I have recently finished this book by Sarah Cunningham.
To be honest, I would not recommend this book. The first half of the book is basically a groan about the church. Most of the second half is a growing realisation that most of the issues are actually due to her perception of the church. And finally she comes to the conclusion that she likes church.
Unfortunately it is not well written. The concept of writing a book as a series of letters sounds pretty exciting but it flops badly in the execution.
This is a real shame as the topic is a very interesting one. Essentially the twenty-something generation (in reality from about 16-40 years old) is quite disillusioned about what the institution of church has become. This is nothing new. This type of thing happens in every generation. The young people feel the old people are out of date. Eventually the young people become the old people, having made some of the changes they desired to the way we do church. At this stage a new generation looks at them with disillusionment in their eyes and vowels to fix things.
One interesting thing that is happening now days is that the younger generation are becoming quite impatient and are starting their own churches. Many of the institutional hurdles (like being executed for heresy) have gone so this is possible. Unfortunately this can create churches of a single generation and this is not healthy.
Young people need middle aged people to guide them. Middle aged people need older people to guide them. And older people need really old people to guide them. We call this discipleship or mentoring or accountability. Without it things go bad.
Anyway, back to the book... don't bother. ANd if you are interested, wait a few months and it will find its way into the cheap bins because the book shops seem to think it will sell but if other people find it as boring and badly written as I did, then it won't.
3 comments:
I appreciate your honesty, Sym. Although I was sorry to hear that you did not enjoy the style/tone of the book, I think your opinion is perfectly legitimate. Everyone has different taste in writing and reading.
Along these lines, I hope you will also keep in mind that some people DO connect with books written this way. In fact, I get emails nearly every day from readers who feels the content of the book is helping them process their church experiences and renew their commitment to Christ's mission.
While the book may not be for you, it still serves a slice of the kingdom (even if, as you suggest, it ends up being a small one)...so I hope you can at least offer your blessing to that end.
Blessings on your ministry in your piece of the world.
Hi Sarah... I have posted your second comment as it seems to be the same as the first. I hope that is ok.
Thank you for your feedback. Obviously, if this book flips some people's switches, and helps them realise that church is a really important way (despite all its flaws) God has chosen to work, then that is great. Particularly if it helps them work through the same issues you have obviously worked through.
As a stranger on the internet, I recognise that I have no right to speak into your life. However I reckon it would be really interesting for you to look to write about what you are now doing about sorting through this issue. How are connecting to the institution of church? Has this journey changed the way you connect with your husband? What is it that Jesus is calling you to? ETC.
I have a sneaking suspicion that you are having quite a battle at the moment OR you are doing some quite exciting stuff. It would be interesting to hear where that is going.
I could take a lot of internet space answering your questions, Sym. :) But I will give you the brief, less-tedious version...
How am I connecting to the institution of church?
At one point, that question would've generated a tense sigh. But, engaging disillusionment has been life-changing in the way you would expect real salvation to be--transforming hard messy stuff, unhealthy or ineffective habits, into better evidence of Christ and His ideals.
Practically speaking, over the past year, my husband--Chuck--and I have attended a home church with a small gathering of multi-generational friends. This was a refreshing step for my husband and I, as we craved the close, personal community of a smaller context.
This stage of church involvement bolstered our seriousness in pursuing a lifestyle of faith that was not dependent on mega-church programs. In this way, it has strengthened our individual faiths and clarified our ongoing purpose as we seek to be agents of God in our community.
We never intended for house church to be permanent church, however, and have been seeking opportunity to partner with a more traditional church context that might also allow us to express some of the things God is stirring in our spirits. In line with this, we recently joined the vision team for planting a multi-ethnic church--the first purposeful kind of its sort in our area (that we know of). The church will be located just over half a mile from our home and will target families of youth from the same population that we teach every day.
We are additionally excited because the people involved with the initial plant team come from a variety of backgrounds, many of which are rooted in strong denominational tradition.
We feel blessed to be partnering in a more irregular but global sense with believers from several local Christian communities, pastored by my dad, my husband's co-workers, and the church where I was previously on staff. We also have several sets of friends who are beginning new church work--one that is less than an hour a way--who we consider partners in representing Christ to our region of the world.
And, of course, I am offering support to several traditional, existing churches who want to think through some of the issues raised in Dear Church, amongst others.
Although I hesitate to say where writing or speaking, or maybe where not-writing and not-speaking will take me, Sym, I am confident that I do not want to be an eternal voice of "disillusionment." Rather, I seek to champion the benefits of moving beyond disillusionment by living, writing, and speaking on topics that continue to compel me to be more like Christ and to be a lifelong committer to His purposes in this world.
On a final note, the single most moving part of writing a book is interacting with other like-minded people who are also encouraging our peers not to abandon the teachings of Christ or to live life apart from his fullness. Along these lines, I am always grateful for the comments of my readers, whether they be personally delivered via email or attached in a random blog posting. Together, we will live and speak what God is teaching us, we will complement each other, and I pray we will strengthen the force raised in our generation that lifts Jesus up and draws all men to Him.
I invite you to listen to a recording along those lines if you like:
http://www.arbor.edu/journals/chapel/archives/2006/10/chapel_october_6.php
Thanks for the correspondence. And again, cheers to your voice in the online arena.
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