A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God's Design for Life Together

by Scot McKnight

In this compelling book about diversity and community, McKnight shares his personal experiences and his study of the Apostle Paul to answer this significant What is the church supposed to be?
Local churches matter far more than we often know because they determine what Christian life looks like for you. The church McKnight grew up in was a fellowship of sames and likes. Mostly white, same beliefs about everything, same tastes in music and worship and sermons and lifestyle. But the church God designed, says McKnight, is meant to be a fellowship of di­fference and di­fferents. A mixture of people from all across the map and men and women, rich and poor, black and white, and everything in between. A Fellowship of Differents explores the church as God’s world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the table to share life with one another as a new kind of family, showing the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be.

Genres: Theology, Church, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Christian, Christianity, Leadership

272 pages, Hardcover

First published February 24, 2015

About the author

Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author or editor of forty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly speaks at local churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the USA and abroad. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).

Reviews

[Michael W · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s no way I could finish this book and not review it. Recently I’ve been interested in learning more about the life and ministry of the apostle Paul. This book was so helpful in framing for me, who Paul was what his mission and vision for the church was and what he thought he was doing. Tim Mackie recommended this book during one of his talks on the apostle Paul and I’m so grateful I picked it up. McKnight is a master teacher. I am so intrigued by people who can say complex, difficult things, simply. This book was surprisingly witty, while still being challenging and deeply theological. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the apostle Paul, anyone who is a part of a local church community and anyone who desires to follow Jesus seriously. I found this book to be a great combination of accessibility and effectiveness, two things I hope to embody in my own ministry. I will certainly return to this book and recommend it to others I hope to read a blue parakeet soon.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

McKnight is GREAT at writing theology on a popular-pastoral level, and 'Fellowship' is a good example of this. His ideas are very accessible, clearly biblically-rooted, and replete with memorable illustrations and analogies (the 'salad' image will stick with me for a long time!). In all these ways, he has provided a service to the church, and 'Fellowship' is a book that I will gladly recommend to people who aren't interested in academic deep-dives into ecclesiology.

Particularly, the chapters on 'salvation' and 'ethnicity' were quite helpful, and he takes some surprising turns into theological territory that you may not expect from a book about "being the church." Overall, this book provides a compelling vision for how to functionally "do church" together, as well as a high theological framework for why it's important to take seriously. If you want something with more academic rigor, then look elsewhere, but as an introduction to these ideas, this is an outstanding start.

[Aurora Uhlman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd give it a 2.5/3 stars. I love his main points but I feel like he elaborated too much to try and get points across. It got repetitive and a little christianeze sometimes. I also am still contemplating what he said about homosexuality. And I am surprised and a little frustrated he never mentioned religious trauma, which is an important part of the discussion when we are talking about the church.

[J.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A call to what the church should really be and look like.

[Nick Cady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hesitant to read a book by Scot McKnight because of things I have heard about him and his association with the "new perspective on Paul", but I ended up reading the book because I was interested in studying the topic of God's vision for the Church and it was recommended by Timothy Keller on Twitter. In the end, I'm very glad I read it.
I didn't agree with everything he said, furthermore I think he left out a very important Pauline theme on ecclesiology: that one of the roles of the church is the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph 4). However, the good things that I did glean from this book on the topic of Christian community and fellowship were excellent.

[Anelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that I will have to absorb over time.
Added 12/11/22: While this book has some interesting ideas, it seems as if it was written for an audience of those who have not largely tried to be inclusive and community based. For those of us who have been working at this for a while, the book only scratches the surface. There are some good sections and I have found the book useful as part of my comtemplative life but I would be interested in a book that goes deeper into this work.

[Richard Coombs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books on the 'church' that I have read. It's is up to McKnight's usual standard and has a good mix of theological refection and practical pastoral illustrations. The chapter on 'The Table of Connection' was a strong reminder of the place and meaning of table fellowship.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Thankfully the salad bowl analogy (which did not add anything to the book) was dropped about one third of the way through. But on the whole, McKnight really gets you thinking about local church.

