Dio’s Principal Jesse Zink has written a new book, Faithful, Creative, Hopeful: Fifteen Theses for Christians in a Crisis-Shaped World. The book will be officially released later this fall. 

“This is a book that really emerges from two places,” Dr. Zink said. “First, it comes out of the real sense of crisis that surrounds us, both as Christians and as people in the world. But the second place this book comes from is the teaching I do here at the college. In a very real sense, this is a book that could only have been written because of the prompting and prodding of our students over these years that I have been principal.” 

The point of departure for the book is the idea of polycrisis, that there is not just one crisis in the world today, but many—climate, migration, mental health, housing, race, and more—and that the combined impact of them is greater than the sum of them individually. In the book, Dr. Zink uses the structuring device of a thesis—a simple, declarative statements—to cover a range of topics, drawing on theology, Scripture, and on-the-ground ministry experience. The book is meant to be accessible to lay people and suitable for discussion in congregations.  

“Ultimately, this is a book about hope and confidence,” said Dr. Zink. “We live with faith—the literal meaning of the word confidence—in what God is doing in the world and so are enabled to have hope for the future against all odds. But hope is not an easy virtue. Nonetheless, our faith gives us the confidence to continue to witness in this challenging time.” 

Linda Nicholls, the recently retired Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, says that Faithful, Creative, Hopeful “maintains an encouraging focus on what is hopeful and faithful, calling us to practices that will ground the church for the future.” The Bishop of New Hampshire, Rob Hirschfeld, adds, “These theses present a way of finding God’s insistent vision for a church in need of thinking—no, of living!—bigger and with more hope than we have dared to in recent generations. An astute and resolutely clear-eyed student of both church and society, Zink presents the world-saving promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ while avoiding gimmick or game.” 

The college is hosting two different events—one in person and one online—to mark the publication of this book. The first is an in-person book launch at the college on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 from 5pm to 7pm. All in Montreal are very welcome to attend and can find information online.  

The second event is an online webinar, “Christianity in a Crisis-Shaped World,” on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 from 7:30pm to 9pm. Dr. Zink will be joined by the Most Rev. Anne Germond, Acting Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Rev. Michael Blair, Moderator of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches and General Secretary of the United Church of Canada, for a discussion of the book’s key themes and their application to the life of the church. This event is free and open to the public. To get the Zoom link, please sign up on our website.  

More information about the book can be found on the website of Church Publishing. Faithful, Creative, Hopeful is available for pre-order wherever books are sold. You can also read the introduction and the first two chapters for free on Google Books.