- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Zondervan (18 July 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 031026958X
- ISBN-13: 978-0310269588
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.5 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,411,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
"Dear Church" is a series of letters from a twenty-something to the global church she's not always sure she wants to be a part of. The author's story awakens the voice of a younger generation whose attendance in the church is dropping, yet she encourages the church that their Christian faith is still alive and well. In the end, "Dear Church" tells a story that will be familiar to every age group: the story of overcoming disillusionment and staying the course.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Awful,
By
This review is from: Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation (Paperback)
Oh dear, this was a truly dreadful book, one which I couldn't wait to finish. It is only short but it took me an absolute age to complete as I kept putting it down as it didn't hold my attention for long enough.
I'm still not entirely sure why this book was written. I understand that a lot of young people are disillusioned with the traditional established Church, particularly in the UK. Yet the author's wishy washy, touchy feely approach left me feeling nauseous. I am certain that if her weird approach to removing disillusion from the young people was implemented in this country, many would leave the Church forever. Written as a series of letters to the Church, this book was disjointed and flitted from one topic to another in a random fashion. The author manages to portray herself as an extremely intensive emotional person, worrying about all sorts of aspects of Church life the majority of the congregation will never even consider. I just could not relate to her or her writing style. I agree that disillusionment with the Church is increasing amongst the young, but this book just wasn't for me. Give this one a miss.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
chat with someone who's moving on,
By
This review is from: Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation (Paperback)
Dear Church is not for you if you're in a church that is working well and you're involved and going great guns. It's probably not for you if you use expressions like "going great guns." I teach lots of younger, more interesting, quirky, edgy low-church folks who are uncomfortable, even disillusioned, with their churches -- with The Church. And that's who it's for. That's who will love it and benefit from it.
Sarah is one of those authors where you forget you're reading. It's more like she's sitting there across from you, sipping her skinny cappucino, eyeing your almond croissant and you're listening to her but knowing she's wondering whether she should've gotten one of those too. When you tell someone about one story or another (and you will because they're irresistable) you're really going to tempted to start it with "You know what Sarah told me yesterday?" I'm telling you, she's in the room with you; it's weird. And not only are you in the same room, you're in the same boat. I mean it's like she's got her finger on your emotional pulse. She has. You'll love how she delights in your strengths; you'll squirm as she accurately describes your foibles. She's been there. And she's in the process of moving on. She hasn't arrived yet, but she's moving on. And she shows you where she's going and look, there's room for you too. And it might mean leaving your church and starting something new and it might not. There's the pay-off. Here's how to tell if the book is for you: You are asking yourself one of these questions and Sarah doesn't give you the answer but helps you ask the rest of the questions as well: Is it time to leave? How do I leave without running away? How could I possibly stay without faking it? Here (I can't resist) is one of the things Sarah told me last week: "...When we draw pictures of 'the church' for our children, we want those images to look less like a steepled building and more like the latitude and longitude lines embracing every inch of the globe." (p. 108).
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews) 13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't let the title fool you: these are love letters,
By J. Dolas III "Sword Saint" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation (Paperback)
Sarah start her book with an exploration of why the twentysomething generation often can be disillusioned with the way church is done these days. But she gives us more than just a laundry list of complaints. This is the Church, after all, at the same time the Bride and the Body of Christ, the broken vessel made up of broken people that carries the hope of the gospel to all the world. All the hurts and frustrations and pains expressed by Sarah are really just aches of love and expressions of longing for a Church that seems to fall so short of what she ought to be.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chat with someone who's moving on,
By Conrad Gempf "Conrad Gempf" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation (Paperback)
Dear Church is not for you if you're in a church that is working well and you're involved and going great guns. It's probably not for you if you use expressions like "going great guns." I teach lots of younger, more interesting, quirky, edgy low-church folks who are uncomfortable, even disillusioned, with their churches -- with The Church. And that's who it's for. That's who will love it and benefit from it.
Sarah is one of those authors where you forget you're reading. It's more like she's sitting there across from you, sipping her skinny cappucino, eyeing your almond croissant and you're listening to her but knowing she's wondering whether she should've gotten one of those too. When you tell someone about one story or another (and you will because they're irresistable) you're really going to tempted to start it with "You know what Sarah told me yesterday?" I'm telling you, she's in the room with you; it's weird. And not only are you in the same room, you're in the same boat. I mean it's like she's got her finger on your emotional pulse. She has. You'll love how she delights in your strengths; you'll squirm as she accurately describes your foibles. She's been there. And she's in the process of moving on past cynicism and disillusionment. She hasn't arrived yet, but she's moving on. And she shows you where she's going and look, there's room for you too. And it might mean leaving your church and starting something new and it might not. There's the pay-off. Here's how to tell if the book is for you: You are asking yourself one of these questions and Sarah doesn't give you the answer but helps you ask the rest of the questions as well: Is it time to leave? How do I leave without running away? How could I possibly stay without faking it? Here (I can't resist) is one of the things Sarah told me last week: "...When we draw pictures of 'the church' for our children, we want those images to look less like a steepled building and more like the latitude and longitude lines embracing every inch of the globe." (p. 108). 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dear Church Strikes a Pleasantly Surprising Balance,
By Andrew Stevenson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation (Paperback)
When I first read the title Dear Church Letters from a Disillusioned Generation, I was hesitant. I have picked up too many books lately that seem to be birthed out of a harmfully "cool cynicism" that underline the church's defecits.
While this book may strike you as yet ANOTHER emergent driven college and career set publication, it packs a one/two punch that finally offers follow through and balance absent in previous attempts to get at this topic. The first half of the book (which introduces the reader to Generation Y and some of their concerns regarding the church) solidly connects with its disillusioned readers and may even leave some traditionalists in a bit of a panic. But after the book sinks in with its reader and their raw concerns, the author Sarah Cunningham redirects the book's same heart and energy to inspire her readers toward more lasting and mature involvement in Christ and His church. I found the chapter on using the word "church" reminiscent of my own concerns over the last decade (I am now in my 30s). But the chapters on what to do when frustrated with the church represented missing content I wish I would've had at the time. The apology chapter and the love letter at the end will grab the attention and emotions of readers of all ages who have been around the church for a while. By the last page I found myself mentally listing people I know who NEED to hear what this book gives: regret over losses along the way, but convincing reason to push through and move forward. |
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