[Jerry Hillyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

FellowshipDifferents
I only recently jumped on the Scot McKnight bandwagon. This year, in fact, although I have followed him on Twitter for a while and, if I am not mistaken, reviewed a book he wrote on Fasting a long while ago. I became interested in McKnight's writing when I saw another of his books called The King Jesus Gospel and in his important book Kingdom Conspiracy. I have also seen his name mentioned by NT Wright here and there. I enjoy McKnight's work because I think he has important things to say that more people ought to be listening to. I think when it comes to the Kingdom and the Gospel McKnight is dead on point. Now I'm kind of convinced that he's on the right track when it comes to the local church. I'm sure at some point along this journey he'll go off the wall and disappoint me, but so far, so good. Fingers crossed.

I don't say it too often about authors because there are so few authors that I truly appreciate--whose work truly resonates with my own heart. I say that because so many authors who write books for the church are afraid to get dirty, say the hard things that need to be said, and actually dig deep enough in Scripture to challenge the status quo. I don't find any of that to be true about McKnight. He writes his books like he writes his Twitter feed and blog: straight up and if you don't like it, well? We may not want to listen, but McKnight (among others) is saying something important. It's time for the church to hear what is being said.

But seriously, McKnight's commentary and arguments are nuanced, but not so much that they are misunderstood. I think he writes clearly enough--even if at times he has to repeat himself in order to make his point. Sometimes those of us who read are a bit of a challenge to those who write. We have to listen carefully or we might miss the bigger picture someone is painting.

So these three books of McKnight's I have mentioned so far are, I think, some of the most important books I have read. In truth, I don't think he's saying anything I don't already believe. It just so happens that he is smart and got the book deal and I got to teach special education. As I noted above, McKnight is really only doing what needs to be done--it's kind of revolutionary in a way because maybe if more people start writing books like he is writing, saying the things he is saying, and alerting Christians to what the Bible really says, then maybe, just maybe the church will hear what the Spirit has to say. Lord knows it's not like we actually read what the Bible has to say. Seriously. I say this because I read a lot of books and I see the things being written....and it's kind of...thin. I like McKnight's work because he consistently finds a way to take his readers deep into the Scripture without causing them the sort of palpitations that get their itchy fingers dialing the phone trying to get someone fired for preaching the truth.

So, A Fellowship of Differents. I don't think I disagree with much in the book, but I do have a serious question to ask. McKnight is selling us this idea that the church ought to reflect the culture in which we live. That is, the church ought to be made up of all sorts of people: different cultures, different colors, different tribes, nations, orientations, ethnic backgrounds, and so on and so forth. I don't disagree. We all together make up Israel expanded. Yep. No complaints. In fact, the book of Revelation is keen on this point too: "After this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb..." (Revelation 7:9)

But how do we make this universal vision of the church a local reality? In fact, is it necessary to do so? Let me give you an example. The church I belong to and worship with is white. Very white. There is one person in the congregation who is African-American--a young girl. She is quite welcome. She is quite active. She is quite happy. My own family has brought her to worship and taken her to dinner and so on. I'm not bragging. But here's my point. The community is small and I don't even know if there are any black families in the community. When I was growing up in that town, there were two such families. My question is this: for all the call to diversify the church, and yes! diversify!, how is a church in a white-washed town supposed to do such a thing? There's not a single personal or theological reason people of color are not among us. It's simple demographics.

I don't understand why it is 'wrong' for a church to resemble the community where it is located. I get the point McKnight is making, but I don't think it's quite as 'easy' to simply remake the church the way he thinks it should be made. Most congregations resemble the neighborhood where they are situated. Mine is no different. Maybe this works itself out in a different way practically so maybe that is his point. Maybe we are simply not practical enough as Christians when it comes to how we relate one denomination to another. Maybe we need a Revelation 7 kind of vision. Maybe this book will help us. Maybe the church is diverse and we need to simply celebrate what we have.

Maybe more of us ought to think and believe that 'we are Christians only, but not the only Christians.' It's just a thought.

Who knows?

McKnight says something I like very early on: "These three principals are a way of saying that local churches matter far more than we often know." (15). Yep. I agree. Which means, as far as I can tell, that more emphasis ought to be placed on the work that local churches do, that more preachers ought to take seriously what they preach, and that more congregations ought to take seriously the things that the Bible says defines the church. So McKnight is right to ask: What is the church supposed to be? And: If the church is what it is supposed to be, what does the Christian life look like? (17). From which I draw the obvious conclusion: Why are there so many preachers on television?

Yep. So, if the local church matters, and these two questions are right, then what is the problem? Well, I suppose you'll have to read the book to find out what McKnight proposes. I have a hard time not recommending his writing. It's accessible and deep. Mostly what I like is that when he handles the Scripture, he doesn't yank a single word from a single verse from a single chapter from a single book and develop an entire theological dogma from it. This book, like what I've read of McKnight in other places, deals with context: literary, historical, and contextual. The reader will not agree with all of McKnight's conclusions. I didn't. But that doesn't mean the conversation isn't stimulating and worth the effort.

I recommend this book because it challenges us to think about the value of the local church and challenges us to keep that church in context and out of context. At the end of the day, this book is an apologetic for loving people because we love God who loves people. It's kind of hard to argue with that logic.

Notes are appended at the end. There is a Scripture index and subject and name index too.

5/5 Stars
Important Book & Author Things

Where to purchase A Fellowship of Differents (Amazon: $15.92)
Author: Scott McKnight
On Twitter: @scotmckight
Academic Webpage:
Editor:
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 272
Year: 2015
Audience: preachers, christians, anyone who likes McKnight's work, etc.
Reading Level: High School
Disclaimer: I was provided an advance reader's copy courtesy of BookLook Bloggers blog program in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is your church designed for extroverts? Almost certainly.
Compared to Jesus, everything else is garbage. Paul uses a word stronger than this, but editors and publishers are sensitive about this.
Nothing is more convincing to me that God is for us, than the gift of the Spirit.
A promised rugged commitment to be with and for another person (Love) Together we strive for Christlikeness.
BCP: Will you who witness these vows of commitment do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?
Non-emotive love flies in the face of Apostle Paul who opens his heart wide. (Pastors and professors are not supposed to be know for showing their emotions in love)
The limit of our costly love is our means. If you don’t have much, give little generously.
The Spirit of God transcends human ability, and transforms human inability. The Spirit gives us power to do what we cannot, and takes what we can do and makes it even better.
weak and strong = Jews and Gentiles.
Salvation has 3 tenses. Past, we have been saved (Rom 8:24), present, we are being saved (Phil 2:12), future, we will be saved (Rom. 13:11) Salvation is a process.
The church is not to serve the state. The state is designed by God for the church. God’s grand experiment in the Church. The state is only good so far as it serves the church in doing good in the world. Citizenship and patriotism have limits. The state is temporary and not eternal good. Our politics are those of Jesus. God rules through King Jesus, and his citizens live under Him. The gospel subverts any other message deeper than the claim of Jesus. The Christian is called to follow Jesus no matter what.
The bold gospeling of the disciples doesn’t mean loud, argumentative polemics. Story illustration: Asian women can say hard things because of their small size, soft voice, and cuteness. Spirit generated boldness can be cool, rational, and flourish abundantly. Exposure to the Spirit makes us brighter, wiser. The Spirit grants wisdom, knowledge, guidance.

[Jeremy Landon Goertzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite quotes:

"The Christian life is not just about how I am doing as an individual, but especially about how we are doing as a church, and how and what I am doing in that mix of others called the church."
Page 16

"Slow, steady transformation remains transformation."
Page 41

"As Anne Lamott once put it, 'I do not understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us there.'"
Page 44

"Love then is not primarily emotion or affection, but rather a covenant commitment to another person. Commitment does not deny emotions; commitment reorders emotions."
Page 54

"Love cannot be love without presence..."
Page 56

"Our dictionary definition of love has, to use theological words, no eschatology. That is, it has no final goal other than perhaps the personla happiness of the one loved or the one who loves — as long as that lasts. But Christian love has direction. It aims at one person helping another to become Christlike."
Page 66

"'The Spirit of God transcends human ability and transforms human inability.'"
Page 91

"There never was a golden era when the church "did church" perfectly."
Page 107

"For salvation is not something that happens once and for all — salvation is a process."
Page 136

"So we have to come to terms with who we are, what our gifts are, what our capacities are, and if the desires for ministry we have are sustainable in the vocation we have. Wise people exercise their gifts within their capacities."
Page 215

"'Joy comes from people, not things. Joy comes from relationships, not from circumstances or experiences.'"
Page 234

[Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scot McKnight has given us a glimpse of church, not from a theological or methodological point of view, from a practical, attitudinal point of view. The only real way to do this is to mine the New Testament for the details. And, grace is in the details! So is mercy. And love. Oh, if you didn't know, it is also pretty messy!

