- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (9 Nov 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0471457078
- ISBN-13: 978-0471457077
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 16.1 x 2.5 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,053,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Reimagining Christianity
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Product Description
Review
Jones (Seasons of Grace) is dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and belongs to the wave of Christian preachers and theologians who are attempting to reclaim a sincere faith while accommodating critical reasoning. He tries to show how advantageous it might be for each person, as well as for Christianity as a whole, to reject a foolish or nostalgic literalism about the Christian message in favor of a broad inclusivity of all people. In his own words, "There are no outsiders." For most collections. (from the Spiritual Reading column by Graham Christian) (Library Journal, January 15, 2005)
The dean of San Francisco’s Episcopal cathedral opens his new book with a gauntlet–throwing epigraph from James Baldwin: "[W]hoever wishes to become a truly moral being... must first divorce himself from all the prohibitions, crimes [and] hypocrisies of the Christian Church." So begins one of our day’s great statements of liberal Protestantism. For Jones, religion is a love affair, a great story, an experience to be shared with community––not a creed to nitpick and defend. Jones invites spiritual seekers to "reimagine" Christianity. Who was Jesus? A "broken and ruined man" who asks us to live as though each day were our last and to "possess nothing." And what about Mary? How are we to make sense of her perpetual virginity? Jones muses, "Mary is a book we can read.... Don’t get caught in the sticky mess of doctrinal controversy. Just look." The Trinity, he says, is not fuzzy math, but a radical statement about community. Jones is not only innovative but erudite. He draws on novels by Nick Hornby and John Updike; he laces his text with musings on Emily Dickinson and John Wayne. Indeed, with his literary flair, his emphasis on community and practice and his sharp–edged liberalism, Jones reads like a cross between Lawrence Kushner and John A.T. Robinson. This book is a winner, both charitable and bold. (Oct.) (Publishers Weekly, September 13, 2004)
"...Jones is not only innovative but erudite. This book is a winner, both charitable and bold." (Publishers Weekly, September 13, 2004)
Product Description
Advance Praise
"From his pulpit at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Alan Jones has influenced for good an entire continent of struggling Christians. In this provoking and helpful new book, he extends his voice to those both within and beyond the Church. A thinking Christian in a thoughtless world is what he is and what he aims to make us. This is a very good start."
–– The Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes
The Memorial Church, Harvard University, and author of The Good Book
"It used to be that Christian institutions and systems of dogma sustained the spiritual life of Christians. Increasingly, spirituality itself is what sustains everything else. Alan Jones is a pioneer in reimagining a Christian faith that emerges from authentic spirituality. His work stimulates and encourages me deeply."
–– Brian D. McLaren, pastor (crcc.org) and author of A New Kind of Christian
"This is a bracing breath of spiritual fresh air, an intelligent, witty, and passionate reclaiming of the goal of religious practice–the conversion of the heart to kindness and peace as the common faith in which we can all be believers."
–– Sylvia Boorstein, author of Pay Attention, for Goodness′ Sake and It′s Easier Than You Think
"Alan Jones is the best guide I know to lead us on the thorny but promising path that could lead to the renewal of Christianity."
–– Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly
"Compulsively readable, Alan Jones′s book is a brave and brilliant attempt to res–cue Christianity from the clutches of the cruel reactionaries into which much of it has fallen. Generous–hearted Christians of all persuasions will cheer him on."
–– The Most Rev. Richard Holloway, retired as primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Bishop of Edinburgh
"Alan Jones combines the power of the mystical, the honesty of the skeptical, and the eagerness of the romantic. His vision of faith and ministry for the time to come will be a gift for many readers."
–– Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia
"A daring call to renew our relation to Christianity–and ourselves–through fac–ing the great questions of the heart that today permeate the life of every serious seeker and the life of our whole endangered world."
–– Jacob Needleman, author of The American Soul and Lost Christianity
"From his pulpit at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Alan Jones has influenced for good an entire continent of struggling Christians. In this provoking and helpful new book, he extends his voice to those both within and beyond the Church. A thinking Christian in a thoughtless world is what he is and what he aims to make us. This is a very good start."
–– The Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes
The Memorial Church, Harvard University, and author of The Good Book
"It used to be that Christian institutions and systems of dogma sustained the spiritual life of Christians. Increasingly, spirituality itself is what sustains everything else. Alan Jones is a pioneer in reimagining a Christian faith that emerges from authentic spirituality. His work stimulates and encourages me deeply."
–– Brian D. McLaren, pastor (crcc.org) and author of A New Kind of Christian
"This is a bracing breath of spiritual fresh air, an intelligent, witty, and passionate reclaiming of the goal of religious practice–the conversion of the heart to kindness and peace as the common faith in which we can all be believers."
