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Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church
Foreword by Donald Miller
Afterword by John M. Perkins
Many Americans think that race problems are a thing of the past because we no longer live under the Jim Crow laws that once sustained overt structures of segregation. Unfortunately, says Paul Louis Metzger, today we live under an updated version of segregation, through the subtle power of unchallenged norms of consumer preference.
Consumerism affects and infects the church, reinforcing race and class divisions in society. Intentionally or unintentionally, many churches have set up structures of church growth that foster segregation, such as appealing to consumer appetites. Metzger here argues that the evangelical Christian church needs to admit this fault and intentionally move away from race, class, and consumer segregation.
Challenging the consumerism that fosters ethnic and economic divisions and distorts evangelical Christianity, Consuming Jesus puts forth a theologically grounded call to restructure the church's passions and practices, transforming the evangelical imagination around a nobler, all-consuming vision of the Christian faith.
Visit the Consuming Jesus blog created by the The Institute for the Theology of New Wine, New Wineskins
Afterword by John M. Perkins
Many Americans think that race problems are a thing of the past because we no longer live under the Jim Crow laws that once sustained overt structures of segregation. Unfortunately, says Paul Louis Metzger, today we live under an updated version of segregation, through the subtle power of unchallenged norms of consumer preference.
Consumerism affects and infects the church, reinforcing race and class divisions in society. Intentionally or unintentionally, many churches have set up structures of church growth that foster segregation, such as appealing to consumer appetites. Metzger here argues that the evangelical Christian church needs to admit this fault and intentionally move away from race, class, and consumer segregation.
Challenging the consumerism that fosters ethnic and economic divisions and distorts evangelical Christianity, Consuming Jesus puts forth a theologically grounded call to restructure the church's passions and practices, transforming the evangelical imagination around a nobler, all-consuming vision of the Christian faith.
Visit the Consuming Jesus blog created by the The Institute for the Theology of New Wine, New Wineskins
- GenresTheology
201 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2007
4 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Paul Louis Metzger
42 books9 followersIntegrating theology and spirituality with cultural sensitivity is at the center of Dr. Metzger's vision and vocation. Dr. Metzger is Professor of Christian Theology and Theology of Culture at Multnomah Biblical Seminary of Multnomah University where he also directs The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins. He has been active in intercultural work in the States, Japan, and England.
Dr. Metzger is the author of Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths (Thomas Nelson, 2012); New Wine Tastings: Theological Essays of Cultural Engagement (Cascade, 2011); The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town (InterVarsity Press, 2010); Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction (co-authored with Brad Harper; Brazos, 2009); Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church (Eerdmans, 2007); and The Word of Christ and the World of Culture: Sacred and Secular through the Theology of Karl Barth (Eerdmans, 2003). He is co-editor of A World for All?: Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian Theology (co-edited with William F. Storrar and Peter J. Casarella; Eerdmans, 2011); editor of Trinitarian Soundings in Systematic Theology (T&T Clark International, 2005), and editor of Cultural Encounters: a Journal for the Theology of Culture. Dr. Metzger is a member of the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, New Jersey, and has developed a strategic ministry partnership with Dr. John M. Perkins titled, "Drum Majors for Love, Truth and Justice.". He is married with two children. Dr. Metzger has a keen interest in the art of Katsushika Hokusai and Georges Rouault and in the writings of John Steinbeck.
Dr. Metzger is the author of Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths (Thomas Nelson, 2012); New Wine Tastings: Theological Essays of Cultural Engagement (Cascade, 2011); The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town (InterVarsity Press, 2010); Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction (co-authored with Brad Harper; Brazos, 2009); Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church (Eerdmans, 2007); and The Word of Christ and the World of Culture: Sacred and Secular through the Theology of Karl Barth (Eerdmans, 2003). He is co-editor of A World for All?: Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian Theology (co-edited with William F. Storrar and Peter J. Casarella; Eerdmans, 2011); editor of Trinitarian Soundings in Systematic Theology (T&T Clark International, 2005), and editor of Cultural Encounters: a Journal for the Theology of Culture. Dr. Metzger is a member of the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, New Jersey, and has developed a strategic ministry partnership with Dr. John M. Perkins titled, "Drum Majors for Love, Truth and Justice.". He is married with two children. Dr. Metzger has a keen interest in the art of Katsushika Hokusai and Georges Rouault and in the writings of John Steinbeck.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 26, 2013
Metzger provides interesting insights into how consumerism, free-market, and the capitalistic attitude of America has affected evangelicalism as keeping us from moving beyond race and class divisions.
