Carol McEntyre

Baal and the Gods of More

Theology

“Andrew Root understands that pastors are haunted by the fear of church decline and its anxiety-producing realities. In Baal and the Gods of More, he interrogates the pastoral temptation to turn from Christ toward the market ideology of escalation as a means of salvation for our congregations. Drawing on 1–2 Kings, he exposes the seductive allure of modern fertility gods and urges pastors to recognize that these gods cannot produce the deep, abiding sense of God's presence found in relational ministry. They cannot summon the Spirit to a hospital bedside. Root compels pastors to interrogate our motives: Are we more concerned about market share or the people we are called to serve? He calls pastors to prayerfully surrender, to trust in the God who gives rest, to practice relational ministry as the work of the Spirit, and to believe that such faithfulness is enough.”