The Word on the Wind
Renewing confidence in the gospel
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Paperback / softback
£9.99
Publisher: SPCK Publishing
ISBN: 9780857210159
Number of Pages: 368
Published: 17/06/2011
Width: 13 cm
Height: 19.8 cm
The average age of churchgoers in Britain is now 47. Almost every denomination is experiencing steady decline. How sure can we be that we are still offering something people want to hear? Alison Morgan identifies four clear reasons to be confident: 1. The gospel still speaks to confused teens and weary sceptics. By embracing doubts and welcoming questions it remains open to us to present something which answers people's real needs. 2. The word of truth and the Spirit of power still exercise authority and compel attention. Alison's own experience of ministry in the UK and abroad provides illustrations. 3. Spiritual gifts, given not to excite individuals but in order to renew the church for its core task of mission, are powerfully present and widely recognised and practised. 4. In a time of rapid cultural change, new expressions of church are constantly emerging: this is necessary to guard against vital spirituality sliding into drab religion.
Contents
About the Author 9
Acknowledgments 10
Foreword 11
Introduction 13
Part I: A Confident Gospel 19
1. Understanding the issues 20
2. Two world views 42
3. A gilded cage 58
4. The search for more 78
5. Telling a different story 100
6. The response of the Church 121
7. Thinking a new world 140
Part II: The Tools of Our Trade 157
8. The Word of God 158
9. Entering into conversation 186
10. The Spirit of God 214
11. The Word on the wind – confidence in creation 239
Part III: Doing Things Differently 257
12. Living beautiful lives 258
13. Reimagining church 276
Appendix: Further resources 306
Notes 313
Bibliography 357
Index 365