We seem to be obsessed with perfection. It's everywhere, permeating our conversations, our language, our advertising, our films and our religion. It's not only widespread across our culture; it has roots deep in the beginning of our civilization. For the sake of our well-being and our faith we need to be liberated from this pre-occupation. Past Perfect unravels some of the confusion surrounding our use of the word in many different contexts, and shapes an understanding of God that is free of this notion. 'Stephen Mitchell's lively, original and sometimes brilliant book is a sustained attack on that idea of absolute perfection. It is also part of the process by which modern Christianity is struggling to renew itself.' Don Cupitt, author of The Sea of Faith