He definitely has some valid points and provides a biblical vision, although some of his practical solutions are fairly academic and simplistic.
He definitely has some valid points and provides a biblical vision, although some of his practical solutions are fairly academic and simplistic.
November 12, 2024
My heart was conflicted as I read this book.
On the one hand I am completely aligned with the author's call for the church of Jesus to open her eyes to what Metzger calls the "trade triangle"--consumerism, upward mobility, and homogeneity. These are crucial, often overlooked issues in today's evangelical churches; indeed they are often sins. The church in America needs to embrace the biblical gospel which leads to a contentment not proportional to wealth. Our churches should be known for their cross-centered generosity to the poor and for ethnic/economic diversity reflective of the surrounding community. I believe that when people look at a given congregation they should SEE the power of the gospel by the undeniable love between individuals and families that would not normally even make eye contact. Through Christ’s work of reconciliation the woman who cleans the executive’s office eats a meal at her home, not as someone she “helps” but as an intimate friend and sister in Christ. Their friendship is not characterized by someone well-to-do stooping down to assist someone from a lower class, but by two sinners on equal footing before the cross-with two distinct callings that God utilizes to display His glory to a lost world.
The world should look at an evangelical congregation and say, "The only way that this group of people could come together and love one-another is by divine power."
Metzger's analysis is right on as he describes American Christians as selfish—wanting the greatest spiritual gain for the least cost. This is the consumerism Metzger prophetically confronts. Contemporary church leaders have catered to this felt need, he argues. "It is often about the [spiritual] satisfaction at the least cost."
Regarding homogeneity Metzger writes, "We can choose our friends, but not our siblings. And so it is with the church: we didn't choose the people who would come into God's family, but Christ chose us just as he chose them. The head of the body's blood [The Lord's Supper] running through us is thicker than our affinities . ." The accuracy and implications of this last sentence are profound. The reality is that we are most comfortable with others like us. The Enemy has duped us. What in reality is affinity we call "community." What in reality is "birds of feather," we call fellowship. But the Bible describes the NT congregation as an amazing collection of peoples from disparate strata of society. The Apostle Paul writes, "Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3:9-11) This "new self" or "new man" is not human nature or a spiritual component of an individual, it is the gospel community known as the NT church. Unfortunately, the composition of congregations in the USA does not comport with Paul's description in Col. 3:9-11. Surprisingly, Metzger does not cite this passage. He does point the reader to a similar and more oft quoted passage, Gal. 3:28.
Metzger's heart is in alignment with the God of the Bible, "We will only be able to conquer the Balrog [Metzger utilizes Tolkien's fictional demon as a real one] when a profound sense of inclusive beloved community centered in the triune God consumes us." Unfortunately the book does not go deep into the diversity, complementarity, beauty, and intra-trinitarian love of the Persons of the godhead as a communal Model for small-group or congregational life. The book is not grounded in an exegetical or gospel-centered reality. WHY should one be burdened for multi-ethnic, multi-economic congregational diversity? Metzger’s book is full of Scripture citations but lacks a biblical, theological, or historical milieu. Metzger mostly assumes the reader shares his perspective. This is a weakness of the book. Evangelicals need a voice who authoritatively demonstrates the _Bible_ teaches what Metzger assumes.
