A Journey in Imagination

A Journey In Imagination offers the hope of an alternative to a world convulsed by hostility and violence. Through an imaginative journey into Bible stories, incidents, and verses, the possibility of reversing hostility in both personal and communal life is explored. Biblical hospitality is neither a head in the sand nor a pie in the sky pleasantry. Instead it is the daring and challenging work of reversing hostility through seeing the 'other' fully as a human being. We may be failing at relationships, but that does not mean that we are doomed forever to fail. Too many of the tensions between the haves and the have-nots, between races, and between different religious traditions seem to have only two alternatives: violence and more violence. Life and relationships do not have to be this way. By exploring incidents that demonstrate alternatives to hostility, the book addresses this failure of imagination. This book is also a response to the accusation that the God of the Old Testament is little more than a God of vengeance and violence. To the contrary, the God of the Old Testament is the same God to whom Jesus prayed. Throughout the Bible, God yearns for a reversal of hostility. ""A Journey in Imagination is a rich tapestry of imaginative retelling of biblical narratives, personal stories, and cultural and theological commentary. From the patriarch Abraham in Genesis 18 to the runaway slave Onesimus in the book of Philemon, Dr. Sargent uses the tools of biblical interpretation and imagination to invite us into the lives of these biblical characters. . . . This book is a beacon of hope in a challenging world in need of hospitality."" --Lynne Deming, Retired Director of Publications: The Upper Room James E. Sargent has a wide background that offers him a unique perspective on hospitality. Originally from New England, he has spent his adult life in southwestern Ohio. Dr. Sargent holds a BA degree from The Defiance College, MDiv and DMin degrees from United Theological Seminary. Over the course of his career Dr. Sargent has taught social studies in both junior and senior high school, served in ordained ministry, worked as a hotel desk clerk, and authored several books on Bible study. He is currently a member of the faculty of the Good Samaritan College of Nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio, teaching health care ethics. Throughout his career, Dr. Sargent has worked with people of diverse backgrounds in a wide range of circumstances. This experience has led to his interest in hospitality and the writing of this book. Dr. Sargent lives in Cincinnati with his wife. They are active members of their church. They have eleven grandchildren, and it is for them, and all grandchildren, that this book is written.