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Why Cities Matter: To God, the Culture, and the Church
More people live in cities now than at any other time in human history, presenting a historic opportunity for Christians to influence the majority of the world. Unfortunately, most Christian literature about the city focuses solely on its problems (crime, homelessness, etc.), rather than providing a comprehensive analysis of the city that informs, instructs, and inspires. Using sociological research and data, urban pastors Justin Buzzard and Stephen Um lay out the vision and rationale for church planting, cultural engagement, and missionary impulses in our world’s cities as they provide a solid foundation for motivation. Here is a call to make the cities our home, to take good care of them, and to participate in God’s kingdom-building work in the urban centers of our world!
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First published March 31, 2013
27 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Stephen T. Um
16 books3 followersStephen Um (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is senior minister of Citylife Church in Boston, Massachusetts, and president of the Center for Gospel Culture. He serves on the board of directors for the Gospel Coalition, is an adjunct faculty member at a number of theological seminaries, and is an associate training director for Redeemer City to City Asia. He is the author of several books and articles and the coauthor of Why Cities Matter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 28, 2013
More academic than I expected, especially in the first half. But that isn't a bad thing. It incorporated quite a few statistics, but used them well to show the significance of the city. The middle of the book was it's richest part, especially the chapter on contextualization. I especially appreciated that the book avoided droning, repetitiveness, or dragging. It remained concise and got its point across well. Well worth the the time of anyone in ministry.
May 11, 2017
Overall, Um and Buzzard launch a full on assault on the inward focused churches and Christians that hide in the suburbs, afraid of the city's liberal culture. Through stats and historical analysis, the authors show how Christians, once so city centric, have moved away from cities while lost people are moving to cities in greater numbers than ever before. Christians have fallen behind and we are in danger of losing the city. The authors challenge the reader to passionately love, pray for, and reach their city with the only message worth sharing: the message of Jesus Christ.
March 15, 2016
Winsomely proving the value and purpose of the city. The authors utilize statistics, sociology, and scripture to to give the reader a framework for the importance of cities and how the church should engage them. Short and concise. Hand it to your Christian friend who is always hating on the city.
February 19, 2015
(3 and a half stars)
If you are familiar at all with Keller's writing/teaching you will likely recognize his long standing passion for urban centers and urban ministry in the contents of this brief and concise work. That is not to say that Why Cities Matter: To God, the Culture, and the Church does not have something to offer on its own right. It is nicely organized, exploring six components of the city in light of history, theology, modern living and missions.
It moves forward on the premise that in the 1900's only 14 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas. Today74 percent (or more) live in urban areas. And the trends and most reliable predictions only see this as continuing to grow. The shift from rural farm to city factory from years ago has had a permanent and lasting affect.
For Um though, this is not simply about a linear movement towards the growth of the modern city. To look at these statistics theologically is to see the idea of the city as central to the Gospel itself. It is here that he brings to light some of the shortcomings of Christian thought in its neglect of a proper “theology” of the city, a motif that exists not just in scripture but in the historical and providential narratives that have guided human history. He insists that there exists a tension between the “evil and good of the city”, one that has been fueled by a misunderstanding of the Christian narrative. I must admit that I had never given much thought to this idea before, but it makes sense. There remains a tendency to see the city as synonymous with secularism, and the movement of the city as synonymous with the “sins of Cain”. Call it the ‘Sodom and Gemmorah” complex if you will. And yet at the core of Christian theology is the promise of a present and future city.
Um intends to connect us theologically to the realm of the physical as a means of showing us how this theological understanding plays out in our every days lives concerning our homes, professions, relationships, culture and social relationships. He doesn’t give a lot of time to the history, but he does a good job of connecting the linear development (from the rise of imperial cities (Babylon) and the first “universal/melting pot city of Alexandria) to the human condition. I found it interesting to read his suggestion that following the fall of the first mega-city (Rome), the Dark Ages of the West became synonymous with “the relative absence of cities” while the successive development of the East would hinge on the value of the city. On a base level, Um would contend (and divides his thought process in to) cities are important because they a) keep us safe, b) they keep us social and c) they shape our understanding of the sacred. He leads from here back in to the larger theological view of how this fits in with our relationship to God and each other.