The work is characterized by poor historiography, simplistic and inaccurate blame of well-known figures like Moody and Falwell, his tendency to blame the anti-intellectual evangelical church (straw-man fallacy). For Hillary Clinton it was the fault of that "vast right-wing conspiracy." She overstates the power and potency of the political right—and then blames them. I actually thought of Hillary as I read this book because Metzger walks a similar fallacious line. His "vast right-wing conspiracy" is the anti-intellectual, pre-millennial, evangelism-only leaders of the evangelical church. It's a little more complicated than he suggests! He gives way too much credit and influence to Moody and Falwell and others. Metzger is right-on with his "Trade Triangle" but he missed the boat when it comes to the _causes_ of the "Trade Triangle."
He writes, “We vitally need not only to understand history and the moral monsters it has created; we also need to perceive clearly the demonized and demonizing consumer church structures and culture that continue to wage war against efforts to fight race and class divisions today.” Although history and culture has an impact on future generations, the blame for the state of the evangelical church has little to do with Moody or Falwell or Dobson (all three mentioned in the book) as influential as they were (are). The state of the church has more to do with the sins of the hearts of individuals and the capitulation of evangelical leaders to the idols of comfort, social affinity, attendance, buildings, budgets, etc. I would have preferred a book that did the work of getting to the heart of the problem rather than blaming those from within the church whose public ministries one disdains.
The causes are not so much found in the influence of a few leaders, but in the sinfulness of people in general. People like me, and Metzger, and Moody.
Finally, Metzger misses the mark in solutions to the problem. What we need are not bigger communion tables (yes, he actually argues this)! The solution to the self-focused evangelical church is not to overturn the high-end coffee tables and cappuccino bars found in churches big and small. No, the solution is to overturn our hearts. For both church leaders and church members to follow the lead of the good samaritan, to follow the lead of Christ. We need to change what we do and who we do it with for the sake of the kind of church described in Col. 3:9-11, Gal. 3:28, for the glory of God.
The emphasis of the book should have been more on “Here’s how we become who we should be” rather than “Here’s who we should blame for how we got here.” He blames the wrong people and misses an opportunity to be a significant voice for change.
=============
Significant quotes:
Willow Creek started in the era when, as the book [United by Faith] noted, the church-growth people were saying, "Don't dissipate any of your energies fighting race issues. Focus everything on evangelism." It was the homogeneous unit principle of church growth. And I remember as a young pastor thinking, That's true. I didn't know whether I wanted to chance alienating people who were seekers, whose eternity was on the line, and who might only come to church one time. I wanted to take away as many obstacles as possible, other than the Cross, to help people focus on the gospel.
So now, 30 years later, as I read this book, I recognize that a true biblically functioning community must include being multiethnic. My heart beats so fast for that vision today. I marvel at how naïve and pragmatic I was 30 years ago.
--Bill Hybels
CT, April 2005
=========
"Having first gained all you can, and secondly saved all you can, then give all you can." John Wesley 'The Use of Money'
On the one hand I am completely aligned with the author's call for the church of Jesus to open her eyes to what Metzger calls the "trade triangle"--consumerism, upward mobility, and homogeneity. These are crucial, often overlooked issues in today's evangelical churches; indeed they are often sins. The church in America needs to embrace the biblical gospel which leads to a contentment not proportional to wealth. Our churches should be known for their cross-centered generosity to the poor and for ethnic/economic diversity reflective of the surrounding community. I believe that when people look at a given congregation they should SEE the power of the gospel by the undeniable love between individuals and families that would not normally even make eye contact. Through Christ’s work of reconciliation the woman who cleans the executive’s office eats a meal at her home, not as someone she “helps” but as an intimate friend and sister in Christ. Their friendship is not characterized by someone well-to-do stooping down to assist someone from a lower class, but by two sinners on equal footing before the cross-with two distinct callings that God utilizes to display His glory to a lost world.
The world should look at an evangelical congregation and say, "The only way that this group of people could come together and love one-another is by divine power."
Metzger's analysis is right on as he describes American Christians as selfish—wanting the greatest spiritual gain for the least cost. This is the consumerism Metzger prophetically confronts. Contemporary church leaders have catered to this felt need, he argues. "It is often about the [spiritual] satisfaction at the least cost."
