Under the Oak Tree: The Church as Community of Conversation in a Conflicted and Pluralistic World

by Ronald J. Allen (Editor), John S. McClure (Editor), O. Wesley Allen Jr. (Editor)

Overview

Two trends in the early twenty-first-century intersect to give this volume immediate relevance: 1) The emerging postmodern ethos in North America is calling into question many things we have taken for granted, including the purposes of the church; and 2) our time is increasingly fractious as groups with distinct worldviews become polarized and often antagonistic. Eleven noted contributors join a growing current that sees conversation as an image to refresh our thinking about the nature and purpose of the church, and as a process in which individuals and communities with different perspectives come together for real understanding. Under the Oak Tree employs the image of Sarah and Abraham greeting three visitors under the Oaks of Mamre as an image for the church as a community of conversation, a community that opens itself to the otherness of the Bible, voices in history and tradition, others in the contemporary social and ecological worlds. Furthermore, the book shows how conversation can lead the church to action. The book takes a practical approach by exploring how conversation can shape key parts of the church's life. Topics include preaching, worship, formation, evangelism, pastoral care, mission and ecumenism, social witness, and the relationship of Christianity to other religions. Foundational chapters consider God as conversational, the church as community of conversation, and the minister as conversation leader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630870751
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	11/06/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Ronald J. Allen is Professor of Preaching and Gospels and Letters at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. His books include Reading the New Testament for the First Time (2012).

John S. McClure is Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Vanderbilt Divinity School. He has written Mashup Religion (2011) and other books.

O. Wesley Allen Jr. is Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary. Among his books are A Renewed Homiletic (editor, 2010) and The Homiletic of All Believers (2005).
Ronald J. Allen taught preaching and Gospels and Letters at Christian Theological Seminary for thirty-seven years. He is the author of many books, including I Will Tell You the Mystery (Cascade, 2019). He edited the two-volume work on theologies of preaching: Preaching the Manifold Grace of God (Cascade, 2022). Volume 1 focuses on historical theologies, and Volume 2 focuses on contemporary theologies.
John S. McClure is Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Vanderbilt Divinity School. He has written Mashup Religion (2011) and other books.

O. Wesley Allen, Jr. is Professor of Homiletics and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary. He is the author of numerous books on preaching, including The Homiletic of All Believers (2005), Preaching and Reading the Lectionary (2007), and Matthew (2013).

Table of Contents

List of Contributors ix

Introduction xi

Part 1 A Conversational Practical Theology

1 The Church as Community of Conversation Ronald J. Allen 3

2 The Minister as Conversation Partner John S. McClure 25

3 God as Conversational Michael St. A. Miller 47

Part 2 The Tasks of Ministry

4 Preaching as Conversation David J. Lose 71

5 Worship as Conversation O. Wesley Allen 93

6 Christian Education as Conversation Nancy Lynne Westfield 113

7 Evangelism as Conversation Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki 134

8 Pastoral Care as Conversation G. Lee Ramsey 154

9 Mission and Ecumenism as Conversation Marian McClure Taylor 173

10 Social Witness as Conversation Pamela D. Couture 195

11 The Relationship with Other Religions as Conversation Donald M. Mackenzie 217

Bibliography 237

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Far from being an abstract treatise, this book provides a frame for thinking anew about preaching, worship, evangelism, and almost every aspect of congregational life, including the role of the minister. Every chapter includes practical implications that flesh out ways conversation shapes ministry on the ground. This book will give new energy to congregations and ministers alike, even when it sounds scary."
—Barbara K. Lundblad, Professor of Preaching, Union Theological Seminary

"These authors envision the quality of conversation that happens when Christians' radical openness to otherness is predicated on our willingness to be changed, even radically, by the encounter. The book's classroom value will be highest for students unfamiliar with practical theology. Similarly structured, the chapters analytically and persuasively develop conversation as a crucial metaphor for practical theology and its subdisciplines."
—Kathleen J. Greider, Professor of Practical Theology, Spiritual Care, and Counseling, Claremont School of Theology

Editorial Reviews

"Far from being an abstract treatise, this book provides a frame for thinking anew about preaching, worship, evangelism, and almost every aspect of congregational life, including the role of the minister. Every chapter includes practical implications that flesh out ways conversation shapes ministry on the ground. This book will give new energy to congregations and ministers alike, even when it sounds scary."
—Barbara K. Lundblad, Professor of Preaching, Union Theological Seminary

"These authors envision the quality of conversation that happens when Christians' radical openness to otherness is predicated on our willingness to be changed, even radically, by the encounter. The book's classroom value will be highest for students unfamiliar with practical theology. Similarly structured, the chapters analytically and persuasively develop conversation as a crucial metaphor for practical theology and its subdisciplines."
—Kathleen J. Greider, Professor of Practical Theology, Spiritual Care, and Counseling, Claremont School of Theology

From the Publisher