|
Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith | 
 enlarge | Author: Diana Butler Bass
Publisher: HarperOne
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $7.58
You Save: $6.37 (46%)
New (34) Used (17) from $4.33
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 5236
Media: Paperback
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0060859490
Dewey Decimal Number: 230
EAN: 9780060859497
ASIN: 0060859490
Publication Date: October 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
For decades the accepted wisdom has been that America's mainline Protestant churches are in decline, eclipsed by evangelical mega-churches. Church and religion expert Diana Butler Bass wondered if this was true, and this book is the result of her extensive, three-year study of centrist and progressive churches across the country. Her surprising findings reveal just the opposite—that many of the churches are flourishing, and they are doing so without resorting to mimicking the mega-church, evangelical style. Christianity for the Rest of Us describes this phenomenon and offers a how-to approach for Protestants eager to remain faithful to their tradition while becoming a vital spiritual community. As Butler Bass delved into the rich spiritual life of various Episcopal, United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Lutheran churches, certain consistent practices—such as hospitality, contemplation, diversity, justice, discernment, and worship—emerged as core expressions of congregations seeking to rediscover authentic Christian faith and witness today. This hopeful book, which includes a study guide for groups and individuals, reveals the practical steps that leaders and laypeople alike are taking to proclaim an alternative message about an emerging Christianity that strives for greater spiritual depth and proactively engages the needs of the world.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Reflections after a congregational study September 4, 2008
Gerry Brague (San Francisco, CA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I would like to express my appreciation for "Christianity for the Rest of Us." As the pastor of a small, struggling mainline congregation, much of what Diana Butler Bass has written here resonates. My congregation just spent almost six months with this book. We used each of the "signposts of renewal" that form the heart of the book as a theme for ten weeks. Each member read the chapter in advance and the liturgy, scriptures and hymns were all chosen and crafted to accompany the theme. Before going into the book, I didn't know what to expect. It could have been deadly dry and dull; it could have been fluffy and shallow; it could have been yet another piece about what we're doing wrong. Instead I found a very enjoyable, readable book that touched me deeply often. It reaffirmed to me that my tiny congregation that struggles along is indeed going in the right direction and is part of a larger whole of God's people who see their faith-life differently than many other congregations. It also made me realize that we need to continue our work; we are not done here and God has plenty more in store for us. How exciting! I am grateful that "Christianity for the Rest of Us" found its way into our congregational life. Though our formal study is over, as I said to the congregation last Sunday, we are not done with this book.
An excellent sociological perspective of hope August 4, 2008
Raymond E. Bosworth (New England)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Diana Butler Bass has visited numerous mainline Protestant churches all over the continental U.S. This is her "report": mainliners are NOT on the way out; as a matter of fact, they have the best hope of re-introducing to our tired-of-secluded-suburban country a much-needed sense of true community through the neighborhood church. When glittering technology gets old, when surface religion becomes a drag, there is genuine depth (imagine that) and substance to the mainliners' faith. Diana Butler Bass describes the Church's focus on a handful of very important areas that provide that sense of community. She offers a wonderfully hopeful perspective for those people who have felt devalued by the more vociferous "evangelical" circles.
 Christianity for the Rest of Us June 21, 2008
William J. Moore (Williamsburg, VA, USA)
0 out of 11 found this review helpful
This is probably well written, but I don't really believe in many of the concepte she is proposing therefore I cannot consider it a good book. For those who are searching for something it would be a good read.
Following the GPS on a new journey June 21, 2008
Fr John+ (Pennsylvania)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Diana Butler Bass continues presenting her helpful (and hopeful) data and analysis for mainline congregations. This is an excellent book to study in clergy groups, or with parish lay leaders as part of a strategic planning process. On many counts the information is time-tested; but there are fresh insights about new directions for "God-provided-signs" (GPS)to guide us toward the Kingdom.
A book of hope for today's church May 16, 2008
Adam Moore (Waco, Texas)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
First off, I must say that I loved this book. I actually checked it out of the library but half-way through I knew I needed to own it.
"Christianity for the Rest of Us" is the result of a three year study of emerging mainline churches in the United States. If you are like me, then you probably need "mainline" defined for you. Mainline churches are the "brand-name" churches you see across the country - Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Congregationalists, and Episcopalians. These churches are often more liberal and progressive than their evangelical counterparts (although they may not like these labels). These churches have also been perceived (with some reality behind the perception) to be declining while more conservative and evangelical churches have been growing. The purpose of Bass' study was to visit and explore growing and vital moderate-to-liberal mainline churches. The study included 50 participating congregations but focused on ten.
These churches are filled with people who do not fit into the new evangelical Christian majority in the United States. They are desiring to know God and follow Jesus in our world but are not interested in embracing the evangelical culture of political and religious conservatism and/or fundamentalism. On the other hand, these churches are also not interested in the largely secular religion indicative of many declining mainline churches. For the most part, these churches include a diverse group of people from all ideologies and backgrounds - including some conservatives.
In some ways, this was actually a strange book for me to read. I am not part of a mainline church (or any institutional church for that matter). I have never even attended a mainline church. I know very few people who attend mainline churches. And I grew up in very conservative evangelical churches, in which mainline churches were largely discredited. Yet it is because of all of these statements that I felt the need and desire to read this book. I wanted to see what God is doing in an area I am very unfamiliar with. And in short, I was very excited about what I read - God is certainly doing a lot.
Throughout reading this book, I was struck by how well it complements Gibbs' and Bolger's "Emerging Churches." Whereas "Emerging Churches" focuses on a new breed of churches that have largely come out of the evangelical movement, "Christianity for the Rest of Us" looks at a new type of church coming from the old mainline of Christianity. What is so interesting is that these stories overlap in so many ways! "Emerging Churches" deals with a reaction against the sometimes dead religion that results from fundamental evangelicalism and "Christianity for the Rest of Us" looks at how churches are emerging from the liberal secularism found in some mainline religion. However, both of these "emerging churches" are heading in the same direction. They are both looking to follow Jesus without the trappings of the liberal/conservative divide, apart from the modern focus on reasoned certainty or skepticism, and in a way that is relevant to a new post-Christian culture. Many of the findings of these books are very similar. They even identify some very similar traits in the churches they studied. Is this really one movement of Christians that is being observed? Just in different environments and from different backgrounds? At least in some ways, I think so.
In short, I find all of this very intriguing and encouraging. God is working in a lot of different places. This is good news. God is not confined to any particular "movement" or perspective. He is busy using people to transform others and to influence the world. All are welcome to play a part.
|
|
|
| |