One of the crucial points of any “theology” of the city is to give consideration to the shifting tides of secularism (or the shift from Cathedral to commerce as the “organizing structure” of society). Here Um shares much of the insights of another recent author (Forster in “The Joy of God”) in suggesting that with social and economic freedom (democracy) comes a necessary shift away from the dominating force of the Church and towards secularism where freedom of religion is allowed to prosper. Um is careful to suggest that even in secularism the question of worship remains necessary (“Cities are center of worship filled with people) and important for society at large. This is to suggest that we all worship something, and all cities worship something (as is reflective of its center). On the positive end, as Christians we are free to ask (in a democratic society) whether this worship is moving us towards a common ethic of sharing or if we are moving towards self interest and self indulgence. And of course Christian theology has much to say in this regard.
Where this brings us (in Um’s line of thought) is to some of the big questions regarding the role of the Christian and the Church in the secular city.” Um argues that the larger our world grows (that is, the more globally connected we become), the more important the city becomes for us as people, as Christians, and as cultures. Um would suggest that in a world where boundaries are becoming more and more blurred, cities remain an integral part of what shapes our own identity. Interestingly, another book I am reading (called “The Spirit of Cities”) is arguing this very thing. "The Spirit of Cities" points out that cities remain a unique function in a (global and national) political atmosphere as being the one place that can shape multi-culturalism in to a unifying identity.
For as much as we respond to the nature of globalization, our identity is centered in where live. Um will go on to suggest that “The strength of any given city lies in its ability to capitalize population density by fostering connectivity across diverse social, ideological, and professional lines.” Um suggests that the sort of "spiritual openness" that comes from this (or that is necessary for) is an essential component of city living. Um will go on to insist that this spiritual openness should be exciting for the Christian. Christianity has always existed and thrived in this place.
Historically this is where we find some answers to the question of the “how”. The chapter on the Christian story left me a little wanting (it flies through stuff that deserved more attention), but at its core it recognizes Paul’s attentiveness to culture and culture shaping roles in the city, and gives good acknowledgement to the Old Testament’s concern for city building/shaping. Paul in specific lived and breathed the Gospel in the most populated, innovate and expressive places in the world of his time. Um takes some portions of his Biblical overview a bit too far (such as his take on the New Testament literature as necessarily city driven ideology). But I understood where he was heading. Again, Forster suggests much of the same in a more indepth fashion, in that as Christians and as the Church we are called to live as citizens of a secular society. The call is to be good citizens not to create a theocracy. Um suggests that the inbetween of exile and Christ’s coming and promise sees the question of the city hanging in the air. This forms the basis for an already/not yet dichotomy. And yet this dichotomy is already at play in the life of Israel as they are called to set up shop, to live and breathe and participate in the foreign culture that they find themselves in, even as the identify as residents of the promised lands and sons/daughters of God remains true. In this sense Um makes the great point of suggesting that our modern (and ancient) notions of “abandoning” (our faith in favor of assimilation) or “privatizing” (building walls around our faith at the expense of participation in the world) our faith/worldview are both self centered responses.
This perhaps brings us to the most important component of living and embracing the city. Cities are built on a “sharing” network. It naturally resists homogeneity. As was noted earlier, “To live together is to live with the freedom of expressive differences.” This is called the diversity of human capital, and Um explains it as the difference between simple addition (adding more of the same) and the more positive multiplication (diversifying). This is what sustains cities economically, spiritually, socially. For example, when cities are built around one economic idea (the automobile), and that industry fails, the city fails. When a person lives in a rural setting that is built on a common nature and idea (farming), and one wakes up one day to find themself on the outside (pursue a different career, don’t get along with a neighbor, face a town crisis) the social system fails. Um suggests that the more we dig down to the “person to person” relationship (in the idea of diversifying) the more relevant this becomes. To live beside someone who is unlike us is good for us. This leads to creativity, and “creativity is a unique function of the city.” More importantly, as Christians we need not fear this. This fear is precisely what has led to the inability of the Church to reenter the city as a positive force for shaping culture in our modern day (and Um is not shy about his motive for culture shaping).