–– Sylvia Boorstein, author of Pay Attention, for Goodness′ Sake and It′s Easier Than You Think
"Alan Jones is the best guide I know to lead us on the thorny but promising path that could lead to the renewal of Christianity."
–– Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly
"Compulsively readable, Alan Jones′s book is a brave and brilliant attempt to res–cue Christianity from the clutches of the cruel reactionaries into which much of it has fallen. Generous–hearted Christians of all persuasions will cheer him on."
–– The Most Rev. Richard Holloway, retired as primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Bishop of Edinburgh
"Alan Jones combines the power of the mystical, the honesty of the skeptical, and the eagerness of the romantic. His vision of faith and ministry for the time to come will be a gift for many readers."
–– Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia
"A daring call to renew our relation to Christianity–and ourselves–through fac–ing the great questions of the heart that today permeate the life of every serious seeker and the life of our whole endangered world."
–– Jacob Needleman, author of The American Soul and Lost Christianity
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
A friend confided to me that there were difficulties with an upcoming wedding because the groom's grandmother was "very religious." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A friend confided to me that there were difficulties with an upcoming wedding because the groom's grandmother was "very religious." Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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5 reviews
37 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Spiritual and skeptical about religion?
28 Dec 2004
Format:Hardcover
Christianity took a wrong turn somewhere back and is painfully broken. This is not a book of blame but a book about redemption. The world is changing and there is an opportunity to begin again and reimage the story of our faith. This book is confirmation that there is movement in our society towards a maturing faith that lives out of the inclusive love of Jesus, not the exclusive shame of the church. Read it only if you have faith enough to question history, theology and tradition.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Here Comes Eveerybody
28 Jun 2007
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Alan Jones, Dead of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco is a refreshing example of a Christian clergyman. He seeks and finds the essence of Christianity buried under centuries of dogmas and creeds. He believes that we must use our heart and imagination to resuscitate the message and meaning of Jesus. Literalism and scientism can be deadly, especially, to the soul.
One of the chapters that I especially like was "The God-Shaped Space in Our Hearts". "The hole in the soul is never fully filled. Even my friends who are skeptics and would call themselves atheists (often out of self-defense) are rather like the Dublin taxi driver, who when asked if he believed in leprechauns, 'Of course not, but they're there just the same!'"
Jones is a traditionalist in that he still loves The Creed, The Eucharist, holy water, angels and the liturgy. They nourish the heart. And it is the heart and love which is at the center of our quest for God.
Jones picks out three aspects of Christianity that he suggests could be the focus of a re-vitalization, a re-imaging of the faith: "Jesus the Broken Man," "Mary, the Pregnant Life," and "Trinity Means Communion."
Jones believes Christianity, if seen rightly and compassionately is a faith for "Everybody". "The coming of Jesus as both Baby and Judge offers access to God for all, including and especially those who have no claim of moral or spiritual privilege --- the unqualified. The God of Jesus is the God who sends rain on the just and the unjust, who loves everybody --- even the desperately wicked."
Oh, I forgot: Jones is an engaging writer possessing humor, a knack for words, fine use of anecdotes and quotes from everywhere.
One of the chapters that I especially like was "The God-Shaped Space in Our Hearts". "The hole in the soul is never fully filled. Even my friends who are skeptics and would call themselves atheists (often out of self-defense) are rather like the Dublin taxi driver, who when asked if he believed in leprechauns, 'Of course not, but they're there just the same!'"
Jones is a traditionalist in that he still loves The Creed, The Eucharist, holy water, angels and the liturgy. They nourish the heart. And it is the heart and love which is at the center of our quest for God.
Jones picks out three aspects of Christianity that he suggests could be the focus of a re-vitalization, a re-imaging of the faith: "Jesus the Broken Man," "Mary, the Pregnant Life," and "Trinity Means Communion."
Jones believes Christianity, if seen rightly and compassionately is a faith for "Everybody". "The coming of Jesus as both Baby and Judge offers access to God for all, including and especially those who have no claim of moral or spiritual privilege --- the unqualified. The God of Jesus is the God who sends rain on the just and the unjust, who loves everybody --- even the desperately wicked."
Oh, I forgot: Jones is an engaging writer possessing humor, a knack for words, fine use of anecdotes and quotes from everywhere.
20 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Christianity for the thinking, creative, and heart-centered
10 Mar 2005
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Alan Jones has written a book that invites us to take ownership of the Christian path, which he descibes as a living process rather than a proscribed set of rules. Our minds, our creativity, and our compassion are all tools for encountering Christ, and for a lifelong exploration of what it means to be Christian today, both in our fractured world and within our fractured Church. This is a book for people who are interested in commitment, community, and transformation, both internally and externally.
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