The Community of God A Theology of the Church From a Reluctant Pastor Douglas S Bursch 9780692868386 Books
Download As PDF : The Community of God A Theology of the Church From a Reluctant Pastor Douglas S Bursch 9780692868386 Books
We were created for community. So why do we want to be alone?
The Bible tells the story of the immense power of human relationships and God’s love for the church. Douglas Bursch presents a timely, insightful and practical theology of community. He examines the relational implications of human existence, sin, salvation, discipleship, evangelism and other key biblical concepts. Doug also shares unfiltered stories concerning his personal weaknesses and the relational struggles he has faced as a pastor. Each chapter contains thought-provoking questions that can be used by individuals, pastors, small groups and college classes for further in-depth discussions. Doug’s writing cuts to the heart of why community is so valuable but so costly. The Community of God A Theology of the Church From a Reluctant Pastor is an indispensable resource for creating healthy Christian community in an increasingly individualistic world.
“Doug Bursch is one of the best thinkers of our day. He artfully mixes a sound theology with a practical application in a complex, combustible 21st Century culture that desperately needs a clarion voice.” - Glenn Burris Jr., President of The Foursquare Church
“Doug is unafraid to question the deep things of our faith but always does so as a committed believer. He’s interesting, passionate and practical all at the same time.” - Dr. Steve Schell, Senior Pastor of Northwest Church; host of Life Lessons and author of Preaching Through RomansThe Community of God A Theology of the Church From a Reluctant Pastor Douglas S Bursch 9780692868386 Books
Don’t let the word theology in the subtitle make you nervous. This book is for laypeople, and Bursch has a down-to-earth writing style. The title accurately captures the book. Community is an essential part of the Christian faith, and we need to be reminded of that fact in our profoundly individualistic and self-centered age. As an introvert, Bursch admits he’d rather avoid community sometimes, and he honestly shares his struggles as a pastor. The book is a good blend of biblical teaching, thoughtful explanations, and personal stories.We may think of the church as beginning in the New Testament at Pentecost, but community was important long before that. The book takes us back to Genesis, pointing out our need for each other from the very beginning. “For humans to be fully human, we must be in community” (page 43). An interesting section points out the corollaries that exist between Pentecost and Babel.
I was challenged by the thoughts on Abraham. Have you ever really considered that much of the fruit of Abraham’s obedience did not come to pass until generations after he died?!! In an impatient, instant results society, this is particularly difficult for us. But…”This is the faith we are called to press into; a faith that is bigger than our own self-satisfaction; a faith that is even bigger than our own lifetime” (page 96). As Bursch says, our individual stories do matter but we must remember that we are part of a bigger, more important story. We have lost sight of God’s big picture. “Salvation is never just about an individual. Redemption always concerns the community of God” (page 98).
The individualistic nature of our modern society makes genuine Christian community more challenging to acheive. Individualism has invaded everything, and this point is reiterated in the book. Even when we think we are living in community by attending church each week and a small group Bible study, we can do so in an individualistic manner. We are more concerned about our personal needs being met, than perceiving ourselves as part of the body of Christ. A limited, self-focus is crippling us and the church.
The book offers accurate and needed critique of various church growth fads and techniques that simply are not biblical in approach. Bursch is honest and does not sugar coat… “We must be willing to birth Christian communities that reflect a biblical understanding of the body of Christ, even if we know those expressions will be rejected by the larger culture and possibly even limit church growth” (page 187). Gasp! But many need to hear this. Numerical growth is not a reliable assessment of church health. Unhealthy things can have a propensity to grow.
I underlined a great deal in this book, and much of the content resonated with me or challenged me. It was hard to pick which tidbits to share in a review. At the end of each chapter are questions to stimulate further thought and discussion.
I’d recommend it to many Christians. Everyday Christians can gain a better understanding of the church, and the theological reasons for community. I also think seminary students with the goal of the pastorate would greatly benefit from the book – it is not academic, but offers the practical wisdom of an experienced pastor and could keep new pastors from various delusions of grandeur.
This review originally appeared on my blog: lightenough through wordpress dot com.
Product details
|
Tags : The Community of God: A Theology of the Church From a Reluctant Pastor [Douglas S. Bursch] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <h2>We were created for community. So why do we want to be alone?</h2> The Bible tells the story of the immense power of human relationships and God’s love for the church. Douglas Bursch presents a timely,Douglas S. Bursch,The Community of God: A Theology of the Church From a Reluctant Pastor,Fairly Spiritual,0692868380,RELIGION Christian Life General
People also read other books :
- God Says I Am BattleScar Free Testimonies of Abuse Survivors eBook Angela Edwards Marilyn Porter
- Tempted By Fate Bad Things Volume 6 Cynthia Eden Books
- Garden of the Wolf #4 BBW Werewolf Shifter Romance edition by Mac Flynn Paranormal Romance eBooks
- Deadly Thyme edition by RL Nolen Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks
- The Ink Tree The Ink Tree edition by Reginald Jordan Religion Spirituality eBooks
The Community of God A Theology of the Church From a Reluctant Pastor Douglas S Bursch 9780692868386 Books Reviews
I am writing this way too long after I read it. When I finished it, I immediately purchased a copy for a friend that is a young pastor. I have been thinking about this book for several weeks now. For too many of us, myself included, the church as a local body or a universal body seems a bit unnecessary.
