Cries from the Wilderness

Reimagining Church Culture in an Age of Uncertainty

AvDavid Pocta

Inbunden, Engelska, 2023

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Beskrivning

One of the most prevalent challenges in contemporary Christianity is navigating the relationship between the individual and their faith community when the Christian enters spiritually challenging times: periods of aridity, misunderstanding, suffering, or darkness. This problem is amplified because of the growing angst that many feel with organized religion. When loyalty to the church gets tested during a personal faith crisis or honest intellectual query, many leave disenchanted, claiming a desire to be spiritual but not religious.Cries from the Wilderness: Reimagining Church Culture in an Age of Uncertainty explores the memoirs of three contemporary sojourners (Rachel Held Evans, David Gushee, and Macy Halford) asking: What postures were common in his or her journey that helped them navigate their spiritual wilderness? David Pocta then argues that a primary problem is that many faith communities rarely see themselves in the spiritual wilderness. The author’s contention is that spiritual communities are often ill-equipped to nurture the spiritual life of disoriented or questioning Christians. By acknowledging their own spiritual journey and drawing lessons from healthy wilderness postures they would be better positioned to transform and mature their community while creating a nurturing environment for individual sojourners.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2023-12-05
Mått:157 x 237 x 19 mm
Vikt:499 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:232
Förlag:Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN:9781666944006

Utforska kategorier

Biblar inom Filosofi och religion
Religion: allmänt inom Filosofi och religion

Mer om författaren

David Pocta is director of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality at the Oblate School of Theology and Executive Director of the Disciples Center for Education.

Recensioner i media

Cries from the Wildernessis a plea for evangelical churches to become more gracious in accommodating the experiences of individuals enduring periods of doubt or dryness in their spiritual lives. Pocta uses the term “wilderness” to describe these episodes and suggests they are almost unavoidable in contemporary America. Pocta argues that instead of construing them as signs of spiritual failure these experiences provide opportunities for religious growth and maturation. Citing Paul Ricoeur, he says the end result can be a “second naiveté” of more nuanced faith in God and richer engagement with the larger ecumenical Christian community. Pocta, who self-identifies as an Evangelical, describes how the lives of Macy Halford, Rachel Held Evans, and Davis Gushee exemplify this process. He urges fellow evangelical Protestants to embrace a wilderness style of spirituality, even though evangelicalism’s dogmatism and persistent “tribalism” often precludes it. [Individuals] passing through their own spiritual wilderness may be encouraged by its message. Recommended. Professions and general readers.

Innehållsförteckning

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: The Story of a SoulChapter 2: Macy HalfordChapter 3: Rachel Held EvansChapter 4: David Gushee Chapter 5: Navigating the WildernessChapter 6: What Went Wrong with Their CommunityChapter 7: A Theology and Spirituality of WildernessChapter 8: A Model to Frame "Deconstruction" and CommunityChapter 9: Contextualizing the Contemporary WildernessChapter 10: Reimagining the Church: Some SuggestionsConclusion: Some Final Uncensored ThoughtsBibliography