“The optimism of the new urbaninst is based in part on the reality that cities are ideal places for human flourishing.” Um suggests in the beginning of the book that cities always existed for protection (large fortified walls were inherent in their definition). Today, this is less apparent but even more relevant. Cities exist as the most ideal place for growth, for function and for culture shaping in a “competitive environment” that both challenges us and looks out for our well being and survival. It is in to this that the Church can uphold not only that common value of sharing, but the more challenging notions of loving our neighbor (as Um puts it, to Love your neighbor intelligently you must first understand your neighbor… history, values, fears, dreams and mode of operation).
And here is where Um insists on making the book personal and practical. To know and understand our neighbor we must ask, listen and learn… a process that can be applied to knowing our city. Um suggests asking the ‘what’ of our city’s history, values, dreams, fears and ethos. He invites us to do our homework and to get to know the storyline of our own city. This is a tall challenge, but an exciting one. It pushes us out of our comfort zones. And it can only grow from there (to getting to know others cities). But here is the truth. “We can’t minister to our neighbor until we know their (our) city.” I believe that Um is suggesting that too often Christians and the Church assume that we can.
Um suggests in the end that “we enter (or re-enter) the city with a single, multifaceted Gospel. It is a Gospel that is well situated and perfectly relevant to a multi-cultured environment. We enter in to a secular city with a God given conviction. Um spends some time in the early portions recognizing that with the positive of the city comes the negative (it is the solution for poverty but it also is one of the primary causes. It is the place for people to be known but it is the place where people can feel the most lonely. It can be the most culturally alive places in the world, but it can also be the most racially divided. It can be the most prosperous, but it can also be the most self indulgent). The community of the Gospel creates an “antithesis to the loneliness of the city”, to the ignorance of poverty issues, to the self centered nature of a commercial center. It provides a Gospel for all people. It can help shape culture, but more importantly it can give incredible meaning to these cultural expressions as representations of both common values and special revelation (specific Christian spiritual formation of moral/ethical values). This is why the city remains such a necessary part of the Christian theology and the Christian story. This was its function throughout the history of the Jewish/Christian people/Church. It should be even more so today where more of our population lives in the city than ever before.
If you are familiar at all with Keller's writing/teaching you will likely recognize his long standing passion for urban centers and urban ministry in the contents of this brief and concise work. That is not to say that Why Cities Matter: To God, the Culture, and the Church does not have something to offer on its own right. It is nicely organized, exploring six components of the city in light of history, theology, modern living and missions.
It moves forward on the premise that in the 1900's only 14 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas. Today74 percent (or more) live in urban areas. And the trends and most reliable predictions only see this as continuing to grow. The shift from rural farm to city factory from years ago has had a permanent and lasting affect.
For Um though, this is not simply about a linear movement towards the growth of the modern city. To look at these statistics theologically is to see the idea of the city as central to the Gospel itself. It is here that he brings to light some of the shortcomings of Christian thought in its neglect of a proper “theology” of the city, a motif that exists not just in scripture but in the historical and providential narratives that have guided human history. He insists that there exists a tension between the “evil and good of the city”, one that has been fueled by a misunderstanding of the Christian narrative. I must admit that I had never given much thought to this idea before, but it makes sense. There remains a tendency to see the city as synonymous with secularism, and the movement of the city as synonymous with the “sins of Cain”. Call it the ‘Sodom and Gemmorah” complex if you will. And yet at the core of Christian theology is the promise of a present and future city.
Um intends to connect us theologically to the realm of the physical as a means of showing us how this theological understanding plays out in our every days lives concerning our homes, professions, relationships, culture and social relationships. He doesn’t give a lot of time to the history, but he does a good job of connecting the linear development (from the rise of imperial cities (Babylon) and the first “universal/melting pot city of Alexandria) to the human condition. I found it interesting to read his suggestion that following the fall of the first mega-city (Rome), the Dark Ages of the West became synonymous with “the relative absence of cities” while the successive development of the East would hinge on the value of the city. On a base level, Um would contend (and divides his thought process in to) cities are important because they a) keep us safe, b) they keep us social and c) they shape our understanding of the sacred. He leads from here back in to the larger theological view of how this fits in with our relationship to God and each other.
