Father Factor: American Christian Men on Fatherhood and Faith

DESCRIPTION

Father Factor explores the intersection between faith and fatherhood, probing the resonance and dissonance created when men examine fatherhood in all its permutations, and how it is informed by and informs their faith.

There are a wide variety of Christian faith perspectives represented in the book—Methodist, Presbyterian, Quaker, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Baptist, Church of God, United Church of Christ—and a whole host of different ethnicities—Korean, Mexican, Pacific Islander, Egyptian, Chinese, African American, and Caucasian.

The contributors include ministers, professors, a real estate agent, an actor, nonprofit leaders, stay-at-home dads, and a call center representative, from locations as far apart as Honolulu, Hawaii to Paris, France, and all points in between, they each have a compelling story about faith and fatherhood.

AUTHORS

R. Anderson Campbell

REVIEWS & ENDORSEMENTS

In many ways, Father Factor is a work of art, a beautiful collage of humanity and soul, a thoughtful collection of stories detailing the lives, dreams, and fears of America's fathers. The essays in this book will make you laugh, bring you to tears, and at times, cause you to rethink your approach to parenting. But most of all, Father Factor will fill you with hope. - Matthew Paul Turner, author of Our Great Big American God

Sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking, this tender collection of stories from fathers opened both my eyes and my heart anew. Thank God for men like these! The children will honour them in the gates for this wise, honest, and necessary work. - Sarah Bessey, author of "Jesus Feminist"

These wonderfully readable accounts of father-son relationships are both candid and inspiring, exploring issues that touch many of us in deep ways. But they prod to go even deeper, pointing us to the ways our relationships with our human fathers shape--and all too often distort--our conceptions of the One whom we have been taught to address as "Our Father who art in heaven." - Richard Mouw, Theologian & Past President, Fuller Theological Seminary

From creating life to enduring death, Father Factor takes us through the tumultuous, often humorous, sometimes heartbreaking journey of fatherhood and faith. This is not a how-to manual; there are no lists of right and wrong, no simple strategies, no easy plans for becoming the perfect Dad. Instead, through this rich array of personal stories from fathering and being fathered, readers will feel inspired and challenged to examine their unique role as a parent, partner, and adult child as this book throws open wide windows for grace, forgiveness, and a Father's love. - Jamie Wright, author/blogger of theveryworstmissionary.com

This book inspired me to pray for fathers, encourage fathers and believe in the important work of fathering! Pulling from culturally diverse and compelling experiences, Father Factor gives voice to the strong men of faith who are shaped the Father’s love. This collection of inspiring stories affirms the various routes that fatherhood can take and shows that regardless of history or cultural context, men of faith can be powerful and vulnerable fathers. A true eye opener to the complexities and beauty of fatherhood. - Christena Cleveland, author of Disunity in Christ

I love memoirs -- who doesn't love a good story? -- and these short narratives are a joy to read, a reader's delight, getting a glimpse into the lives of others. There is wonder, loss, love, joy, pathos, romance and laughter, a little cursing and a lot of praise. But there is more: these are exceptionally brave stories from many different sorts of men reflecting profoundly about God the father, their own fathers (for better or for worse) and their own particular journeys into fatherhood. This is not a self-help manual, but guys from all stages of life with learn much and be better fathers because of it. Highly recommended. -Byron Borger, Hearts & Minds Books, Dallastown, PA

Father Factor reads like a jigsaw puzzle. Each story adds a puzzle piece to this aggregated post-modern picture of fatherhood, sonship, and the quest for wholeness. Not till the pieces were nearly all assembled did I realize I had borne witness to history—a moment when disparate Christian men joined together in common struggle—the fight to face and forsake the mirages of “manhood” previously stalked and preserved by their forefathers. Transparent, funny, heart-wrenching, and often brutally honest, these men are on a quest to discover what it means to be a man—a Christian man—in the world today. - Lisa Sharon Harper, Senior Director of Mobilizing at Sojourners and author of Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith