The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity
"[Professor Marti] and Professor Ganiel have just given us the most complete, balanced, useful, and sound overview of Emergence that we have to date." --Phyllis Tickle, author ofThe Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why"As growing numbers of Americans say they are 'nonreligious,' observers note a comparable shift among those who are religious toward looser, more individualistic, anti-institutional, experimental expressions of faith. Marti and Ganiel have done a superb job of examining these emerging expressions, illuminating both the practices and beliefs of individuals and the innovative congregations they are forming." --Robert Wuthnow, Gerhard R. Andlinger '52 Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University"In the midst of a polarized landscape, where 'religion' and 'church' signal a lack of vitality and authenticity, Emerging Churches are putting together something new out of the debris. Marti and Ganiel show us why we should pay attention. They describe the faith found here as neither shopping nor seeking, but a conversation carried on in congregations that are determinedly open and inclusive. This book provides a careful analysis of this much-discussed movement and shows why it is so well-suited to our times." --Nancy T. Ammerman, author ofSacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religionin Everyday Life