One of the crucial points of any “theology” of the city is to give consideration to the shifting tides of secularism (or the shift from Cathedral to commerce as the “organizing structure” of society). Here Um shares much of the insights of another recent author (Forster in “The Joy of God”) in suggesting that with social and economic freedom (democracy) comes a necessary shift away from the dominating force of the Church and towards secularism where freedom of religion is allowed to prosper. Um is careful to suggest that even in secularism the question of worship remains necessary (“Cities are center of worship filled with people) and important for society at large. This is to suggest that we all worship something, and all cities worship something (as is reflective of its center). On the positive end, as Christians we are free to ask (in a democratic society) whether this worship is moving us towards a common ethic of sharing or if we are moving towards self interest and self indulgence. And of course Christian theology has much to say in this regard.
Where this brings us (in Um’s line of thought) is to some of the big questions regarding the role of the Christian and the Church in the secular city.” Um argues that the larger our world grows (that is, the more globally connected we become), the more important the city becomes for us as people, as Christians, and as cultures. Um would suggest that in a world where boundaries are becoming more and more blurred, cities remain an integral part of what shapes our own identity. Interestingly, another book I am reading (called “The Spirit of Cities”) is arguing this very thing. "The Spirit of Cities" points out that cities remain a unique function in a (global and national) political atmosphere as being the one place that can shape multi-culturalism in to a unifying identity.
For as much as we respond to the nature of globalization, our identity is centered in where live. Um will go on to suggest that “The strength of any given city lies in its ability to capitalize population density by fostering connectivity across diverse social, ideological, and professional lines.” Um suggests that the sort of "spiritual openness" that comes from this (or that is necessary for) is an essential component of city living. Um will go on to insist that this spiritual openness should be exciting for the Christian. Christianity has always existed and thrived in this place.
Historically this is where we find some answers to the question of the “how”. The chapter on the Christian story left me a little wanting (it flies through stuff that deserved more attention), but at its core it recognizes Paul’s attentiveness to culture and culture shaping roles in the city, and gives good acknowledgement to the Old Testament’s concern for city building/shaping. Paul in specific lived and breathed the Gospel in the most populated, innovate and expressive places in the world of his time. Um takes some portions of his Biblical overview a bit too far (such as his take on the New Testament literature as necessarily city driven ideology). But I understood where he was heading. Again, Forster suggests much of the same in a more indepth fashion, in that as Christians and as the Church we are called to live as citizens of a secular society. The call is to be good citizens not to create a theocracy. Um suggests that the inbetween of exile and Christ’s coming and promise sees the question of the city hanging in the air. This forms the basis for an already/not yet dichotomy. And yet this dichotomy is already at play in the life of Israel as they are called to set up shop, to live and breathe and participate in the foreign culture that they find themselves in, even as the identify as residents of the promised lands and sons/daughters of God remains true. In this sense Um makes the great point of suggesting that our modern (and ancient) notions of “abandoning” (our faith in favor of assimilation) or “privatizing” (building walls around our faith at the expense of participation in the world) our faith/worldview are both self centered responses.
This perhaps brings us to the most important component of living and embracing the city. Cities are built on a “sharing” network. It naturally resists homogeneity. As was noted earlier, “To live together is to live with the freedom of expressive differences.” This is called the diversity of human capital, and Um explains it as the difference between simple addition (adding more of the same) and the more positive multiplication (diversifying). This is what sustains cities economically, spiritually, socially. For example, when cities are built around one economic idea (the automobile), and that industry fails, the city fails. When a person lives in a rural setting that is built on a common nature and idea (farming), and one wakes up one day to find themself on the outside (pursue a different career, don’t get along with a neighbor, face a town crisis) the social system fails. Um suggests that the more we dig down to the “person to person” relationship (in the idea of diversifying) the more relevant this becomes. To live beside someone who is unlike us is good for us. This leads to creativity, and “creativity is a unique function of the city.” More importantly, as Christians we need not fear this. This fear is precisely what has led to the inability of the Church to reenter the city as a positive force for shaping culture in our modern day (and Um is not shy about his motive for culture shaping).
