The Difficult But Indispensable Church

Contributors Foreword Inroduction PART ONE Personhood in Community: Indispensability in Christ Seeking Peace in the Assembly: God's Mission, Our Worship, and the World's Hope Thomas H. Schattauer Life Together Is Only in God: The Achievement of Personhood in Community Duane H. Larson The Psalms: Individual Laments as Communal Hymns Ann L. Fritschel The Well-Being of Individuals and the Health of the Community Daniel L. Olson Re-Membering the Body of Christ: Creating Trustworthy Places to Be Different Together Norma Cook Everist PART TWO The Church's Heart: The Indispensable Power of Christ The Pauline Letters as Models for Christian Practice: 1 Thessalonians as a Case Study James L. Bailey Believing in God through Others: Believing in God for Others Duane A. Priebe The Community of Faith as a Confessional Norm: Universalism and Evangelism Ralph W. Quere Living Together Faithfully with Our Different Readings of the Bible David J. Lull Practice Where You Preach: Conditions for Good Preachers James R. Nieman Communio as a Basis for Moral Formation, Deliberation and Action Karen L. Bloomquist PART THREE The Church of God in Motion: The Indispensability of Mission We Are the Body of Christ: Ecclesiology for a Church in Mission Craig L. Nessan The Church as Organism: Characteristics of a Young Church David A. Ramse Mission as an Oriental Fan: A Plea for Missionhood of All Believers H. S. Wilson Youth and Family Ministry as Congregational and Community Renewal Paul G. Hill Discovering Hope: Marks of Vitality and Practices That Form Communities for Mission L. Shannon Jung PART FOUR A Church of All People: The Indispensable Challenge American Civil Religion: A De Facto Church Roger W. Fjeld Imagining the New Community in Christ and the Challenges of Race and Class Winston D. Persaud The Body of Christ and the Issue of Required Celibacy Gwen B. Sayler Can This Community Live? A Historical and Contemporary Perspective Elizabeth A. Leeper After the Jubilee: The Church's Advocacy Role Peter L. Kjeseth Afterward Notes