to being a white Christian. Instead, he decries--not the deep faith or the authentic civic belonging of his fellow believers--the terrifying idol of an 'America' that has taken root across the nation. Irwin's Appalachian jeremiad will raise up new leaders for the church and nation."" --Peter Casarella, Professor of Theology, Duke Divinity School