Christianity in the Twenty-first Century: Reflections on the Challenges Ahead
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.91 (891 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0195096517 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-12-09 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Wuthnow combines personal stories with references to scholarly works and to current events, enhancing the relevance of each aspect of his study as he builds to his cautiously optimistic conclusions. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. In addition to facing the problems posed by AIDS, environmental pollution and nuclear weapons, the author argues, the church can expect internal challenges. . From Publishers Weekly Wuthnow, a social science professor and director of the Center for the Study of American Religion at Princeton University, suggests that the eve of the millennium is an ideal moment to consciously address the role of Christianity in the nation's public life in the next century. How will the concept of Christi
Professional, appreciative, and far-seeing Wuthnow gives an unbiased study of where Christian churches are moving, or not, across the world. He studies where organizational and personal growth are happening, or not. His work compares with Tariq Ramadan's thought on the future of Islam, but Wuthnow is more social science and less philosophy. I like the highly professional approach.The future Wuthnow sees is driven more by lay initiative. It involves spreading informal networks for learning, spiritual practice or social action, which increasingly reach across denomination
But he also highlights worrisome signs, and points to specific areas that need to be addressed to ensure the continuing vitality for Christianity in America--not least among these are the rampant individualism that erodes spiritual communities and the religious infighting that diminishes the Christian sense of unity. How will churches' resource bases, their very identity, and their capacity to carry on their spiritual traditions be altered? till they continue to function as sources of caring in a needy world? What impact will the resurgence of fundamentalism have, and how will moderate and liberal congregations react? How will the political activities of churches influence their capacity to be heard in the public arena, and what will the impact be of pluralism and the prevailing materialism of our society? Drawing on a wide range of first-hand observations and research, Wuthnow demontrates that in each of these five areas people of faith have strong reasons to enter the next century with confidence in their religious institutions. He foresees five critical areas--institutional, ethical, doctrinal, politi