Is Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith by Diana Butler Bass (Harper SanFransico; $23.95) the book of the year? Some surely think so, and we are very excited about it, as I posted earlier this week. As always, Diana is a gracious writer, an astute observer, and a faithful Christian servant, helping us all along the journey of faith as she explains the best practices of those vibrant mainline churches that she visited. It is quite a road-trip, a pilgrimage, and it is so well-written. I’ve got a few qualms here and there, some beefs I may write more about later. But, know this: it is among the best books I’ve read all year, and very important, interesting, and helpful.
Here are the chapter titles from Part II, which she calls “Ten Signposts of Renewal.” (Her description of why signposts, a playful comparison of driving by map and intuition and real-time looking around rather than MapQuest is clever and insightful.) So here they are, signposts for the journey:
Hospitality
Discernment
Healing
Contemplation
Testimony
Diversity
Justice
Worship
Reflection
Beauty
Know any churches that embody some of these practices as they form a counter-cultural spirituality for the sake of the world? Are they modeled after mega-churches? Did they get that way from strategic planning sessions and church growth seminars? Do they have strictly conservative theology? I didn’t think so. Ms Bass is on to something, here, debunking the myth that only evangelical churches are growing, and inviting us to serious reflection on what it means to come home to authentic community in a vibrant mainline church.
It really may be the book of the year…
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For a great link to the research project site that Bass worked for, go here (The Project on Congregations of Intentional Practice.)