The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity

by Eric Elnes

The Phoenix Affirmations, named for the town in which the principles were created and the mythological bird adopted by ancient Christians as a symbol of resurrection, offers disillusioned and spiritually homeless Christians and others a sense of hope and a more tolerant, joyful, and compassionate message than those we often hear from the media and some Christian leaders. These twelve central affirmative principles of Christian faith are built on the three great loves that the Bible reveals: love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self. They reflect commitments to environmental stewardship, social justice, and artistic expression as well as openness to other faiths. Transcending theological and culture wars, inclusive and generous in spirit and practice, these principles ask believers and seekers alike to affirm their Christian faith in a fresh way.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Theology, Spirituality

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book but interesting. It's somewhat thought-provoking, but most of it is "yep, makes sense. That's what we do (or try to do)." But it is refreshing to read a so-called progressive Christian book (I would just call it a Christian book, but universal labeling doesn't always work). I do think some of the affirmations are a little broad, but they are presented as "discuss, change, modify, etc." so I looked at them as more discussion prompts, rather than a checklist.

I do like the author's use of Scripture; I admit that he came a few things in ways I've never heard before. I think the item that most struck me was that one should be praying 30 minutes a day. It's one of those tough/but shouldn't be things. But I take that as more of a personal challenge. So as far as my recommendation -- it's short, easy to read, but it is organized in a structured way that does force you to think and meditate on a few concepts. So it's not a "quick read" but I would say it's a good one.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I really wanted to read Asphalt Jesus (it's the whole walking/pilgrimage thing) and that was supposed to build on this earlier book. So I thought I should read it and I did. It's basically a manifesto for progressive Christianity as practiced in liberal mainline protestant churches. There's nothing wrong with it but there's nothing really new here either. I'm not really sure who it's meant for. As a tool for convincing people to become progressive Christians, I don't think it's going to sway any diehards. As a tool for how to be a progressive Christian, it wasn't all that helpful either. I guess it's just a statement of someone's view of what Christianity should be.

[Sue Johannsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great discussion started for those who want to explore personal experiences and faith.

[Scott Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough about this little book.... and sure one can get it for just pennies at amazon .com..... in an age when at times Christianity is buying into all the anti intellectualism of populist culture.... this book and the community of people that put it together shines like a light at the end of a very dark night. It is progressive Christianity for everyone without being needlessly academic.... which has been the shortcoming of the progressive part of the Church. PLEASE READ IT!LOL Ill buy you one if you send me your "snailmail" That's how bad I want you all to read it! PAX, HOP

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helped me realize I could hang onto being Christian despite the face that has been presented to the world, especially in America.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This book is a list of twelve affirmations that claim to reflect progressive Christian values. I like that I can choose to agree or disagree. There were some parts of the book where I felt the ideas could have been even more progressive. I like that the author suggests that we can each make our own affirmation of what we believe. I knew I had picked a good book when I saw that the first affirmation is about the existence of many ways to find God, not just through Christianity. The author used the analogy that there are many ways to climb a mountain. You can go up one side or the other and have different experiences and still reach the top. I'm glad to find this kind of tolerance and acceptance of other people. The book talked about the three loves: love of God, love of others and love of self. This was another of my favorite features of this book.

[Sybylla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waffle between four and five stars, because this is a remarkable book, but it has its flaws. What this book gave me was a framework and vocabulary for how to talk about my faith as a progressive Christian. I didn't agree with everything he said, in fact I strongly disagreed with one or two things he said, but it does give me a way to put things that are important to me when talking to my extended family about their more conservative faiths in a way they may be able to understand.

Would I recommend this book? If you're a progressive Christian, yes. If you're a liberal agnostic, sure. This book isn't going to convert anyone to its way of thinking, so I wouldn't recommend it either to liberal atheists or to conservative evangelical Christians.

[George Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled upon Eric Elnes via following some ads for Darkwood Brew - a video curriculum he is a part of. From there wound up browsing through his books and ended up reading this one. It's very good. The Phoenix Affirmations, as I understand it, are twelve affirmations made by a group of clergy in Phoenix around ten years ago. They carry the label "progressive" and I suppose they do articulate a framework that Christians who identify with the moniker "progressive" would be comfortable with. What I found is that for the most part there is also a lot of common sense and a great deal of Biblical support in these pages. For anyone who has read Brian McClaren, Elnes works some of the same ground, but does so in his own voice. Engaging and helpful book.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

We used this book as a discussion series in our adult Sunday School class. The Affirmations are good for making people think about how Christianity should embrace and confront the culture of the twenty-first century.

Unfortunately, the discussion sections that Elnes wrote are intended for an audience that needs to be convinced of the truth of the Affirmations. So, they didn't work very well for our class, most of whom agreed with the Affirmation and needed simply to think about how to apply them.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Without elaborating on my own beliefs, and whether you're Christian or not, I found this book to be an informative and interesting look at the "emerging Christian faith," and it is easy enough to find common values between all different peoples and faiths.

[Amie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep. Obviously trying to find my way. I found that I could easily agree with the affirmations. This book is way too short and some areas are not discussed in enough detail. I found that a bit frustrating.

[Danielle]

Ummmmm........

[Caroline Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

That if it wasn't for Jesus being jewish there woodn't be any christanity today......

[Lesliemurrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well thought out. Well organized. Brilliant and compassionate concepts. I'll keep this one on my shelf and continue to re-read!