Christianity for the rest of us- a review

Christianity for the rest of us: how the neighborhood church is transforming faith

Diana Butler Bass begins this book by documenting the dramatic changes that have taken place within American culture and the effects that has had on mainline Protestant denomination in America.  She then draws on several years of research with vital, growing mainline congregations  and distills from them and their life together ten signposts of renewal  that she believes are reshaping the congregations that intentional seek to live these practices.  The book concludes with a discussion about how the practices she discusses help people move from being tourists to pilgrims.  Through the life of practicing congregations people are enable to enter deeply into the traditions of the church in new ways and their lives are transformed.  Butler Bass argues that through these practicing congregations it is not just the lives of individuals that are changed but whole congregations and the communities around them are renewed.  Throughout this book there are stories of the congregations Butler Bass studied that bring her ideas alive.

What I found most engaging and enjoyable about this book is the sense of hope there is in it for a meaningful future for ordinary suburban congregations.  While the American context is different to the Australian one I still think a lot of what Diana Butler Bass says about renewing congregations from the inside out is wise.