Regarding homogeneity Metzger writes, "We can choose our friends, but not our siblings. And so it is with the church: we didn't choose the people who would come into God's family, but Christ chose us just as he chose them. The head of the body's blood [The Lord's Supper] running through us is thicker than our affinities . ." The accuracy and implications of this last sentence are profound. The reality is that we are most comfortable with others like us. The Enemy has duped us. What in reality is affinity we call "community." What in reality is "birds of feather," we call fellowship. But the Bible describes the NT congregation as an amazing collection of peoples from disparate strata of society. The Apostle Paul writes, "Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3:9-11) This "new self" or "new man" is not human nature or a spiritual component of an individual, it is the gospel community known as the NT church. Unfortunately, the composition of congregations in the USA does not comport with Paul's description in Col. 3:9-11. Surprisingly, Metzger does not cite this passage. He does point the reader to a similar and more oft quoted passage, Gal. 3:28.
Metzger's heart is in alignment with the God of the Bible, "We will only be able to conquer the Balrog [Metzger utilizes Tolkien's fictional demon as a real one] when a profound sense of inclusive beloved community centered in the triune God consumes us." Unfortunately the book does not go deep into the diversity, complementarity, beauty, and intra-trinitarian love of the Persons of the godhead as a communal Model for small-group or congregational life. The book is not grounded in an exegetical or gospel-centered reality. WHY should one be burdened for multi-ethnic, multi-economic congregational diversity? Metzger’s book is full of Scripture citations but lacks a biblical, theological, or historical milieu. Metzger mostly assumes the reader shares his perspective. This is a weakness of the book. Evangelicals need a voice who authoritatively demonstrates the _Bible_ teaches what Metzger assumes.
The work is characterized by poor historiography, simplistic and inaccurate blame of well-known figures like Moody and Falwell, his tendency to blame the anti-intellectual evangelical church (straw-man fallacy). For Hillary Clinton it was the fault of that "vast right-wing conspiracy." She overstates the power and potency of the political right—and then blames them. I actually thought of Hillary as I read this book because Metzger walks a similar fallacious line. His "vast right-wing conspiracy" is the anti-intellectual, pre-millennial, evangelism-only leaders of the evangelical church. It's a little more complicated than he suggests! He gives way too much credit and influence to Moody and Falwell and others. Metzger is right-on with his "Trade Triangle" but he missed the boat when it comes to the _causes_ of the "Trade Triangle."
He writes, “We vitally need not only to understand history and the moral monsters it has created; we also need to perceive clearly the demonized and demonizing consumer church structures and culture that continue to wage war against efforts to fight race and class divisions today.” Although history and culture has an impact on future generations, the blame for the state of the evangelical church has little to do with Moody or Falwell or Dobson (all three mentioned in the book) as influential as they were (are). The state of the church has more to do with the sins of the hearts of individuals and the capitulation of evangelical leaders to the idols of comfort, social affinity, attendance, buildings, budgets, etc. I would have preferred a book that did the work of getting to the heart of the problem rather than blaming those from within the church whose public ministries one disdains.
The causes are not so much found in the influence of a few leaders, but in the sinfulness of people in general. People like me, and Metzger, and Moody.
Finally, Metzger misses the mark in solutions to the problem. What we need are not bigger communion tables (yes, he actually argues this)! The solution to the self-focused evangelical church is not to overturn the high-end coffee tables and cappuccino bars found in churches big and small. No, the solution is to overturn our hearts. For both church leaders and church members to follow the lead of the good samaritan, to follow the lead of Christ. We need to change what we do and who we do it with for the sake of the kind of church described in Col. 3:9-11, Gal. 3:28, for the glory of God.
The emphasis of the book should have been more on “Here’s how we become who we should be” rather than “Here’s who we should blame for how we got here.” He blames the wrong people and misses an opportunity to be a significant voice for change.
