Christly Gestures: Learning to Be Members of the Body of Christ

by Brett P. Webb-Mitchell

The church is not only the central place of Christian worship but also a place of faith-filled education. Christly Gestures reframes the very meaning of religious education, exploring what the form and content of Christian learning would look like if local churches truly saw themselves as the body of Christ.

Author Brett Webb-Mitchell begins with the writings of Paul, using them to clarify the biblical image of Christ's body as the community of believers. Taking this powerful analogy to heart, he suggests that Christian education must not only nurture the minds and spiritual lives of church members but also educate their bodies into the "Christly gestures" - performing acts of faith that imitate Jesus and embody the gospel in daily life.

In the quest for a richer, more relevant understanding of Christian education, Webb-Mitchell provides meaningful answers to questions concerning the purpose, context, ways, and means of educating Christians today.ristians today.

254 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

This latest (eighth) book, ON BEING A GAY PARENT, is a practical, down-to-earth, guide that answers the questions unique to the Christian gay parenting experience, with a mixture of concrete information, illuminating anecdotes, and creative solutions.

After teaching at Duke Divinity School for over a decade, I am currently the Director of the religious non-profit, the School of the Pilgrim, leading pilgrimages around the world. I have written two books on pilgrimage: FOLLOW ME (Seabury Press, 2006) and SCHOOL OF THE PILGRIM (W/JKP, 2007). I am also an ordained clergyperson in the Presbyterian Church, USA; am a Benedictine oblate; am a father of two children; and am in a long term relationship."