In The Absence of Jesus, biblical scholar Joshua Coutts constructs a theology of divine presence for believers following a Jesus they cannot see or touch.

Engaging in careful biblical interpretation and the realities of life in a secular age, Coutts argues that Jesus' apparent absence is one of the central realities through which Christ forms his followers. Through a theologically rigorous and pastorally grounded reading of John's Gospel through the lens of presence and absence, he shows how Christ remains mysteriously present to his followers even when he cannot be seen.

The question raised by John's Gospel itself is how is it better for us that Jesus goes away?. To answer, Coutts examines the experience of Jesus' hiddenness in both John's Gospel and our secular age, explores John's rich sensory imagery and its relationship to belief and spiritual perception, and considers John's pneumatology and spirituality of mutual abiding.

What you'll find in The Absence of Jesus:

• An ecclesially grounded anthropology in which Christ's followers participate in and extend his presence in the world
• Pastoral sensitivity to the lived experience of doubt, longing, and the hiddenness of Jesus
• Greater confidence in reading Scripture theologically and in the company of Christ
• Renewed attentiveness to how Jesus can be found in surprising places to those whose senses are rightly formed to seek him

This book is essential reading for Johannine scholars, New Testament theologians, and professors seeking a text that brings John's Gospel into conversation with the challenges of belief in a secular age. With The Absence of Jesus, you are invited to discover how the very absence you struggle with can become a deeper encounter with Christ.