Behavioral science books are popping up on bestseller lists: Predictably Irrational; Thinking, Fast and Slow; Nudge; Decisive. Even the White House launched a Behavioral Insights Team to match the British Ministry of Nudges. Conspicuously absent from this conversation is the church.
The Irrational Jesus bridges this gap. Ken Evers-Hood looks at Jesus through the lens of cognitive heuristics (mental shortcuts) and biases (blind spots) and makes the case that a fully human Jesus is predictably irrational--just like all of us. Find out how the Apostle Paul's community building mirrors a prisoner's dilemma game and how this makes Paul an irrational leader, too. Discover how playing better games in church can foster hopeful, flourishing communities. Improve your decision-making; learn when to plan for irrationality and when to live into it.
The Irrational Jesus addresses these issues and more. Integrating the insights of behavioral economists such as Dan Ariely, the gameful thinking of Jane McGonigal, and cutting-edge ideas from decision theory, Evers-Hood articulates a behavioral theology for fully human pastors of fully human congregations--a fresh perspective that will change how pastors and other church leaders see themselves, the institutions they serve, and the scriptural and theological tradition.
""The hard thing about hard things is: there's no simple solution. And being a church leader is a hard thing. Ken Evers-Hood has offered us a unique way of approaching the trials and tests of leading congregations, and I, for one, am grateful.""
--Landon Whitsitt, author of Open Source Church and Theology Is Art
""People surprise us. Their ways--our ways--of relating to one another are often quite baffling. Reflecting biblically and theologically on fascinating new research--in, of all things, behavioral economics, game theory, and decision theory--Ken Evers-Hood offers page after page of keen insight into the relational and decision-making dynamics of local congregations. Put on the lenses he provides. See what's going on there in a whole new way. Learn to live more wisely, fruitfully, and graciously in and among your community of faith.""
-- Craig Dykstra, Research Professor of Practical Theology & Senior Fellow in Leadership Education, Duke Divinity School; Author of Growing in the Life of Faith: Education and Christian Practices
The Reverend Dr. Ken Evers-Hood graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and earned his Doctor of Ministry from Duke Divinity School. Ken pastors Tualatin Presbyterian Church, a creative, flourishing community near Portland, Oregon. When Ken isn't pastoring TPC, he can be found on a soccer field with his wife, Melissa, watching one of their three kids, or on a trail somewhere in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