=============
Significant quotes:
Willow Creek started in the era when, as the book [United by Faith] noted, the church-growth people were saying, "Don't dissipate any of your energies fighting race issues. Focus everything on evangelism." It was the homogeneous unit principle of church growth. And I remember as a young pastor thinking, That's true. I didn't know whether I wanted to chance alienating people who were seekers, whose eternity was on the line, and who might only come to church one time. I wanted to take away as many obstacles as possible, other than the Cross, to help people focus on the gospel.
So now, 30 years later, as I read this book, I recognize that a true biblically functioning community must include being multiethnic. My heart beats so fast for that vision today. I marvel at how naïve and pragmatic I was 30 years ago.
--Bill Hybels
CT, April 2005
=========
"Having first gained all you can, and secondly saved all you can, then give all you can." John Wesley 'The Use of Money'
May 31, 2018
Phenomenal book! One of my favorites. Metzger does a fantastic job at exposing the history of Evangelicalism and its involvement in race and class division. His theology is conservative and well within Evangelical parameters, and because of this book I am proud to call myself an evangelical Christian. He does a great job in this book. It is definitely a text I will refer to often in sermons and lectures in the future, not to mention in my own life!
February 2, 2008
metzger addresses how consumerism as a pervasive framework in modern Western culture has affected race & class issues in the church of contemporary America. while slavery and the jim crow laws may be no more, the cultural modes of consumer preference, upward mobility, and the "homogeneous unit" principle have infiltrated the church's self-understanding and ideology, resulting in church growth strategies that market towards niche groups, seek to assist the American in their upward pursuit of life, liberty and personal happiness, and result in homogeneous units segregated from other walks of life (often along lines that include strong demarcations between race and class).
he proposes theological alternatives to frame the church's practice towards prophetic living in a consumer society. my favorite chapters are 3, 4 and 5, where he addresses, respectively, the following dimensions of the gospel in this regard: the structural (Christ's victory re-orders the cosmos in a way that has immense implications for challenging the powers of market / economic forces), affective (Christ's victory re-orders the affections, passions and values of the human heart from the narcissistic towards God / other / creation in sacrificial "downward mobility"), and ecclesial (Christ's victory establishes a body united to him through his eucharistic presence that is marked by heterogeneity [all races / classes] with a particular and prophetic way of life).
the call is thus for intentionality in the church to allow Christ's consuming presence to consume the race & class divisions we have allowed to take such a strong hold in the church.
some highlights for me were the recognition that for many of us today the word "community" is extremely popular but is often a code-word for what is more "affinity"--ie. hanging out with people who think, dress, and share the same cultural ideologies as us. what would it look like for the church body to reflect the homeless dude & the CEO, the soccer mom & the punk rocker, the business exec and the cleaning lady in his office, the migrant worker and the stock analyst? i find this an inspiring vision and am convicted that i'm often more interested in pursuing affinity (developing relationship with people like me) than pursuing truly biblical diverse community. this was an inspiring call to be consumed by Christ towards the latter.
i also found inspiring the challenge to homogeneity and upward mobility, as in the comparison of Sartre's hell in "No Exit" where three self-consumed individuals are locked in a room together with no escape with eyelids that cannot close to the following scene in many of our churches "... Christians gather there, with eyes wide open, some of them hanging out around the coffee bar to check out the possibilities for future dates, perhaps in hopes of building cozy Christian homes. Some others plan evangelistic ski trips to Vail, with the only aim of showing their non-Christian homogeneous friends that Christians can have fun, too." (p.98) I'm convicted how much I adapt the Christian gospel to the pursuit of my own comfort rather than a willingness to lay down my life for the world around me.
