Reframation
Seeing God, People, and Mission Through Reenchanted Frames

Alan Hirsch & Mark Nelson

Buy at reframationbook.com

As Christians, we can often be starved of imagination, wary of paradox, and devoid of mystery. Reframation is a passionate manifesto, calling followers of Jesus to reframe and reenchant our worldview, enlarging our perception of God and gospel. It’s an invitation to stretch our minds, expand our hearts, and awaken ourselves and those around us to the grand story of God.

Rooted in Scripture and drawing on poetry, literature, the arts, philosophy, and pop culture, Reframation refuses to settle for pious platitudes, and appeals to each and every one of us to experience and articulate the good news narrative in ways that resonate with the spiritual hunger and longings of those in our contemporary culture.

Hirsch and Nelson bring to this book a wide reading and a deep pondering. They mobilize a rich learning to offer a telling critique of our present disenchanted world—what my Dad used to term “the acids of modernity.” Happily they go beyond exposé to offer a thick direction for reenchantment. They appeal to narrative (whereby we may speak and hear of one-off impossibilities), imagination (that opens new worlds beyond our control), and repentance (that may yield fresh reframing.) This is a timely book for the current flattened, frightened world in which we live.

—WALTER BRUEGGEMANN, COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Reframation is so good that I want everyone to read it! Alan and Mark show that the good news has relevance to every aspect of humanity’s brokenness. They help us to see God, people, and mission, through reenchanted frames. The whole picture is stunning. This is going to help so many understand so much about what has been so misunderstood. A timely book for every Christ follower.

—CHRISTINE CAINE, FOUNDER OF A21 AND PROPEL WOMEN

I originally planned on only giving Reframation a “quick read,” but I seriously couldn’t do it! Every page pulled me in! Packed with eye-opening and potentially life-transforming insights, this wonderfully written treasure trove of research is as intellectually engaging as it is spiritually encouraging, to say nothing of being incredibly practically helpful. Having read this book, I don’t see how anyone could possibly give Hirsch’s and Nelson’s masterpiece a serious read and not find themselves reframing their conception of God, the world, and everything else in a more “enchanted way.” If it doesn’t cause you to reframe things in a significantly more beautiful way, you weren’t paying attention. Five plus out of five stars!

—GREGORY A. BOYD, SENIOR PASTOR OF WOODLAND HILLS CHURCH, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA; AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS BOOKS INCLUDING LETTERS FROM A SKEPTIC AND CRUCIFIXION OF THE WARRIOR GOD

In a time when more people are turning away from the church, Reframation helps us rediscover the beauty of the gospel and artfully extend it to those who need it the most.

—GABE LYONS, PRESIDENT OF Q IDEAS; CO-AUTHOR OF GOOD FAITH

When I finished reading Reframation my first thought was to wonder whether the authors now miss the actual process of writing it. It is both whimsically beautiful and stunningly thoughtful, helping the God-imagination to soar without changing or damaging the meaning of the Christian faith one iota. I am left pondering the retelling of the intersection of my own story with Scripture.

—LINDA BERGQUIST, CHURCH PLANTING CATALYST IN SAN FRANCISCO; CO-AUTHOR OF CITY SHAPED CHURCHES AND CHURCH TURNED INSIDE OUT

The church is in the middle of a reckoning. We need Reframation. In this book, Hirsch and Nelson probe the depths of theology and culture to offer us a faithful reframation of the gospel. They walk us through a wonderfully fresh journey that opens new spaces for Christ’s presence to make himself known in our lives and to the world in which we live. Amidst the struggling vineyards of mission in the West, Reframation is good fruit, ripe for this cultural moment.

—DAVID FITCH, BR LINDNER CHAIR OF EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY, NORTHERN SEMINARY, CHICAGO; AUTHOR OF FAITHFUL PRESENCE

In Reframation, Hirsch and Nelson’s call to reenchant the story of God is inspiring and compelling, though also unsettling. This is a challenge to break away from our preconceived ideas of how we encounter God and rediscover the awe and wonder of the divine presence in every person, place, and thing. Their call to constantly pay attention to the presence of God propels us out of our confining spiritual boxes into a reframed spiritual freedom. This is an important book that I recommend to all church leaders.

—CHRISTINE ARONEY-SINE, AUTHOR OF THE GIFT OF WONDER

In Reframation, Alan Hirsch and Mark Nelson set about to undo reductionist readings of Christianity. With C. S. Lewis, Martin Buber and Hans Urs von Balthasar acting as Sherpas, Hirsch and Nelson guide us through winding mountain paths, leading to an eventual summit vista from which we are able to take in the full grandeur of the biblical imagination.

—MARK SAYERS, SENIOR LEADER OF RED CHURCH, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA; AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS BOOKS INCLUDING DISAPPEARING CHURCH AND STRANGE DAYS

No one has influenced my understanding of the mission of God more than Alan Hirsch! So when Alan teamed up with Mark Nelson to write Reframation I knew I wanted to read it. In these pages you will discover a new frame around an aging picture that allows you to grasp a new understanding of God, people and mission. Read this book and you will get a fresh perspective on how to tell the story of the “good news.”

—DAVE FERGUSON, LEAD VISIONARY OF NEWTHING; CO-AUTHOR OF HERO MAKER: FIVE ESSENTIAL PRACTICES FOR LEADERS TO MULTIPLY LEADERS

Reframation is so refreshing. It throws open all the doors and flings open every window on the gospel, to broaden our vision and deepen our responsibility as God’s people. Alan and Mark have opened our eyes to the stunning, complicated, beautiful truth of Christ.

—MICHAEL FROST, AUTHOR OF INCARNATE AND SURPRISE THE WORLD

A deep and meaningful theological reflection that was both a joy and a relief to read. Finally, something that expands our view of God, opening us up to beauty, creativity, complexity, and ultimately hope.

—BRIAN SANDERS, FOUNDER OF UNDERGROUND CHURCH; AUTHOR OF UNDERGROUND CHURCH

In Reframation, Alan Hirsch and Mark Nelson survey the cultural forces that have stripped us of our spiritual instincts and any sense of the divine. Related to this loss of the transcendent, they throw a much-needed light on the many ways we have reduced our understanding of both God and the gospel. These reductionisms have severely limited the ways in which we think God is to be encountered and communicated in the world. This book is not only desperately needed by the body of Christ, but it’s also vital for those outside the church who don’t yet know Jesus as the Creator of all things. Reframation provides a significant step towards once again having eyes to see and ears to hear.

—BRAD BRISCO, CO-AUTHOR OF NEXT DOOR AS IT IS IN HEAVEN AND THE MISSIONAL QUEST