“The optimism of the new urbaninst is based in part on the reality that cities are ideal places for human flourishing.” Um suggests in the beginning of the book that cities always existed for protection (large fortified walls were inherent in their definition). Today, this is less apparent but even more relevant. Cities exist as the most ideal place for growth, for function and for culture shaping in a “competitive environment” that both challenges us and looks out for our well being and survival. It is in to this that the Church can uphold not only that common value of sharing, but the more challenging notions of loving our neighbor (as Um puts it, to Love your neighbor intelligently you must first understand your neighbor… history, values, fears, dreams and mode of operation).
And here is where Um insists on making the book personal and practical. To know and understand our neighbor we must ask, listen and learn… a process that can be applied to knowing our city. Um suggests asking the ‘what’ of our city’s history, values, dreams, fears and ethos. He invites us to do our homework and to get to know the storyline of our own city. This is a tall challenge, but an exciting one. It pushes us out of our comfort zones. And it can only grow from there (to getting to know others cities). But here is the truth. “We can’t minister to our neighbor until we know their (our) city.” I believe that Um is suggesting that too often Christians and the Church assume that we can.
Um suggests in the end that “we enter (or re-enter) the city with a single, multifaceted Gospel. It is a Gospel that is well situated and perfectly relevant to a multi-cultured environment. We enter in to a secular city with a God given conviction. Um spends some time in the early portions recognizing that with the positive of the city comes the negative (it is the solution for poverty but it also is one of the primary causes. It is the place for people to be known but it is the place where people can feel the most lonely. It can be the most culturally alive places in the world, but it can also be the most racially divided. It can be the most prosperous, but it can also be the most self indulgent). The community of the Gospel creates an “antithesis to the loneliness of the city”, to the ignorance of poverty issues, to the self centered nature of a commercial center. It provides a Gospel for all people. It can help shape culture, but more importantly it can give incredible meaning to these cultural expressions as representations of both common values and special revelation (specific Christian spiritual formation of moral/ethical values). This is why the city remains such a necessary part of the Christian theology and the Christian story. This was its function throughout the history of the Jewish/Christian people/Church. It should be even more so today where more of our population lives in the city than ever before.
July 31, 2018
Providing a biblical theology of city and with current statistics, the authors provoke Christians, pastors and churches the need for urban church planting efforts without discouraging ministries currently engaged in rural ministry. However, I have two qualms about the book. My first qualm is a lack of distinction between the work of the church gathered and the church scattered. My second qualm (second in its degree of discomfort) is the lack of vision to fill the reader with a vision to bring the glory of Christ in the salvation of people in cities where they are most concentrated. This is perhaps due to the brevity of the book and its focus to present the need for urban mission with a biblical theological grounding for it. Overall, a good, vision inspiring book!
May 1, 2024
This is a great book for introducing the importance of cities as God-ordained social structures meant to create and support human flourishing. My biggest take-away (and this is a bit of a spoiler) was the idea that we must seek to understand and speak to the hopes and idols of each city, keeping in mind that they will be as unique as the people who live there. Gospel contextualization is vital in each social circumstance. That is a truth I have always understood--generally--but seeing it as a principle for seeking the good of our cities (as Jeremiah instructed) with an eye toward the eventual redemption of the world and the arrival of the great city of God is a refreshing and helpful directive that I am thankful to have received in this reading.
October 1, 2025
This book makes a compelling case to view cities as a trove of gospel opportunity, not just unsafe and crowded places. I wasn't tracking 10000% though with everything and I'll need to mull over it, but the book did introduce me to some new thoughts - like how we started in a garden but will end in a city. Definitely leaves me wanting to be more committed to the welfare of the city I'm in.
June 25, 2018
This little book is an excellent introduction urban ministry. The authors provide a solid biblical/theological foundation for city ministry and helpful frameworks for contextualized ministry (influenced largely by Tim Keller). Highly recommended.
June 2, 2018
Good ideas, some great stuff on exegeting the culture, but I wanted a stronger biblical case for city-centric church planting. They admit several times that they might sound like they're overstating their case, and in the end that's what a lot of it felt like.
July 20, 2023
An excellent resource for inner city ministry and missional strategies.
September 27, 2024
2.5 stars
March 9, 2025
A wonderful book about what the city is becoming and how God can use us in our city!