I also found refreshing the reminder of the "theology" behind the metanarrative of the economic structure today, as in the following quote from Bigelow he builds upon (p.43): "Economics, as channeled by its popular avatars in media and politics, is the cosmology and the theodicy of our contemporary culture. More than religion itself, more than literature, more than cable television, it is economics that offers the dominant creation narrative of our society, depicting the relation of each of us to the universe we inhabit, the relation of human beings to God. And the story it tells is a marvelous one. In it an enormous multitude of strangers, all individuals, all striving alone, are nevertheless all bound together in a beautiful and natural pattern of existence: the market..." Metzger's ensuing discussion is an example of the refreshing call to question the underlying "theologies" and narratives of what we tend to culturally promote as secular or even neutral realities.
okay, there's more but this has gotten long, i should probably shut up now...
he proposes theological alternatives to frame the church's practice towards prophetic living in a consumer society. my favorite chapters are 3, 4 and 5, where he addresses, respectively, the following dimensions of the gospel in this regard: the structural (Christ's victory re-orders the cosmos in a way that has immense implications for challenging the powers of market / economic forces), affective (Christ's victory re-orders the affections, passions and values of the human heart from the narcissistic towards God / other / creation in sacrificial "downward mobility"), and ecclesial (Christ's victory establishes a body united to him through his eucharistic presence that is marked by heterogeneity [all races / classes] with a particular and prophetic way of life).
the call is thus for intentionality in the church to allow Christ's consuming presence to consume the race & class divisions we have allowed to take such a strong hold in the church.
some highlights for me were the recognition that for many of us today the word "community" is extremely popular but is often a code-word for what is more "affinity"--ie. hanging out with people who think, dress, and share the same cultural ideologies as us. what would it look like for the church body to reflect the homeless dude & the CEO, the soccer mom & the punk rocker, the business exec and the cleaning lady in his office, the migrant worker and the stock analyst? i find this an inspiring vision and am convicted that i'm often more interested in pursuing affinity (developing relationship with people like me) than pursuing truly biblical diverse community. this was an inspiring call to be consumed by Christ towards the latter.
i also found inspiring the challenge to homogeneity and upward mobility, as in the comparison of Sartre's hell in "No Exit" where three self-consumed individuals are locked in a room together with no escape with eyelids that cannot close to the following scene in many of our churches "... Christians gather there, with eyes wide open, some of them hanging out around the coffee bar to check out the possibilities for future dates, perhaps in hopes of building cozy Christian homes. Some others plan evangelistic ski trips to Vail, with the only aim of showing their non-Christian homogeneous friends that Christians can have fun, too." (p.98) I'm convicted how much I adapt the Christian gospel to the pursuit of my own comfort rather than a willingness to lay down my life for the world around me.
I also found refreshing the reminder of the "theology" behind the metanarrative of the economic structure today, as in the following quote from Bigelow he builds upon (p.43): "Economics, as channeled by its popular avatars in media and politics, is the cosmology and the theodicy of our contemporary culture. More than religion itself, more than literature, more than cable television, it is economics that offers the dominant creation narrative of our society, depicting the relation of each of us to the universe we inhabit, the relation of human beings to God. And the story it tells is a marvelous one. In it an enormous multitude of strangers, all individuals, all striving alone, are nevertheless all bound together in a beautiful and natural pattern of existence: the market..." Metzger's ensuing discussion is an example of the refreshing call to question the underlying "theologies" and narratives of what we tend to culturally promote as secular or even neutral realities.
okay, there's more but this has gotten long, i should probably shut up now...
February 24, 2017
I wrote the following words a few years ago and they are even more relevant in today's cultural and political climate. "If you have ever thought about why churches are still divided by race in 2011, "read this book." If you have ever wondered why people who follow a God whose primary message is to love one another don't always do so, "read this book." If you are not a person of faith, but you are curious as to why the Christian religion is so fragmented in its expression and practices, "read this book."
I can think of no better way to recommend this or any book than by sharing this with you. I have read this book twice, and I have just begun reading it for the third time. Guess what? I am enjoying Consuming Jesus this third time around as much as I did the very first time I read it! I cannot say this enthusiastically enough:"Read this book!"
Jimi Calhoun
June 2, 2008
The title is a double-entendre, referring to 2 phenomena at war in the church: communion and consumerism.
