The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church | Diana Butler Bass

The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church | Diana Butler Bass | Hope for the rest of us!

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The Practicing Con...

	The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church Diana Butler Bass The Alban Institute, 2004 - 129 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The conventional wisdom about mainline Protestantism maintains that it is a dying tradition, irrelevant to a postmodern society, unresponsive to change, and increasingly disconnected from its core faith tenets. In her provocative new book, historian and researcher Diana Butler Bass argues that there are signs that mainline Protestant churches are indeed changing, finding a new vitality intentionally grounded in Christian practices and laying the groundwork for a new type of congregation.

The Practicing Congregation tracks these changes by looking at the overall history of American congregations, noting the cultural trends that have sparked change, and providing evidence of how mainline churches are reappropriating traditional Christian practices. The signs of life that Bass identifies lead the reader beyond the crumbling "liberal vs. conservative" dualities to a more nuanced and fluid understanding of the shape of contemporary ecclesiology and faithfulness. In so doing, she helps readers understand tradition in new ways and creates an alternative path through the culture wars that today arrest the energies of most denominations.

Invigorated by stories from Bass?s own experience, The Practicing Congregation provides a hopeful and exciting vision for the church. The imaginative "retraditioning" she identifies and celebrates will guide pastors and other leaders on this "pilgrimage of creating church" and convincingly counter the naysayers that long ago gave up on the viability of the mainline church.

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Thinking off the page

I actually heard Dr. Butler Bass present this material at a clergy day in my diocese last year. Her work is both insightful and challenging. I especially appreciate her willingness to admit the shortcomings of her theories, not just gloss over them. The three-dimensional grid was particularly helpful, especially for those of us in the lower left quadrant -- progressive emergers. It can seem like a very lonely place indeed!

Kudos to Dr. Butler Bass on clarifying with some of the harder elements of the emerging post-modern church by not fearing to "complexify" the issues.

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Hope for the rest of us!

This book tells of the fabulous success stories still hidden amongst the headlines of mainline decline. It shows that tradition can still be held on to when there is openness to change and to do what is necessary to keep mainline churches alive and thriving.

Book Review

I ordered this book as required reading for a class I am Taking. I received the book in excellent condition in a timely manner.

useful despite disagreement

This book re-affirmed my experience: that much of mainline Christianity (or at least those who lead it) are more interested in the practices and structure of Christianity than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. However, I found much of instructional value here about church history, and practice. Great insights into tradition, the various traditions that compete for allegiance in churches of all denominations.
Many congregations are doing the right things, I'm just concerned that they are building on a foundation with significant holes. For many in mainline Christianity, Jesus is more of a something -- a theory, an idea -- not a SOMEONE who values our relationship with God above our activities. Is the practice fulfilling? Is the worship service aesthetically pleasing? Are the activities healthy? Are social actions of your church just and good? Fantastic, but it's all empty without recognizing Christ as someone real, living, active. Still, there are many in the Christian world who are so inward-focused that it seems they believe Jesus is only interested in them -- those folks need a kick out the door, to go do something. This book reaffirms that idea as well.

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Thoughtful argument on the role of Christian practice

Building on the work of Craig Dykstra (author of "Edcuation and Christian pracitices") Bass shows how intentional pariticpation in Christian practices can help transform stagnent established congregations into intentional and practicing ones. She finds that the real differnce between Christians in America is not between liberals and conservatives or right and left but those who seek to intentionally be people of God and those who are satisfied with being merely an established and static organization. While trying to find common ground with conservatives Bass does at times revert to a smugness that can sound condeseding at times. This book is best viewed in conjuction with the Dykstra book mentioned above which presents a clearer and more systematic argument for the role of Christian practices within the congregation and world. I do highly recomentd this work because it has much to add to the deabte

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reviews: page 1, 2

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