God, who on earth are you? - Stephen McCarthy

The mysterious Other that many of us sense and that Christianity - drawing on the life of Jesus - calls God, is the starting point of this book. But, the Christian Churches are no longer conveying the wonder of the Christian mystery, the challenging nature of Jesus message for the world but also Gods deep, merciful love for us and the invitation into a relationship with him through prayer or through other spiritual practices including pilgrimage. Church teaching has become tired and routine. It should be fundamentally renewed and their institutional structures reformed for todays world. The books final chapters consider how Christians should engage with the seemingly intractable problems - from environmental destruction to the inhuman exploitation of many people and the obscene levels of inequality - that characterize society today. An autobiographical thread runs through the text as the author, a committed Catholic Christian, draws on experiences and vignettes from his own life. The final conclusion is one of hope; God will not abandon us or his world, though we do not know how the future will unfold.