By the rivers of Babylon
Subtitle: blueprint for a church in exile
By: Robert P. Hoch
Publisher: Fortress Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Minneapolis
Language: eng
Number of pages: 171
ISBN-13: 9780800698539; 9781451438505
Subjects: Immigrants; Christliche Sozialethik; Church work with immigrants; Randgruppe; Church and minorities; Religious aspects; Christianity; Case studies; Marginalität; Emigration and immigration; Einwanderer; Church work with minorities; Minorities; Religious life
Description: "The language of exile, focused with theological and biblical narratives and coupled with depictions of real-life exilic communities, can equip church leaders as agents in the creation of new communities. It is commonplace today to hear Christians say we are a church in exile or a church in a post-Christendom society. But what does this really mean? In order for the church to make sense of this claim, we need some concrete descriptions of exilic life so that, in our reflections on congregational formation, we can begin to develop a more substantive language for our exilic experience. In By the Rivers of Babylon, Robert Hoch reads the larger North American tradition of Christian worship and mission through the prism of visibly marginalized communities, communities that know the power of Babylon concretely. That is, they know displacement through some combination of physical dislocation, ethnicity, economic marginality, and political stigma. This readable and practical book is an essential resource for pastors and church leaders in these communities"--Project Muse.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Salvaging exile; title: An exilic landscape. Postville, Iowa; title: 1. House of the butterfly. The witness of Ruth and Casa Mariposa, Tucson, Arizona; title: 2. 3. Desert shrines. Liturgy and life in the borderlands; title: 4. A broken benediction. The Gospel of Matthew and homelessness in Dubuque, Iowa; title: 5. A labyrinth of the streets. Gospel obedience in Cherith Brook, Kansas City, Missouri; title: 6. Changing clothes. Clothing, community, and native peoples; title: 7. Conclusion. Setting waters on fire.