I really liked this book, though there were a couple of points I disagree with him on.

The chapter that deals with sexuality in the Roman Empire and the extrapolation as to what that means for Paul's admonitions against sexual immorality is vital for the church today to understand. McKnight affirms the biblical position on sexuality and marriage and celibacy, but is honest about the struggles that people can have in this area. Not quite a spoiler here - there is little going on in the West today that wasn't going on in the Roman Empire. We need to get back to Scripture and learn how the NT church dealt with it! McKnight points us in that direction.

The basic gist of the book is that the church was not designed to be filled with people who were all alike, but a community where all people are welcomed and walk together towards Christ-likeness.

I will say that I thought the book ended a little abruptly. There was no real conclusion to draw all the ideas back together. There was no real call to action on a macro scale. A concluding chapter would have been a welcomed addition to the book.

This is a much needed book! Grab a copy and enjoy!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with a discussion group, and it surprised me how it got better and better.

I had previously read "The King Jesus Gospel," which adds a helpful perspective to the important conversation about what the actual Biblical gospel message is. McKnight largely draws from the likes of N.T. Wright and others who emphasize the broader, more communal implications of the gospel.

"A Fellowship of Differents" started off differently than I expected. I anticipated a more thorough treatment of key Biblical sections on the topic of Christian fellowship, and a more thorough engagement with other notable authors on the subject. But, instead, he spent a lot of time telling down-to-earth stories that illustrate the need for us to begin and base our fellowships on God's grace and love. From there, he dealt with individual issues facing the church, and ended on a really strong note - addressing the dignity of a Christian's worldly vocation, and the role of suffering in our spiritual growth.

The book covered a broad swath of issues, and related it all to the value of Christian fellowship.
As a complement/supplement to this book, with a deeper Scriptural engagement, I'd recommend Eugene Peterson's "Practicing Resurrection" that walks through Ephesians.

Overall, another worthwhile read!

[Caroline F. Welkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Differences Not Aside

So, according to the author , God chose Paul of the New Testament, a fully Jewish Torah scholar , to be the Christian evangelist to open the way to bring Jews and Gentiles of that day together to establish the foundations of the Christian Church, pointing out that for the most part the Christian church of today does not adequately reflect that design. Author McKnight graphically describes the non-Christian, non-Jewish lifestyles that were widely diverse on many if not all levels of society , that Paul was successful in bringing into a loving fellowship of "differents." He treads on dangerous ground in his chapter on politics and disappointingly makes certain subtle assumptions in that regard. Overall, I believe reading this book should be required reading for anyone entering into ministry within the Christian Church. Especially significant is the authors weaving of various well known figures into is his examples of how present day "fellowship of differents" takes place.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scot McKnight writes a heck of a hook: the premise of the opening chapters had me turning the pages for more. However, I didn't feel the back half of the book delivered on the potential. As the pastor/church planter of a group called The Table I was particularly disappointed by the chapter called 'Table.' It was conceptual and theoretical, when I was looking for hands on practices we could try in our church experiments. This is my criticism of the book overall: interesting concepts, but a real lack of practical application or stories to tell me about what that looks like.

The most valuable chapter to me was the section on sexual ethics in the evangelical church. I thought McKnight sketched a helpful third way out of the polarized situation we currently find ourselves in.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few strengths that McKnight used were; adding scripture, incorporating ideas and practices of the apostle Paul, using real life stories, and quoting other noteworthy sources such as C.S. Lewis, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Most books have a weakness, and here’s a few that I found in McKnight’s book; he sometimes used a sarcastic voice which could offend some readers, and he only uses scripture from the New Testament, but if wanted to add more evidence he could have used the Old Testament as well.
Overall, McKnight’s book was a trustworthy book, one that didn’t have very many weaknesses, at least in my eyes.

[Matt Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is strongest when it focuses on Paul and the early churches, sketching out how diverse yet miraculously functional the churches Paul wrote to were. Unfortunately, a lot of Scot McKnight’s more recent examples in church history are populated by “sames.” There’s a sprinkling of diversity in the beginning, and a steady trickle further on, but you have to read through a lot of stories about CS Lewis and other white males to get there. Still, this is worth a read for the focus on the earliest churches and what held them together.

[Jake Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

McKnight presents the church as the epicenter of the Christian life. He weaves together Jesus and Paul to show that believers are made for community, made to participate in a fellowship of differents. Different ethnicities, classes, generations and genders all bring unique and indispensable gifts to the Body of Christ. I am most grateful that McKnight makes the case that a multiethnic, multigenerational, multiclass church is normative in the New Testament and should be the standard for churches today. This book was a glorious reminder of the New Testament's grand vision for the people of God.

[Vito LoCascio · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title caught my attention. This is my second by Scot midnight, reading Romans backwards was the first. While that book was excellent: a page turner with theological insight and a unique view in Romans that I can no longer unsee. Reading Romans backward is a must read for a serious student of Roman’s. This book was very good.

I found myself reading it off and on, I appreciated the insight on the early church. Great stories. And his understanding of the diverse group of people “salad bowl”brought to the table by Jesus as one, almost made me give us a five star. Worth a read.

[Cameron Roxburgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scot is both an intellect, and a wonderfully accessible, Jesus focused, church loving, wonderful human being. I was influenced by him as a professor, and now even more so by his writings.

This book pitches a vision that we should all catch from the scriptures about God's design for His people. Hard not to like this book, or to buy more copies and give them away, or to be inspired to live in the reality of the kingdom, with people who want to love Jesus as you do... and many others :)

[Evan Hoekzema · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quality book. I appreciated McKnight’s preface and overall point of the book, as well as his easy to read style that contained countless cultural and historical references to the Roman Empire and Jewish culture during the time of Paul. The church truly needs to become (or reclaim) this gospel-driven message of being a community of “different” parts making up the whole. Timely read, one worth getting your hands on.

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book. McKnight stresses the importance of how different people with different backgrounds etc can produce growth in the church body. We are all looking for sameness when we scout out a church but this makes us blind to the differences that can enrich our lives. A fellowship of different people force us to transcend common irritants in a mixed group and be the example to the world.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The church is God's world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens, we show the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together are designed by God to be. When this doesn't happen, we fall short of who we were designed to be.

[Landon Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I deeply enjoy Scot’s teaching and work. There are very well stated points he makes in this book, but I give it 3 stars because the book reads more like a flow of consciousness and can feel distracting. Lucky for us, Scot’s consciousness has been deeply for by the Scriptures, so the core message he is making is still worth listening to!

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

McKnight has presented a clear invitation to the Christian life of a gospeled diversity absent in too many churches today. Follow Pauline teaching the book transverse the landscape of the "salad bowl" reality of the church, that we each represent ingredients and we are varied on purpose for flavor and brightness! I long for this type of church. It is the image of the Kingdom we are meant for.

[Denham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it was because I haven’t read pop theology books in a while, or maybe because I’m coming off the very dense “Hero with a thousand faces”, but this really seemed to lack substance. So much fluff in the book. Good content and maybe in another context it would garner higher praise.

Would recommend though.

[Marc Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a challenging read for many who see their church as perfect. It questions who we are? How are we worshipping? And with whom are we worshipping? Are we all alike? Or do we, as a church, truly invite in all the world?

[David Edgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follower of Jesus is secure enough in their unworthiness to include all others regardless of their situation, social class, sexuality or cultural uniqueness. God is love. Leave judgement to Him.He just wants ya to love!

[Brian Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good view of the church thru a biblical lens.

Most likely the early church would have shocked a few in the church now.
It would have shocked a few outside of the church - Church used to be like that!?!?

[Edward Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful perspective.

Enjoy Scot's personal writing and stories. It was good perspective on how we can get alongas a church of different people and still hold to the truths of the Bible.