When Faith Disappoints: The Gap Between What We Believe and What We Experience

"Lisa Fields brilliantly offers hope for all who seek to practice their faith without the cruel dogma nurtured by Western culture."--Otis Moss III, senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago

Living as a Black woman in America, Lisa Victoria Fields understands the tension of relying on God in a broken world. While pursuing her calling in full-time Christian ministry--an often white, male-dominated vocation--she saw the contentions many people have with Christianity. She heard the theological questions, but instead of arguing for her faith, she listened to the barriers and heard the pain in their hearts: Why doesn't God protect me from suffering and injustice? Others don't seem to think I have value--does God?

Now, in her debut book, Fields shows us how emotional pain--often more than theological concerns--is at the root of our doubt. She invites us to bring our deepest soul questions to this journey as she explores:

- Seven pain points that might be keeping us from faith: a lack of personhood, peace, provision, pleasure, purpose, protection, and power
- Honest talk about how Christianity doesn't seem to meet our very valid needs
- Why wrestling with God doesn't negate our faith but instead deepens it
- What it looks like to allow God to bring healing to our pain so we can see Him and others more clearly

Through vulnerable storytelling and thoughtful use of Scripture, Fields tends to our hurting hearts and offers hope and resolve. She helps us move forward as we cling to a faith that brings us back to the truth of Christianity--not despite the pain of this world but in light of it.