The word communion is rooted in the word community, and that helps get at the essence of the ritual: the entire church comes together to remember Jesus Christ's death on the cross by consuming bread and wine together in a common meal. In order for the ritual to mean anything, all participants must prepare by reconciling their differences with one another. Thus communion goes beyond a mere ritual to the task of healing and binding together broken people and communities. True religion, as Metzger points out, is by definition the act of "re-binding."
Unfortunately, evangelical churches have often failed the mission to re-bind. Why? Because they've attempted to grow themselves by catering to consumer preferences. The result is a worship space where a pop band or coffee bar might take precedence over the communion table as the center of Christian fellowship. As churches fine-tune their music, programs, and refreshments to meet consumer tastes, the diversity of their congregations drops, whether by accident or design. "The most segregated hour" stays that way, and the Body of Christ fails to bring reconciliation to communities broken along race and class lines.
Metzger finishes with a vision for reordering the Church's mission, drawing heavily on John Perkins. Perkins defines the church's task as the "three R's" of Relocation, Reconciliation, and Redistribution. Needless to say, these three vital steps toward community healing are a must for churches, but only after achieving the very first step of simply reaching out to all races and classes of people.
This book has opened my eyes to the significance of race and class in the church. Metzger shows how these divisions, and apathy in the evangelical church, are rooted in the history of evangelical belief, and that the solution is rooted in a reexamination of Christian theology.
The word communion is rooted in the word community, and that helps get at the essence of the ritual: the entire church comes together to remember Jesus Christ's death on the cross by consuming bread and wine together in a common meal. In order for the ritual to mean anything, all participants must prepare by reconciling their differences with one another. Thus communion goes beyond a mere ritual to the task of healing and binding together broken people and communities. True religion, as Metzger points out, is by definition the act of "re-binding."
Unfortunately, evangelical churches have often failed the mission to re-bind. Why? Because they've attempted to grow themselves by catering to consumer preferences. The result is a worship space where a pop band or coffee bar might take precedence over the communion table as the center of Christian fellowship. As churches fine-tune their music, programs, and refreshments to meet consumer tastes, the diversity of their congregations drops, whether by accident or design. "The most segregated hour" stays that way, and the Body of Christ fails to bring reconciliation to communities broken along race and class lines.
Metzger finishes with a vision for reordering the Church's mission, drawing heavily on John Perkins. Perkins defines the church's task as the "three R's" of Relocation, Reconciliation, and Redistribution. Needless to say, these three vital steps toward community healing are a must for churches, but only after achieving the very first step of simply reaching out to all races and classes of people.
This book has opened my eyes to the significance of race and class in the church. Metzger shows how these divisions, and apathy in the evangelical church, are rooted in the history of evangelical belief, and that the solution is rooted in a reexamination of Christian theology.
June 15, 2013
A helpful witness to the need for social engagement on the part of Christian communities. Although addressed specifically to evangelical groups, the same principles apply to other churches as well. "Liberal" positions on social issues do not always lead to intentional involvement. More important, this book opens up ways that all churches can move toward partnership in healing racial & class divides.
August 17, 2016
Excellent book aimed at Evangelicals, but all Christians and other people of faith can learn from Prof. Metzger's faith-based call to us to reach out to our neighbors who suffer from poverty and prejudice. Continually refers to Biblical sources for justification and motivation for us to move beyond our parish communities and make our faith dynamic as opposed to comfortable. God calls us all to mission, and Prof. Metzger shows us the way.
March 12, 2009
Good effort in focusing on not just complaining about the problems but also offering solutions; the problem is that the solutions offered need a little more thought and development. A worthy effort and good challenge to some of the problems in the evangelical church.
September 6, 2008
A sobering and well researched look at how consumerism has caused and/or sustained divisions in the American church.
Read
August 2, 2011This is one of my professors. Some of its broad topics really transformed the way I engage in ministry in a broken world
April 22, 2012
Not sure what I expected, but disappointing.
June 13, 2013
thought-provoking book by a great friend and colleague of mine.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews