"When I read the words of a younger believer like Nicholas McDonald—the words of someone who has doubted, questioned, asked, listened, seen, heard, and proven to be faithful—I see more light ahead in the church and the world. I think in reading these pages, you will too."
- Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination
A Hopeful Way Forward for Those Wrestling with Doubt
The Light in Our Eyes
Nicholas McDonald
For the millions who have felt disillusioned with American evangelical culture, this book is a lifeline for navigating the cynicism of both conservative and progressive beliefs to find real hope in the life and mission of Jesus.
As a pastor and author, Nicholas McDonald spent years helping people work through serious questions about the evangelical church’s gospel and its often hurtful responses to those confused by American Evangelical culture. He quickly realized that what these people needed—what he really needed—was not merely apologetics answers but the good news that speaks to their deepest dreams: love, beauty, and freedom—the very things Jesus promises to those who follow Him.
With excellent storytelling and profound insights from his own deconstruction journey, McDonald compassionately addresses the concerns so many readers have with the evangelical subculture’s sense of entitlement, nostalgia, and cynicism. And he outlines a clear path to finding restoration in Jesus. The Light in Our Eyes offers nine ancient practices to help you experience anew—or for the first time—Jesus’s love, beauty, and freedom and to embody and extend them in the world. Through the scriptural song of Zechariah and relatable, inspiring stories of men and women who have been restoried by the gospel of Jesus, this book reminds us that Jesus’ dreams fulfill what our hearts have longed for all along.
Journey from despair and darkness to faith and light as McDonald outlines a path to becoming reenchanted by the dreams Jesus has for each one of us, the church, and the world. To take up His dream is the invitation to believe again, and to hope again.
**Click the book cover above to start reading chapter one now.**
Praises
"McDonald invites us to reclaim a vision of Christian faith that isn't bound on either side by argumentation and contemporary political positions. This charming, insightful, and funny book casts a vision for faith that is, in fact, quite ancient."
- John Hendrix, NY Times Bestselling author of The Mythmakers
"The path to recovery begins by being disillusioned with disillusionment, finding a road to more joy (not less) and thereby finding one’s way back to the genuine Jesus. This is a desperately needed book."
-Richard Lints, Senior Advisor, Redeemer City-to-City (NYC) and senior Professor of Theology, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary
The church may have many cracks, but—to riff off a song by Leonard Cohen—sometimes that’s how the light gets in, guiding us back to the beauty of God. With this book, McDonald rings the bell that still can ring and beckons us to listen and look.”
—Wesley Vander Lugt, theologian and author of Beauty Is Oxygen: Finding a Faith That Breathes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo: ©Nicholas Ewing
Nicholas McDonald
Nicholas McDonald is the Associate Pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in central Indianapolis and has served in ministry for over fifteen years. His previous positions have included roles in youth ministry and four years as the Campus Minister of Reformed University Fellowship at the University of Missouri. McDonald received his degree from Gordon Conwell Seminary and studied creative writing at Oxford University. He writes regularly for The Gospel Coalition and is the author of Faker.
