eBook - ePub
How the Body of Christ Talks
Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church
- 224 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
How the Body of Christ Talks
Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church
About this book
Academy of Parish Clergy 2020 Top Ten Book for Parish Ministry
In today's highly charged social and political environment, we often don't know how to talk well with others--especially with people whose backgrounds differ from our own. C. Christopher Smith, coauthor of the critically acclaimed and influential Slow Church, addresses why conversation has become such a challenge in the 21st century and argues that it is perhaps the most-needed spiritual practice of our individualistic age.
Smith likens practicing conversation to the working of the human body. Bodies are wondrous symphonies of diverse, intricate parts striving for our health, and our health suffers when these parts fail to converse effectively. Likewise, we must learn to converse effectively with those who differ from us in the body of Christ so we can embody Christ together in the world. In community, we learn what it means to belong to others and to a story that is bigger than ourselves.
Smith shows how church communities can be training hubs where we learn to talk with and listen to one another with kindness and compassion. The book explores how churches can initiate and sustain conversation, offers advice for working through seasons of conflict, suggests spiritual practices and dispositions that can foster conversation, and features stories from several congregations that are learning to practice conversation.
In today's highly charged social and political environment, we often don't know how to talk well with others--especially with people whose backgrounds differ from our own. C. Christopher Smith, coauthor of the critically acclaimed and influential Slow Church, addresses why conversation has become such a challenge in the 21st century and argues that it is perhaps the most-needed spiritual practice of our individualistic age.
Smith likens practicing conversation to the working of the human body. Bodies are wondrous symphonies of diverse, intricate parts striving for our health, and our health suffers when these parts fail to converse effectively. Likewise, we must learn to converse effectively with those who differ from us in the body of Christ so we can embody Christ together in the world. In community, we learn what it means to belong to others and to a story that is bigger than ourselves.
Smith shows how church communities can be training hubs where we learn to talk with and listen to one another with kindness and compassion. The book explores how churches can initiate and sustain conversation, offers advice for working through seasons of conflict, suggests spiritual practices and dispositions that can foster conversation, and features stories from several congregations that are learning to practice conversation.
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Yes, you can access How the Body of Christ Talks by C. Christopher Smith in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Religion. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Orienting Ourselves for the Journey
- Part 1: Setting Out on the Journey
- Part 2: A Spirituality for the Journey
- Part 3: Sustaining the Journey
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix A: Sample Conversational Ground Rules
- Appendix B: Additional Resources on Conversational Methods
- Appendix C: Finding Common Ground in Conversations on Sexuality
- Notes
- About the Author
- Back Ad
- Back Cover