Shadowing St. Francis: A Pilgrimage of sacred emergence in the age of AI

#1 Bestseller — Christian Mysticism & Process TheologySaint Francis, AI, and the Future of FaithWhat if God doesn't control the future — because divine love cannot coerce? What if creation is still unfinished — and we're invited to co-create it? What if Saint Francis and artificial intelligence are pointing toward the same answer?A retired tech entrepreneur. Fifty years as a committed evangelical. A decade of questions he couldn't outrun. And a 120-mile pilgrimage through Italy that changed everything.Shadowing St. Francis follows Jonathan Bentley from Florence to Assisi to Rome, walking the ancient path of a man who stripped naked in the town square, handed his clothes to his father, and walked into the woods to find God.Eight hundred years later, Francis still has something to say — to those exhausted by certainty, wounded by the church, and wondering what faith looks like in a world of algorithms and anxiety.In an unexpected twist, artificial intelligence became a companion in this theological exploration — not as guru or oracle, but as an unbiased advisor with no institutional agenda, free from denominational loyalties, able to present Christianity's great debates without steering toward predetermined conclusions.Perfect for readers of Rob Bell, Barbara Brown Taylor, Richard Rohr, Brian McLaren, Rachel Held Evans, and Henri Nouwen.This book is for you if:You're navigating faith deconstruction or spiritual reconstructionYou've been hurt by weaponized religion or toxic theologyYou've given up on church but not on JesusYou want a faith coherent with science and honest about doubtYou're curious about what AI reveals about God and human flourishingWhat you'll find inside:A spiritual memoir of deconstruction and reconstruction — built on encounter, not creedAn introduction to Open and Relational Theology — a God who calls but never coercesSaint Francis as guide for post-evangelical and progressive Christian faithAn unexpected conversation between ancient mysticism and artificial intelligenceFor anyone who's been told their questions are dangerous. For those who suspect that walking away from institutional religion might be walking toward something more real. For every pilgrim still searching for a God worth believing in.Praise for Shadowing St. Francis:"Profoundly hopeful... Bentley's storytelling gives theology a human face." — Thomas Jay Oord, author of God Can't and A Theology of Love"A book for question-askers who suspect the gospel might be wider and wilder than we've been told." — Keri Ladouceur, Executive Director, Post Evangelical Collective"Ideas not argued but lived — textured with doubt, humor, longing, and faith." — Samantha Beach Kiley, co-author of Next Sunday"This book is about faith moving beyond rivalry into something freer." — Jonathan Foster, author of Theology of ConsentAbout the AuthorApproaching seventy, after dismantling fifty years of evangelical faith, Jonathan Bentley sold his tech company and walked a Franciscan pilgrimage across Italy — joined by three friends and, unexpectedly, by ChatGPT. What he discovered: a God more biblical and a faith more reasonable than he thought possible.Jonathan lives near on the border of Umstead Forest in Raleigh, North Carolina with Judy, his wife of 40 years.Shadowing St. Francis is published by SacraSage Press. Read more