March 22, 2019
Can one single book change your entire view on civilization, on urban vs rural ministry, on the role of the church in the highly populated areas of the world? I say yes, as this one did. This was given to me by a ministry leader of mine, while I struggled to live in a Latin America city (after spending most of my life in small town America). It was and will be a game changer for a long time to come. Brilliant. Practical. Eye opening. Read it.
January 6, 2021
Good premise but redundant and boring to me. Maybe if I lived in a bigger, more diverse city...
February 15, 2017
Worth reading
The second half of the book was better than the first, which seemed a bit repetitive, in fact once the author even says that he is being repetitive-and he's right. The first half of the book is about the importance of cities and the second half is about having a ministry vision for your city.
There are a few times when I felt that in the first half the author stretched to make his point. For example, saying that Jesus' ministry was urban-focused - yet the gospels show Jesus ministering in the villages of Galilee and rarely even going to the nearby Decapolis, which was the urban center of the Galilee region. That doesn't take away from the main thesis of the book, but it seemed like a stretch to try to assert that point.
One big question I felt was never answered is what do they feel differentiates urban from rural - at what point is a city a "city" in the sense they're talking about. Clearly they are writing from an American perspective and assuming that many Christian think in an anti-urban way, which I think is not as much the case as they might think.
Overall though, it's a good book, particularly the second half.
The second half of the book was better than the first, which seemed a bit repetitive, in fact once the author even says that he is being repetitive-and he's right. The first half of the book is about the importance of cities and the second half is about having a ministry vision for your city.
There are a few times when I felt that in the first half the author stretched to make his point. For example, saying that Jesus' ministry was urban-focused - yet the gospels show Jesus ministering in the villages of Galilee and rarely even going to the nearby Decapolis, which was the urban center of the Galilee region. That doesn't take away from the main thesis of the book, but it seemed like a stretch to try to assert that point.
One big question I felt was never answered is what do they feel differentiates urban from rural - at what point is a city a "city" in the sense they're talking about. Clearly they are writing from an American perspective and assuming that many Christian think in an anti-urban way, which I think is not as much the case as they might think.
Overall though, it's a good book, particularly the second half.
October 4, 2013
"Keller lite" — the content of this book is not frivolous or unimportant or superficial or spurious. On the contrary, this is an important book for anyone who wants to have a deep spiritual and transformational impact on a city. It covers much of the same material as Keller did in "Center Church". In fact, Um and Buzzard acknowledge that they relied heavily on Keller. If you really want to dig deep into urban transformation from a spiritual perspective, read Keller. Excellent sections: Ch 1 The Importance of Cities; Ch 2 The Characteristics of Cities; Ch 5 The Story Line of the City; Ch 6 Ministry Vision for the City. I think they stretch things when they use the creation story to support their one of their theses that God created cities — there's enough biblical evidence of God's love for cities and his design for cities w/o stretching things this way.
Some thoughts from the book:
"Abandoning our worldview [and becoming secular] or privatizing our worldview [and being ineffective or withdrawn] are not the only options...the call is to love both God and the city."
"...the city is where culture is shaped. The city is where the people live. And God loves people! And since cities are full of people, we know that God really loves cities."
Questions for discovering the DNA (worldview) of a city:
1. What is your city's history?
2. What are your city's values?
3. What are your city's dreams?
4. What are your city's fears?
5. What is your city's ethos?
Some thoughts from the book:
"Abandoning our worldview [and becoming secular] or privatizing our worldview [and being ineffective or withdrawn] are not the only options...the call is to love both God and the city."
"...the city is where culture is shaped. The city is where the people live. And God loves people! And since cities are full of people, we know that God really loves cities."
Questions for discovering the DNA (worldview) of a city:
1. What is your city's history?
2. What are your city's values?
3. What are your city's dreams?
4. What are your city's fears?
5. What is your city's ethos?
March 26, 2014
A quick and easy read about urban ministry. Neatly organized into six chapters the authors highlight the growth of cities from the ancient world to the present. In 1900 only 14 percent of the world population lived in cities. Today that figure has increased to 68.7 percent with a projection of 86.2 percent by 2050. The fact is that cities are here to stay. Some Christians have tried to avoid them, but cities are not inherently evil as evidenced by the biblical Jerusalem and ultimately the descent of the New Jerusalem when the earth is made new. Cities are in essence are places where human beings choose to live together. For some it may represent opportunity, and cities of course attract many people who are poor and come with inherent challenges and problems. Yet cities are also centers of influence, wealth, and culture. Every city is unique and has their own idols. The modern Christian with a heart for urban evangelism will do well to study their local city, including to pray to God for a heart for their city. This was a helpful book that helped me better understand the unique challenges as well as opportunities of proclaiming the gospel to the world, which of necessity will be and must be in an urban context.
November 11, 2014
A brief, digestible book on God's heart for the city and how the gospel--the good news that God did not leave us alone in our sin to face His wrath but sent His only Son Jesus to die in our place, rise again to defeat sin and death, and restore our relationship with God--shapes our attitudes to the city. We can discern what the city (obviously an amalgamation of subcultures and Babel-like narratives) wants, aspires to, values, and fears. Some of these aspirations and values will need to be confronted and critiqued. But the authors offer a city-loving vision for what it means to hate what brings a city down (all the injustices and brokenness) and offer a spirit-renewing, body-restoring hope.
June 6, 2013
Excellent book on the reasons for a renewed focus on cities in Christian ministry. The authors both pull from their respective life-experiences and a wealth of statistical facts to make a coherent and compelling case for the necessity of engaging in ministry to promote the welfare of the urban centers and the people who flock to them in growing numbers every year. An insightful and challenging read. Definitely recommended for Christians hoping to make an impact in the world, especially if they reside in or near a major metropolitan center.
September 17, 2014
Though I'm not entirely sure whether the authors are coming from an a-mil or post-mil perspective, they create a compelling argument for the church to refocus its priorities on urban church plants. And not only an argument, but a plan for addressing the multifaceted challenges of the city. And not only cities proper - though that is their emphasis - but in any local ministry, this book offers a helpful guide for contextualized ministry and natural points of contact between the culture and the Gospel. A bit redundant in places, but overall very helpful and encouraging read.
July 20, 2016
A great book for both church planters and to anyone who wonders why city churches and urban ministries need to be a priority. Being from a small town and only living in towns that have been a little bit bigger, I learned a lot about the needs of the city and a desire to reach them because that is where more and more people are gathering and it is a place of influence and worship.
This book is easily adaptable for other ministries as well. I will use parts of it in addressing the needs of the college campus which has many similar issues that relate to cities. Great read and well written.
This book is easily adaptable for other ministries as well. I will use parts of it in addressing the needs of the college campus which has many similar issues that relate to cities. Great read and well written.
September 5, 2013
Very solid book. There isn't a tonight new material here if you've read Keller and Conn on the city. Basically, if you have Center Church, you may not need to buy this.
But, the book's clarity and brevity make it a solid item on one's bookshelf. Um and Buzzard pack in a lot of content in 150 pages.
But, the book's clarity and brevity make it a solid item on one's bookshelf. Um and Buzzard pack in a lot of content in 150 pages.
April 28, 2015
This is a fantastic, readable and relatively short treatise on the importance of cities to our world, shaping culture and society, and why Christians should care about them. As a lover of personal stories and the very practical and applicable, I would have only requested that the authors include more anecdotes of their experiences in their cities.
July 24, 2016
This was not a bad book, it just left me wanting more. I feel like this book is basically anything Tim Keller has ever said on cities. It just might be better to read Center Church from Tim Keller instead. It wasn't too original. I did appreciate chapter 1 on the importance of cities. Again, it wasn't bad just not that original.
February 14, 2015
This took me forever to read! It reads much like a dissertation, and was pretty clinical. While those are not bad things, the book is full of great ideas and thoughts that push you, it just made it hard to sit down and read at times.
March 22, 2016
All in all this is a good book. The final chapter may have helped lay a more clear groundwork (theologically) if placed in the front. At times there is a Utilitarian undertone, but the final chapter helps eliminate some of that unease.
July 10, 2014
Helpful overview of the importance of cities in mission. Recommended as an introduction to this area.
April 24, 2013
This is a great book. I enjoyed it very much.
Want to read
August 6, 2016The 2014 Christianity Today Book Awards: Christianity & Culture
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2...
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2...
December 20, 2014
A short but compelling argument that if we truly love people, we will love the city. Essential reading for any Christian or non-Christian city-lover.
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