(Vocus) April 2, 2008 -- Bruce Sanguin, author of the new book The Emerging Church: A Model for Change & a Map for Renewal, says that Christianity is changing through the integration of an evolutionary paradigm.
Sanguin goes beyond the neo-Darwinist theory of evolution. He sees evolution, rather, as a Spirit-infused process. This process is dynamically at work in our personal and our communal life - including in our faith communities.
"Emergence" is a term used by biologists and systems scientists to describe the process whereby life winds itself up in the direction of increased beauty, complexity, and consciousness. In The Emerging Church, Sanguin reflects on what an "emergent" culture within a congregation might look like, and how we might "get out of the way" of this expression of natural grace.
Church renewal is an organic process that can begin as ministers and congregations seek to shift their congregational culture towards a more progressive form of Christianity. Sanguin offers insights for change from leading-edge science, including the science of emergence, chaos theory, quantum physics, field theory, spiral dynamics, and evolutionary science. He provides more than just a ground-breaking theory of congregational culture-shifting: He provides a practical map that will help both clergy and lay people negotiate the tricky terrain of transformation. The book is a handbook for church renewal.
In some quarters, churches have changed to embrace this new emergent theology, yet any form of Christianity that is not the Religious Right is basically ignored in the media and thus in the minds of most people. How can a church signal that there is a progressive face to Christianity? Sanguin gives tips for churches to get media savvy to deal with the 21st century reality of the mass media as a means of outreach.
Tom Bandy, Director of Net Results Magazine, says of the book, "There is hope for the established church! Bruce's experience points to the attitude changes, organizational shifts, and leadership strategies that are necessary for a church to thrive in the emerging world. He models the hard work, spiritual life, and persistent mission demanded of Christ-followers today."
Bruce Sanguin, a United Church minister for over 20 years, currently serves Canadian Memorial Church & Centre for Peace in Vancouver, B.C. He has helped this previously traditional, post-war memorial church embrace the mission, vision, and values associated with an emergent model of Christianity. Sanguin is the author of the bestselling Darwin, Divinity, and the Dance of the Cosmos: An Ecological Christianity. He will be a presenter at the prestigious Chautauqua Institution, in Chautauqua, New York, August 2008.
The Emerging Church: A Model for Change & A Map for Renewal
Bruce Sanguin
April 2008
224 Pages, Paper, Church Renewal/Theology $24.95
ISBN: 978-1-55145-566-2
Published by CopperHouse, an imprint of Wood Lake Publishing Inc.
The CopperHouse imprint supports the groundswell of interest in a "new" Christianity. This is spirituality deeply rooted in tradition yet fully open to the winds of spirit in our time.
For review copies or author interviews, contact Darcy Drobena 800-299-2926.
Wood Lake Publishing Inc.
9590 Jim Bailey Road, Kelowna, BC V4V 1R2
www.woodlakebooks.com
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