Greg Bakker and Tina Hodgett, Into All the Parish (London: Church House Publishing, 2026)

reviewed by Revd Marie Meredith
Vicar to the churches of Great Wyrley: St Andrew’s and St Mark’s

Into All the Parish by Rev Greg Bakker and Rev Tina Hodgett is for anyone passionate about mission, community, and the future of the church. Rather than another ‘How to Grow Your Church’, this book offers something more hopeful and sustainable; working with what God has already blessed us with.

The book is rooted in scripture, with practical, lived out examples and case studies. Bakker and Hodgett share stories of ordinary churches and people discovering how God is already at work in their parish and learning how to join in.

One of the themes running throughout the book is that this is not another initiative. The authors show readers that mission is not about doing more. Instead, it is about recognising where God is moving, having an expectation that God is already at work, and responding with faith and courage. There is a genuine invitation for churches to become more adventurous; to be willing to walk with Jesus, take a risk, and do something different.

Into All the Parish places an emphasis on working in community, fostering unity and embracing diversity, encouraging churches to value the unique gifts, stories, and cultures already present within their parish thus enabling people to connect with Christianity in meaningful, and relational ways.

For leaders, dreamers, and blue-sky thinkers, this book offers plenty of imagination and possibility. It challenges churches to pay attention to where God is already active in their parish. For anyone longing to see faith become more connected, hopeful, and rooted in everyday community life, Into All the Parish offers a way to do church differently.

More from this issue

The post Book review: Into All the Parish appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Harvey C. Kwiyani, Decolonizing Mission (London: SCM Press, 2025)

reviewed by Paul Thaxter

Harvey Kwiyani lays out a well considered case for the need to decolonise mission in order to facilitate and improve contemporary mission praxis and theory, recognising that all followers of Christ are called into the worldwide mission of God. From the start, the coming of God’s kingdom was challenging to imperialism, as he notes in the chapters “Jesus and the Empire” and “Imperializing Jesus”, yet much incorporated military language within the mission glossary highlights the close link between Western imperial expansion and the spread of Christianity, especially over the last 500 years. Through careful historical research, and well chosen examples, Kwiyani demonstrates this interdependence of mission, empire, wealth, power, perspective and influence. For many non-Western people, this is obvious. In Chapter 1, Kwyani shares about his personal family experience growing up in Magomero, Malawi, where David Livingstone’s family had their colonial estate. Such experiences are so multitudinous across the globe yet hardly acknowledged even in current Western missiological discourse.

This intentional critique is seeking to open up new spaces in missiological thinking not dominated by Western discourse and seeks not just to decolonise missionary language but also to create new language to describe and demonstrate God’s mission in the world, aided by many new voices. In view of Christian demographics, this is long overdue as he emphasises when he quotes Andrew Walls saying, “Western theology is too small to answer the questions of all world Christianity.”

I would have appreciated a longer chapter on “Mission According to the Colonized” in which he quotes some key African thinkers such as John Mbiti. Kwiyani presents a genuine open challenge to Western missiologists: “Can you eat our missiology with us?” There is the plea for a much more authentic conversation and, amongst the church beyond Western paradigms, to encourage mission praxis into a greater reliance on a posture of humility, prayer and the Holy Spirit. He concludes thus, “We need to learn how to engage in God’s mission among God’s people in God’s world, simply as God’s co-labourers, servants and slaves – with no armies to make the way before us and no empires behind us.”

This book is well worth the challenging read. It is historical research which is academically well evidenced. I found it both intentionally provocative and collaborative, inviting the reader into a deeper discussion so often avoided or ignored or dismissed by those with a dominant Western mindset. In my UK experience, the history and impact of the British Empire, colonialism and the spread of Christianity is rarely taught and little known, and where it is done, it so often focuses on its perceived benefits. Christian missionary histories likewise tend toward collusive narratives which describe the benefits of what has been achieved with little credit to local Christians, and so often no admission of their complicity in the denigration of people, place and culture. This book can be helpful in developing more cultural awareness and sensitivity about ourselves and others. I recommend it for those interested or engaged in mission today both locally and internationally, ministers, mission organisations and Christian ministerial colleges, and those engaging in (Western?) postcolonial studies. I doubt though whether the term post-colonial or post-imperial will ever be apt to describe the world in which we live. We will still need tools to recognise the various disguises of empire. All the more reason to decolonise the mission of God.

More from this issue

The post Book review: Decolonizing Mission appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Alison Milbank, The Once and Future Parish (London: SCM Press, 2023)

reviewed by James Butler

“The question should never start with, are we keeping the church open or are we closing it? The question really ought to be, how will we best be church in this context?” This is a question asked by one of the interviewees of some research I have carried out with Clare Watkins at the University of Roehampton. The question tries to move the discussion of church decline away from a question of economics to a question of theology and pastoral care. Behind this question are the very same instincts that led Alison Milbank to write The Once and Future Parish which seeks to advocate for the Church of England parish in the midst of a perceived turn against the parish within the way the Church of England operates. Milbank seeks to build on her previous book with Andrew Davidson, For the Parish, to provide a theological basis for the Save the Parish movement. However, while challenging a potentially unhelpful tendency towards centralisation within the Church of England, Milbank never seems to reach our asking interviewee’s question, “how will we best be church in this context?” because she already knows: it is the parish church. I think fundamentally this is the problem with the book, the underlying assumption that the woes of the Church of England are broadly all because the Church of England lost confidence in the parish, without a willingness to ask whether being faithful to the parish might look different in 21st-century Britain.

Reading the book I am broadly on board with the critique offered of the Church of England: the centralising tendencies and often uncritical adoption of management theory, along with a concern that the Church of England is losing touch with many in the population. However, the solution offered of having more confidence in the parish church seems to me to not really be interested in actually getting to grips with what is going on. At one point Milbank suggests that the secularisation of the UK was broadly down to the Church of England choosing to withdraw from public life through the decisions it made about structure and parish. The fact that the trends facing the Church of England are mirrored in so many UK denominations, not to mention established churches in other Western European nations, seems to completely pass her by.

The book is laid out logically, beginning with the broad thesis, and then exploring the history and development of the church. Milbank asks really important questions about mission, ecclesiology, the adoption of management methods, the approaches to church planting, and the understanding of the role of the clergy and laity. It feels, though, that there isn’t a desire to really get into the complexity of the questions, as she slips into polemic at quite a number of points rather than developing carefully evidenced argument.

I think there is value in reading this book to get a view of what some think about the ways the Church of England is changing and developing, and I think the questions she asks are important and helpful. Her instincts about the issues facing the church feel right to me. I would have just liked to see a more nuanced engagement based in a more careful study of the present realities of parish in all their complexity – their fruits and their failures. I’m sure the book will be celebrated by the advocates of Save the Parish, but whether it will helpfully open up the discussion, or speak to those who are more sceptical about Save the Parish’s proposals, I’m less convinced.

More from this issue

The post Book review: The Once and Future Parish appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Ed Olsworth-Peter and Dwight J. Zscheile (eds), The Starter’s Way: Leading New Contextual Christian Communities (New York: Church Publishing, 2025)

reviewed by James Butler

The Starter’s Way is written for those starting what the editors, Olsworth-Peters and Zscheile, have called “new contextual Christian communities”. While this name doesn’t roll off the tongue, I understand it to be an attempt to speak to a wide range of people who have a similar sense of calling. Focusing on the desire to respond to context when starting a new Christian community is a helpful way to encourage people to identify through what they have in common rather than through their differences, whether church planters, pioneers, leaders of fresh expressions or new monastics etc. Continuing this approach, the contributors to the book also represent a diversity of voices working with a variety of practices and approaches.

The book presents 15 principles which have been discerned as common across the practices of leading contextual churches, and are clustered in three groups. The first group, “Spiritual Foundations” identifies principles of Jesus-centred, life of prayer, calling, bicultural identity and responsive obedience. There are five inward qualities named in the second group as discerning, self-giving, playful, hospitable and resilient. Finally, five outwards practices of noticing, adapting, experimenting, co-creating and persisting make up the third group. Each of these principles forms a chapter in the book, written by a different contributor. The book is then topped and tailed by chapters introducing the book, and then drawing the ideas together in further thoughts and a conclusion.

The fact that many of the writers are practitioners gives an energy to the book, where ideas flow, and stories draw one’s attention. I found myself particularly enjoying the final section, where chapters on noticing and adapting offered some helpful wisdom developed in practice, and the chapters on experimenting and co-creating were both inspiring and practical. Each chapter ends with “five things to consider” which helps the reader to identify ways to think about the principle more deeply, to put the principle into practice and to reflect on their current practice in light of the principle. There was some gold within these “five things”, and I wondered whether some chapters would benefit from being much more focused towards them. The 15 principles are offered as a helpful framework, rather than any sort of model or approach. This is particularly drawn out in the introduction, final thoughts and conclusion which do a reasonable job of drawing together a huge variety of approaches, ideas and insights.