After all, what is important is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not anything that I do, like attend church. I have heard frequently (and I believe) that you are not a Christian because you attend church. So it is not hard to get the understanding that the local church is a nice add-on, but not essential, especially if you don’t particularly enjoy the local body or don’t feel particularly close to anyone in the local body.
I attend a mega-church. Many things about the idea of a megachurch make me uncomfortable. Particularly when I read books like this about the importance of the local church. So I have a real bias, in no small part because I feel like I have been called to this particular megachurch (or at least do not feel like I should leave it right now.)
But Doug Bursch and many others (particularly Eugene Peterson) have reminded me that the individualism of our world that emphasizes me and God against the world is foreign to the worldview of the New Testament. The church is far from perfect, and every local church is far from perfect. But there is something about the local church that is essential to our spiritual growth. We do not grow spiritual in the abstract. We grow because we are encouraged by (and struggle with) actual people.
Doug Bursch is a pastor who does not always like people in the church. (If I were ever to become a pastor, I am sure that I would be even more extreme version of that.) But he is a pastor that believes in the church. Just one that have been convinced about his own inadequacy to lead (or change) the local body apart from Christ.
The book opens with the story of his failure as a marriage counselor, and the beginning of a new vision for what the local church should be. A large part of that vision is a recovery of the mission of the church against the individualism of the age. But we are in this age and culture so we cannot completely remove ourselves from that culture. Our churches will always be filled with people that are more influenced by the culture than they are by the church.
I do want to read this again (I say that entirely too much). Before I read this, my go to book on the importance of the local church to spiritual growth was Eugene Peterson’s book Practice Resurrection . I still very much recommend Practice Resurrection, but I am adding The Community of God to my recommendation. These two books in tandem, using different perspectives and pastoral styles pairs the concept together well. As Christians we can’t really follow Christ if we do not love people. And we cannot really love people if we are not fully invested in their lives. One of the few places where we can fully invest in the lives of people in this individualistic world is the local church.
Don’t let the word theology in the subtitle make you nervous. This book is for laypeople, and Bursch has a down-to-earth writing style. The title accurately captures the book. Community is an essential part of the Christian faith, and we need to be reminded of that fact in our profoundly individualistic and self-centered age. As an introvert, Bursch admits he’d rather avoid community sometimes, and he honestly shares his struggles as a pastor. The book is a good blend of biblical teaching, thoughtful explanations, and personal stories.
We may think of the church as beginning in the New Testament at Pentecost, but community was important long before that. The book takes us back to Genesis, pointing out our need for each other from the very beginning. “For humans to be fully human, we must be in community” (page 43). An interesting section points out the corollaries that exist between Pentecost and Babel.
I was challenged by the thoughts on Abraham. Have you ever really considered that much of the fruit of Abraham’s obedience did not come to pass until generations after he died?!! In an impatient, instant results society, this is particularly difficult for us. But…”This is the faith we are called to press into; a faith that is bigger than our own self-satisfaction; a faith that is even bigger than our own lifetime” (page 96). As Bursch says, our individual stories do matter but we must remember that we are part of a bigger, more important story. We have lost sight of God’s big picture. “Salvation is never just about an individual. Redemption always concerns the community of God” (page 98).
The individualistic nature of our modern society makes genuine Christian community more challenging to acheive. Individualism has invaded everything, and this point is reiterated in the book. Even when we think we are living in community by attending church each week and a small group Bible study, we can do so in an individualistic manner. We are more concerned about our personal needs being met, than perceiving ourselves as part of the body of Christ. A limited, self-focus is crippling us and the church.
The book offers accurate and needed critique of various church growth fads and techniques that simply are not biblical in approach. Bursch is honest and does not sugar coat… “We must be willing to birth Christian communities that reflect a biblical understanding of the body of Christ, even if we know those expressions will be rejected by the larger culture and possibly even limit church growth” (page 187). Gasp! But many need to hear this. Numerical growth is not a reliable assessment of church health. Unhealthy things can have a propensity to grow.
I underlined a great deal in this book, and much of the content resonated with me or challenged me. It was hard to pick which tidbits to share in a review. At the end of each chapter are questions to stimulate further thought and discussion.
I’d recommend it to many Christians. Everyday Christians can gain a better understanding of the church, and the theological reasons for community. I also think seminary students with the goal of the pastorate would greatly benefit from the book – it is not academic, but offers the practical wisdom of an experienced pastor and could keep new pastors from various delusions of grandeur.
This review originally appeared on my blog lightenough through wordpress dot com.
0 Response to "[FWC]⋙ Descargar The Community of God A Theology of the Church From a Reluctant Pastor Douglas S Bursch 9780692868386 Books"
Post a Comment