Vintage Saints and Sinners:
25 Christians Who Transformed My Faith
The word saint conjures up images of superstar Christians revered for their spectacular acts and otherworldly piety. But when we take a closer look at the lives of these spiritual heavyweights, we learn that they also experienced struggle, doubt, and heartache. In fact, we learn that in many ways they’re not all that different from you and me.
Narrating her own winding pilgrimage through faith, Karen Marsh reveals surprising lessons in everyday spirituality from these "saints"―folks who lived and breathed, and failed and followed God.
Told with humor and vulnerability, Vintage Saints and Sinners introduces us afresh to twenty-five brothers and sisters who challenge and inspire us with their honest faith.
Join Karen on her journey with the likes of Augustine, Brother Lawrence, and Saint Francis, as well as Amanda Berry Smith, Søren Kierkegaard, Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, Flannery O’Connor, and many more. Let their lives and their wisdom be an invitation to authentic life in Christ.
What People Are Saying
"Marsh honors the beauty and goodness of these saints' lives without allowing us to dismiss them too easily. In so doing, we can appreciate that they are simultaneously saints and sinners—just like us."
— Jeff J. Myers
"Sit down and pour yourself a glass of Karen Wright Marsh's Vintage Saints and Sinners. At first sip, you are transported into delightful stories of Christians past. As you drink more deeply, Vintage Saints and Sinners engages difficult issues of faith, doubts and loves, wisdom, and the practice of justice in the world. This is a gracious book full of charming prose and profound truths with just the right complexity of spiritual insight for everyday life. Taste and see!"
— Diana Butler Bass
“This page-turning pilgrimage journal offers readers way-bread from—and for—the fallible and glorious communion of quotidian saints”
— Susan R. Holman
The Podcast
Who's a saint? Who's a sinner? Who decides? Through storytelling and conversation, host Karen Wright Marsh traces the tales of the broken, beautiful people we sometimes call "saints” but who were sinners, as well. Each episode features a special guest, who joins Karen to explore the ancient Christian wisdom that illuminates today’s complex world.
In addition to the podcast, discover some free study guides. I have created a curriculum consisting of 25 units carefully chosen to provide you with the tools you need for a deep exploration into Vintage Saints and Sinners alongside friends! Check it out!