As might be expected from a volume such as this, some chapters work better than others, and the framing given by Olsworth-Peter and Zscheile isn’t always easy to hang onto when reading through the book. My biggest issue with the book is that there are almost too many ideas, suggestions, quotes and stories. While this is real plus, providing plenty of ideas to inspire and help one’s own practice, the negative is that it doesn’t always flow when reading it. I can’t help wondering whether it has slightly fallen in a gap between a theological account of these principles and a practical handbook. I realise that my perspective as a teacher and trainer before I’m a pioneer practitioner might shape the way I read this book, and I would certainly be interested to hear how those involved in pioneering and church planting day in, day out find it. I do wonder whether there is a way this could be streamlined to really play into that strength of its practical perspective. That being said, I can still happily recommend it as a book which has offered a helpful framework which I’m sure I will return to. There is a wealth of ideas and practices, and some really helpful chapters opening up ideas which are less commonly encouraged and reflected on. (Harvey Kwiyani’s chapter on bicultural identity particularly comes to mind.) What I can really get on board with about this book, and why I think it is a valuable contribution to reflections on pioneering and church planting, is the way it moves away from presenting particular modules towards encouraging principles focused on practices, postures and spirituality – in the words of the book, moving from a focus on doing to a focus on being.

More from this issue

The post Book review: The Starter’s Way appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Jonny Baker and David Cotterill, Fringe Dweller (Getsidetracked, 2026) 

reviewed by Natalie Burfitt

Fringe Dweller invites the reader “to encounter the person of Jesus Christ afresh” through 40 reflections on a variety of gospel stories. It’s intended as a devotional text that can aid both individual and group engagement. The way in to this dialogue between the reader and the characters and action of the gospel is the idea of ‘fringe dweller’. This descriptor is taken from John V. Taylor, bishop and missiologist, whose work Jonny Baker has previously taken inspiration from (see Imagining Mission with John V Taylor by Jonny Baker and Cathy Ross). It’s a lens that the reflections employ with consistency and to powerful effect in two ways.

Firstly, it maintains attention on the radical and disruptive nature of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ encounters are repeatedly with people who live on the fringes of society. Jesus disrupts and disregards the multiple ways we categorise and marginalise – something that also makes him a fringe dweller. There are also ‘fringe’ places, those no-go areas that are best avoided by respectable people.

These kinds of people and places are highly recognisable in Christian ministry, particularly for those that have a pioneering or missional orientation. This is the second way that the fringe-dweller lens is effective, as the reflections and suggested spiritual practices are deeply rooted in the realities of ministry. There’s wisdom and encouragement here on the highs and lows of mission in fringe places and on the impact Jesus can have on those that live there.

I really liked the straightforward style of the writing that makes the reflections engaging and accessible. However, as the authors state, this does not mean that they have left the academic at the door! There is sound scholarship and contemporary theology informing these reflections, making them a ready tool for use in all sorts of gathered settings. The liturgies add to the possibilities here. They are all ready to use or, as the authors invite, can be adapted or added to, or can inspire you to create your own.

There’s a humility to this book that is refreshing. While the authors are committed to the fringe-dweller notion, they also acknowledge that this needs to be read in conjunction with other perspectives on Jesus. The illustrations give the book the look of a graphic novel and this creativity in locating Jesus in our context so that we can follow his fringe-dwelling way is true to the book’s purpose.

Taking a cue from the 40 reflections, I used this as my book for Lent. So often I set out on these seasons of preparation with just such a good intention and only manage to make it to day three. I looked forward to picking up Fringe Dweller and travelled through Holy Week with the final reflections, having made it the whole way through! I highly recommend it as a resource to draw on for yourself and for use with others.

More from this issue

The post Book review: Fringe Dweller appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Jamie Pitts, Organizing Spirit: Pneumatology, Institutions, And Global Imagination (London: T&T Clark, 2025)

reviewed by Revd Ben Morgan Lundie
Rector, The Looe Valley Benefice and doctoral candidate at the University of Roehampton and Church Mission Society

In Organizing Spirit, Jamie Pitts wants to challenge and complexify the dualistic either/or perception that the Holy Spirit is active in marginalised, community-based movements and absent from stable institutions. To develop his theology of how the Spirit may work in organisations, he describes a “pneumatological-sociological picture” (p. x). Writing as a professor of Anabaptist Mennonite theology, Pitts attempts to answer this question by putting Mennonite pneumatology in conversation with Pierre Bourdieu’s relational sociology. 

His argument builds over five chapters. In Chapter 1 he makes an argument for expanding how theologians see the Holy Spirit at work in the organisation of complex human social structures such as communities, movements and institutions. In chapters two to four Pitts develops his argument through three case studies, using the themes of eco-theology, gender and sexual minority inclusion, and racial justice. The book concludes with a proposal for a political theology in which the Holy Spirit is the organiser of Christian institutions that can counter the global phenomenon of neo-liberalism. 

I found inspiration in Organizing Spirit for developing theological insights into my own area of research interest of a practical theology of change in the church, and how institutional change could be influenced by the Holy Spirit. Practical theologians concerned with the topics of the three case studies – climate change, equality and social justice issues – will find value in Pitts’ work as a way of understanding how the Holy Spirit gives agency to human action, as will those who are interested in the growing field of organisational ecclesiology.

In my mind there are two shortcomings in the book. Pitts says that he will develop a framework for discerning if an institution is participating in the life of the Holy Spirit. I was interested in this as a practical theologian as a way of measuring or discerning how God works through institutions, but Pitts does not fully develop these criteria (p. 176). He draws out a few conclusions from the three case studies, and states the obvious, that “all institutions are fallible and liable to go wrong” (p. 160). I would have liked to see these criteria developed further. It is also ambiguous throughout the book whether the organisations and movements that Pitts has in mind are explicitly Christian in foundation and activity or whether the Holy Spirit can also act through non-Christian institutions. I think that he falls into the first category, but he does suggest that the Holy Spirit can use “worldly institutions” to call the church to account for failing to live up to its vocation (p. 150). Should you read this book? I would say yes, even if you do not have direct interest in the topics of the case studies. For many denominations, institutional presence and power can often overshadow the theological reality of the church. The perspective outlined in Organizing Spirit offers the possibility and hope for organisational redemption and sanctification.

More from this issue

The post Book review: Organizing Spirit appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Andrew Walls, Christian Conversion and Mission: A Brief Cultural History (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2025)

reviewed by Paul Thaxter

Published posthumously, this edited, accessible, condensed short book (about 150 pages with notes) is an excellent introduction to the writings of Andrew Walls, who died in 2021. It explores the cultural history of Christian conversion which Walls, a Scottish historian of Christian mission, had spent most of his long life considering in the company of other leading missiologists and theologians from around the world. Conversion is a contested notion in contemporary societies. Walls perceived Christian conversion as “turning toward Christ what is already there”. He argued that the cultural context needs to be considered and understood both in and across history. People come to Christ differently and express themselves in both geography and history.

Mark R. Gornik writes an informative introduction to the lectures, notes and writings of Walls. Interestingly, the first four chapters are from his lectures at Fuller Theological Seminary in 1996, which were unpublished transcripts. They provide, in my opinion, a hitherto-lacking coherent, concise introduction into Walls’ writings and thought. They look at the nature of converts and proselytes in Jewish Christianity and Hellenistic Christianity, contrasting with Barbarian Christianity and the birth of Christendom, culminating in Chapter 4 with his insights on “Christianity without Christendom”.

Chapter 5 (“Worldviews and Christian Conversion”) highlights some of the important developments and implications for mission over the centuries, whilst chapter 6 (“Monks and Evangelicals”), only four pages, looks at the nature of Christendom and some of its radical movements. In Chapter 7 (“When World Christianity Fell Apart”) Walls describes the astonishing diversity of the Church in culture and geography, and comments that the current reality of global Christianity is “a return to normality, a return to the multicentric, multilingual, multicultural reality of the Early Church…” In the epilogue there is a summary of six different phases of Christianity with its ensuing diversity but also noting points of coherence and continuity. Having read Walls previously, I found this last short book to be a good entry point for both the general interested reader and for those students who wish to explore the dynamics of conversion and culture further. As it is edited posthumously from notes, lectures and conversations it occasionally lacks a completely smooth read but it does provide an authentic expression of Walls’ unique contribution to mission, theology and faith. 

This book is ideal for mission practitioners, church planters, discipleship trainers, evangelists and church leaders pondering the interactions of culture and conversion over church history. When we encourage people and communities to turn to Christ, what exactly are we seeking to do? How much of our culture (including the way we do church) is essential, disposable or open to transformation in the process? Reading this book could lead to stronger reflection on how to generate healthier, more open creative Christian communities, stronger disciples and a more multi-culturally relevant church. Not only do I recommend this book but I am buying it for friends and for those I think would benefit from contemplating its contents.

More from this issue

The post Book review: Christian Conversion and Mission appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

The feasting of Christmas and Epiphany may be over but behold! – arriving in bookshops and online is a feast of thought, research and story from the community of people who have in recent years enabled the genesis of new churches.

New Churches: A Theology by Will Foulger and Joshua Cockayne (eds)

A number of teachers on CMS pioneer courses as well as contributors to the Anvil journal have provided chapters, along with practitioners and thinkers from across the church.

They serve up a tasty banquet of 12-page reads reflecting a diverse range of approaches to starting and thinking about starting new churches.

Topics cover, for example, Anglo-Catholic church-planting (does it happen?!), church planting as a craft based on medieval guilds, an exploration of church planting hints in Romans 16, and community organising as a resource for church planting. Plus Thomas Aquinas on asking for help!

Is your appetite whet yet?

The editors offer a thoughtful introduction as to why such a book is needed. They suggest that the doers – those who get on with the business of starting new things – and the reflectors – those who are wary of ‘jettisoning the task of real, slow, deep theological reflection’ on any area of practice may need a conversation with each other if new churches are to arise faithfully (if at all).

The introduction addresses some of the binaries that have grown up around the conversation: theory and practice; old churches and new; pioneering and church planting.

The book takes a non-partisan stance, speaking generously of pioneers and planters, recognising their different instincts, suggesting that pioneering has a particular part to play in enabling the church to remember that mission is about the slow, patient and emerging work of God in real people’s lives among those who will never come to any of ‘our’ churches.

It was a joy to me to see how many of the CMS pioneer community had peppered (or salted) the book with some compelling themes to a wider readership.

Paul Bradbury writes about small, simple, slow communities; James Butler about contextualised mission spirituality and the agency of the Holy Spirit; Paul Adekunle offers an ecclesiology drawn from the overlaps between Yoruba culture and Christian ethics; Cathy Ross directs our attention to the edges and to the place of surprise in mission work; I (Tina Hodgett) write about co-creating churches playfully.

There is much to savour, digest, find nourishment from. It’s pricey at £30 but I hope your resourceful networking may enable a copy is shortly delivered to your door. Bon appetit!

Get our email newsletter:

SIGN UP

The post New Churches: A Theology appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Richard McCallum, Evangelical Christian Responses to Islam: A Contemporary Overview (London: Bloomsbury, 2024)

reviewed by Tom Wilson, Leicester

This is an invaluable resource for academics and students who are seeking to understand evangelical Christian responses to Islam. It is divided into three parts. First, McCallum builds on the work of Habermas, Fraser and others to argue for an “Evangelical micro-public sphere”, one of many “that together form a global network of spheres making up broader transnational macro-public spheres” (p. 15). McCallum establishes the nature of the evangelical micro public sphere on Islam, documenting the issues, participants and texts that are discussed. In the second chapter of part one he explores typologies of encounter, outlining the breadth of what it means to be evangelical and how those who identify in this way respond to Islam.

Part two dives into the issues of: Allah, Muhammad, Qur’an and Hadith, Sharia, Islamisation, persecution, violence and Israel–Palestine. Various evangelical responses to each issue are set out clearly and the subtleties and nuances of the differences between them are explained. At the end of each chapter is a helpful one- or two-page discussion, where McCallum draws together the threads of the argument and poses questions and challenges for the reader. The chapters range broadly across the globe. White men from the US and UK do dominate but other voices are present. A real strength of this book is that McCallum has gone beyond the “usual suspects” to ensure a genuine plurality of voices are heard. The final chapter outlines the range of different answers that evangelical writers give to the question “What is Islam?” The answers given are a religion, a heresy, a political ideology, a conspiracy, the enemy, demonic, an essence, diverse, Muslims and a social construct.

In part three McCallum explores how evangelical Christians talk to and with Muslims, as well as methodologies for evangelism and conversion, friendship and dialogue, and apologetics and polemics. As in part two, a wide range of strategies, approaches and global contexts are discussed. McCallum does not shy away from the difficult issues, raising the question of the ethics of any outreach or evangelism for example. The final chapter discusses types of evangelical response to Islam. As with any typology, it presents a series of theoretical constructs that may not map to real life but are nevertheless useful for opening up conversation.

In his conclusion McCallum recapitulates his argument to date and draws together the threads of his discussion, including issues such as convert care, geographical difference, race, gender, sexual orientation, and climate and environment. He sets out for the directions of future activity including the importance of education, research, hospitality and humility. He ends by suggesting Christianity is at a crossroads both in terms of what it means to be Christian and what it means for Christians to engage with Islam.

Evangelical Christian Responses to Islam is a meticulously researched and lucidly written book. Not just the discussion, but also the lists of references, make this a go-to resource for all students of Christian responses to Islam in particular, and mission studies in general. Since it is currently only available as an academic hardback, sales may be limited for the moment to libraries, but once the more affordable paperback edition is out, I would urge anyone with serious interest in Christian-Muslim relations to buy a copy of this book.

More from this issue

The post Book review: Evangelical Christian Responses to Islam appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Elizabeth Phillips, Apocalyptic Theopolitics (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2022)

reviewed by Wing Yin Li, PhD student in Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary

Apocalyptic Theopolitics is a selective collection of academic essays and sermons by Elizabeth Phillips, the public engagement fellow for the Woolf Institute in Cambridge. This book comprises 14 chapters organised into four major parts. Each part encompasses the author’s scholarly analysis of specific subject matters, alongside corresponding sermon(s) delivered on various occasions. Within this slim volume lies a dense yet profound exploration of the intersection between eschatology, Christian ethics and political theology.

In part I, Phillips offers a compact survey of the notions of eschatology and the apocalyptic in Scripture, Augustine, Aquinas, early liberation theologies, millennialism and postmillennialism. While acknowledging the value of the historical turn in Reinhold Niebuhr’s eschatology, Phillips argues that the shift away from the apocalyptic is a misguided one. Despite the dangerous employment of apocalyptic rhetoric and ideology in some sociopolitical movements, Christian Zionism for example, such usage bears “no direct relationship to the overarching contents and functions of apocalyptic texts, nor necessitate[s] any connection whatsoever with them” (p. 19). Therefore, to reject the apocalyptic as dangerous because of some erroneous use of the apocalyptic is a syllogistic fallacy. One of the central objectives of this book is to reclaim the value of the apocalyptic, drawn from the apocalyptic texts, as a normative resource for political theology. In this section, the author also critiques the existing conceptual, disciplinary and methodological separation between theology and the political and between theological ethics and social ethics. Engaging with the political theology of M. Shawn Copeland, Phillips contends that the theological engagement of discourses outside the ethical (problem-solving) frame can help broaden our political considerations, which are deeply ethical in the sense that they have a direct influence on our concrete political praxis.

In part II, the author presents her ethnographic study of Christian Zionism, which she conducted in an American congregation in 2007. According to her observation, eschatology plays a key role in shaping the theopolitical imagination of this congregation, where eschatological language is often invoked at worship, prayer meetings and other church events to express a hope of militant victory of Israel as a nation-state. However, contrary to the common assumption that Zionism is offering support to Israel simply for the sake of hastening the second coming of Christ, Phillips discovers that this congregation exhibits a more complex understanding of divine revelation and eschatology. To these Christian Zionists, the militant victory of Israel, as promised by God to Abraham in Gen. 12 and prophesised by Ezekiel to the dry bones (Ezek. 37:3), is a sure reality that will be fulfilled in the near future. This military success, including not only the establishment and expansion of the state of Israel but also the failure and fatality of Israel’s “enemies”, is not a means through which Christ shall return but the ends itself that occurs at the second coming of Christ, a time when the sovereignty of God is revealed to the world. Their political activism in funding Israeli settlement and war in the land of Palestine is, therefore, understood by the community as a participation in carrying out God’s ultimate will for humanity and all creation. As Phillips rightly points out, this literal interpretation of biblical texts as predictions to be fulfilled through nationalist militarism, disregarding “Scripture’s own critiques of militarism, nationalism, violence, and injustice,” is highly problematic (p. 72). Notably, the grave consequences yielded by such dangerous theology is now tragically unravelled in the genocide taking place in Gaza against the Palestinians.

In part III, Phillips compares Christian Zionism and its dispensationalist eschatology with the theology of John Howard Yoder, whose eschatology and view of a political Jesus rest not on the militant triumph but on the very suffering of the Lamb slain by the imperial regime. Concurring with Yoder’s analysis of the deconstructing function of the apocalyptic, Phillips argues that definitive forms of the apocalyptic should manifest in 1) deconstruction – disclosing the possibility of a different reality, 2) proclamation – proclaiming the sovereignty of God against oppressive power and 3) empowerment – enabling the community of faith to speak truth to power. In this section, she discusses the doctrines of “The Two” with a creative approach to put Yoder as an interlocutor with Augustine, examining the boundary between the sacred and secular, public and private, church and world, and church and state. Regardless of the numerous insights present in Yoder’s academic contributions, Phillips makes note of Yoder’s sexual misconducts and discusses the complicated legacy left by Yoder in shaping Anabaptist theopolitics in the twentieth century.

In part IV, Phillips engages with the work of Herbert McCabe, Anathea Portier-Young and Judith Herman to explore the element of hope as a theological virtue in the apocalyptic. She argues that an apocalyptic imagination and praxis that “emphasizes the integration of the political, linguistic, narrative, and bodily essence of our human nature and morality” (p. 149) can not only provide comfort to a people who are undergoing great suffering but also empower them to reclaim their agency and resist the domination and hegemony of the oppressive powers with a counter narrative grounded in God’s providence and sovereignty. The Eucharist, the author proposes, is one of such apocalyptic practices that allow the participants to see “how the depth of catastrophic human oppression is met and overcome by what Herbert McCabe called the ‘revolutionary depth’ of our future in God and how it impinges on our present life” (p. 156). While Phillips asserts that the Eucharist is not a “moral magic… [that can] make us more moral and make social ills disappear” (p.157), it does make one wonder if the apocalyptic hope expressed through this Christian liturgy might resonate with those outside the Christian community who are experiencing suffering.

Apocalyptic Theopolitics is a rich and timely read that provides invaluable and constructive insights into the apocalyptic and its relation to political theology. It is particularly relevant amidst the ongoing genocide carried out by the Israeli–US coalition with a Zionistic tone. While this book warns us of the perilous use of apocalyptic eschatology in Christian Zionism, it advocates for a reimagined apocalyptic that takes roots in the textual–historical analyses of the apocalyptic texts and centres in its function of unveiling the oppressive narratives in the world. Bringing together intellectual depth and pastoral and homiletic wisdom, this volume stands as a visionary resource for scholars, church leaders and Christians wrestling with the apocalyptic literature in the Bible and seeking to embody their faith in response to the contemporary sociopolitical complexities and challenges.

More from this issue

The post Book review: Apocalyptic Theopolitics appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Olivia Jackson, Uncertain: A collective Memoir of Deconstructing Faith (London: SCM, 2023)

reviewed by James Butler, CMS

This book is a detailed account of the stories of “deconstruction” of faith. Like the author of the book, I’m not so keen on the language of deconstruction, but it does seem to be the term most commonly used to describe the increasingly common and widespread experience. Broadly stated, this is a process of finding an increasing dissonance between what they have been taught and encouraged to believe in church, and their experience of life and the world. For some this is a crisis, for others a gradual process. The book describes this as “intentional examination of one’s core faith and beliefs, leading to a profound change in, or even loss of, that faith” (p xvi). Jackson wrote the book based on 400 people completing a questionnaire with a further 140 follow-up interviews with people across from around the world.

The book is split into three parts. The first part has 19 short chapters telling the stories of people’s experiences of the churches they were part of and the broadly evangelical faith they were encouraged to embrace. The second part has six longer chapters which go into more depth about people’s experience of broadly evangelical teaching and doctrine that they have found harmful, difficult and have “deconstructed”. Part three contains three chapters and looks at where people have gone next. For some this has meant finding freedom in leaving the Christian faith behind. For others they have found God in different places, traditions and religions.

The book is written as more of a memoir, reporting people’s experience and the ways in which they have made sense of it, rather than trying to draw out any larger theological learning. Although, early on, Jackson is careful to state that she knows people have positive experiences of evangelicalism (some would challenge her broad definition of evangelicalism), she does, in places, end up talking in generalities and a few times makes sweeping statements about “the church”. The book is definitely at its strongest when sharing people’s accounts and telling their stories. 

Approaching this as someone interested in how faith is lived, how church and mission are changing, and the theological wisdom that is emerging from such experiences, I would love to have dived more deeply into the theology emerging. If this had been a practical theology text, the accounts shared would have given ample opportunities to explore the nature of God, salvation, church and the work of the Spirit that people were discovering. This is where I often found thoughts going; however, they are not in this book. It seemed to me it was primarily written for people going through similar experiences, and Jackson’s commentary often opened up these kinds of reflection. This meant that there were a number of times when the discussion felt a little heavy-handed and a little more precision might have helped the points to land more clearly, but these criticisms are perhaps to miss the point of the book. Jackson is giving a raw account of the experience of deconstruction, and is more focused on telling the story than analysing it.

I’m sure that those who have experienced something similar will find comfort in being able to hear similar stories, and discover their experience is shared. There is no judgement and there is wisdom here about ways ahead. This book is also a gift to churches and church leaders if they are willing to listen. For some the tone will be too harsh and difficult to hear. There will be a tendency to be defensive, or to distance themselves from the accounts of harmful teaching. However, I think that for those who are willing to pause and listen, it is a gift, telling the stories of people who found their faith no longer fitted with their experience; people who had been committed to church and to God, yet in the process of deconstruction ended up feeling abused, or no longer able to stay in church. It shows how things that might have been intended for good have been warped and misshapen, and it brings into the light ways of leading and being which have always been toxic and need to be named as such. I would encourage people to listen carefully to these stories, not because they are “right” necessarily, but because they are a witness to, and against, churches and leaders which deserve to be taken seriously. 

More from this issue

The post Book review: Uncertain appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Jose Mario Francisco SJ and Jayeel Cornelio, People’s Christianity: Theological Sense and Sociological Significance, (New York: Paulist Press, 2022) 

reviewed by Tom Wilson, Leicester

This interesting read from two Catholic scholars is a useful addition to the library of any theological or Bible college. The main stimulus for writing comes from Pope Francis’ exhortation that pastors must “smell the sheep”, that is, they must get up close and personal, discovering how Christians actually live out their faith. 

Part one, “smelling the sheep,” is divided into two chapters. Chapter one discusses the authenticity of the popular. That is, that lived religion is still an authentic experience of Christianity, even if it contains elements that religious authorities disapprove of. The authors are at pains to point out that there is no hard and fast distinction between institutional and lived religion, but rather a continuum, for institutional religion is practiced by people. They also outline their four key themes: worship, liberation, agency in tradition and the ability of the faithful to discern the things of God (p. 19). Chapter two explores the diversity of lived Christianity, which begs the question are there “correct” and “incorrect” expressions of faith, and if so, how are they distinguished? Another key point is that lived religion is primarily communal. The authors argue for four elements of lived Christianity: authenticity, the location of the sacred, the presence and meditation of sacred power, and practical rationality (p. 34). 

Part two concentrates on reading between the lines, discussing lived Christianity as worship and promotion of liberation. The chapter on worship begins with a discussion of the Vatican’s “Directory on popular piety and the liturgy,” a strategic document which seeks to control and regulate lived Christianity. In the authors’ view, it does so with limited success. The chapter also explores the controversy over Chinese rituals related to veneration of ancestors. It discusses whether these are compatible with Christianity. The chapter on liberation concerns two streams of thought: the Spanish-language writings, primarily from South America, and the specifically Argentinian theology of the people. The interrelation of these two streams is explored and the question of who exactly performs liberation theology is discussed. 

Part three is devoted to “sensing the people’s faith,” combining theological reflections with ethnographic interpretations of observed lived religion. Chapter five gives the theoretical framework, arguing that lived Christianity has always had a place within Christian tradition because it is the manifestation of divine self-disclosure. The faithful are actively working out the nature and purpose of this revelation. Chapter six then gives a practical outworking through discussion of devotion to Mary across different times and places. The authors argue this demonstrates the Holy Spirit disclosing the nature of God to the faithful. Chapter seven rounds off the discussion through an exploration of sensus fidei, referring both to the sense for the faith and the sense of the faith. The authors concentrate on a 2014 document, Sensus Fidei in the life of the church. This is a liminal and marginal activity, where those who live faith on the edge have much to contribute. 

Part four focuses on “journeying with the sheep.” Chapter eight draws together theology and sociology, arguing for symbiosis not dissonance. The authors’ shift to “living religion,” is particularly interesting, as is their argument that sociology is a form of theology because everyone operates from a worldview. Their exploration of pastoral sociology and public theology are both very stimulating. The final chapter draws the threads together, arguing for dynamism and creativity as we all travel together. They conclude that the people of God need courage, but also to love and serve on another, to imbue the Christian life with hope. 

People’s Christianity is an engaging read. The book was more technical and academic than I was expecting but it was, for me personally, an easy read.  

More from this issue

The post Book review: People’s Christianity appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).