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The Evolution of a UCC Style: Essays in the History, Ecclesiology, and Culture of the United Church of Christ
The Evolution of a UCC Essays in the History, Ecclesiology, and Culture of the United Church of Christ focuses on the development of themes that define the United Church of Christ (UCC). Randi Walker examines the ethos and culture of the UCC rather than simply describing its structures, and addresses the themes of inclusiveness; diversity of theological heritage (Reformation, Enlightenment, and Pietism); congregational polity (the one and the many); liberal theological approach; and ecumenical spirit. Walker also takes a look at the tensions and boundaries contained within each theme.
- GenresSpirituality
232 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 16, 2018
Read for UCC Polity, Fall 2018, at Yale Divinity School. I really enjoyed Walker's writing style. She does a terrific job telling stories about the history of UCC while also working in quotes from other modern theologians and church scholars.
March 16, 2021
Helpful but now somewhat out of date review of the various traditions that have created the United Church of Christ.
November 4, 2015
Refreshingly not a straightforward history, this is a series of theological reflections upon the history of the United Church of Christ arranged around a series of themes--the four-tradition origin myth, becoming a multiracial, multicultural church, the influences of the Reformation, Enlightenment, and Pietism, the development of a liberal style, and finally congregational polity.
Her main thesis is that the UCC has developed a particular style and that this is more important than any of the traditional central features, like polity or theology. This style is an attempt to hold all the various branches of the Reformation together in one body while also expanding to include postcolonial, African-American, Native Americans, feminist, postmodern, LGBT, and other voices/communities of critique.
She contends that this remains an ecumenical effort, but different from the vision of the denominations founders, who completed much of the difficult work of the union just as the civil rights, women's, and anti-war movements began to shake the foundations on which the union was based.
The two things I missed were more detailed discussions of those alternative communities and their influence on the church and the fact that the book is a decade old and thus doesn't discuss the more recent developments and trends--the God is still speaking campaign, the growing number of Pentecostals in the church, and our movement toward more environmental activism.
But I liked it so well I think I'll use it to teach a class here at church on UCC history next year as we begin preparations for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
Her main thesis is that the UCC has developed a particular style and that this is more important than any of the traditional central features, like polity or theology. This style is an attempt to hold all the various branches of the Reformation together in one body while also expanding to include postcolonial, African-American, Native Americans, feminist, postmodern, LGBT, and other voices/communities of critique.
She contends that this remains an ecumenical effort, but different from the vision of the denominations founders, who completed much of the difficult work of the union just as the civil rights, women's, and anti-war movements began to shake the foundations on which the union was based.
The two things I missed were more detailed discussions of those alternative communities and their influence on the church and the fact that the book is a decade old and thus doesn't discuss the more recent developments and trends--the God is still speaking campaign, the growing number of Pentecostals in the church, and our movement toward more environmental activism.
But I liked it so well I think I'll use it to teach a class here at church on UCC history next year as we begin preparations for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
August 29, 2010
Simply the best approach to understanding where the UCC is as a denomination. Walker's book is engaging and well-researched, and shows why many of the ways the UCC tells its history manages to miss the key elements of how the UCC has become what it is.
The UCC has always worn the label "denomination" uncomfortably, and walker seems to address this by avoiding words like polity and theology, which are both vaguely incorrect, instead discussing the style of the UCC. That is, how our differences express themselves in practice and organization, and how the differences we tend to emphasize (particularly our ancestral denominations) are somewhat anachronistic. To address our present requires reckoning with our past, and Walker presents an excellent attempt to reboot the story we tell about the UCC. While Gunnemann is equally vital for understanding, Walker does not carry the baggage of Gunnemann's failed hopes for what the UCC might be and so can more accurately gauge what the UCC has become, and how.
The UCC has always worn the label "denomination" uncomfortably, and walker seems to address this by avoiding words like polity and theology, which are both vaguely incorrect, instead discussing the style of the UCC. That is, how our differences express themselves in practice and organization, and how the differences we tend to emphasize (particularly our ancestral denominations) are somewhat anachronistic. To address our present requires reckoning with our past, and Walker presents an excellent attempt to reboot the story we tell about the UCC. While Gunnemann is equally vital for understanding, Walker does not carry the baggage of Gunnemann's failed hopes for what the UCC might be and so can more accurately gauge what the UCC has become, and how.
November 17, 2015
I enjoyed this book. It gives a good history of the UCC for those who want to learn more about the denomination. It reads much like a text book to me, but that did not bother me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews