12 Responses to the Relevance Crisis of Christianity
New research from churches in eighty-six countries around the world reveals that, throughout the last few years, there have been dramatic shifts in Christianity. In this book, Christian A. Schwarz not only presents these findings for the first time, but also pleads for twelve practical reforms that could unshackle the relevancy of the Christian faith, restoring it as a fascinating, transformative pursuit for people in our time.
Believing beyond church
- Facing the challenge of the global participation shift
Artificial divisions.
- Abandoning the “us/them” mindset
“When it comes to spirituality, I am more attracted to the religions of the East”
- Learning from Eastern Christianity
The book is a call for change. It shows how the shifts in this epoch of history have the power to anchor and expand our spirituality and service to others.
Chapters
- Introduction: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s wake-up call
- Chapter 1: Face the challenges of the global participation shift
- Chapter 2: Re-define leadership
- Chapter 3: Learn from both Eastern and Western Christianity
- Chapter 4: Reclaim the New Testament reality of God’s energy
- Chapter 5: Encounter the transpersonal dimension of God
- Chapter 6: Acknowledge different spiritual styles
- Chapter 7: Abandon the us/them divide
- Chapter 8: Communicate at eye level
- Chapter 9: Defuse fundamentalist tendencies
- Chapter 10: Update outdated notions about science and faith
- Chapter 11: Embrace the 10/90 reality
- Chapter 12: Pursue ongoing growth
Buy the book
Apple devices (.epub) and Amazon Kindle (.kpf)
Christian A. Schwarz is founder and president of the Institute for Natural Church Develop-ment (NCD International) and one of the world‘s most distinguished thinkers and communicators of church development. His institute has worked with over 65,000 churches in 70 countries, and his books have been published in more than 40 languages.
