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Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony |  | Authors: Stanley Hauerwas, William H. Willimon
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
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Seller: totalqualitybooks
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 91906
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 175
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.5
ISBN: 0687361591
Dewey Decimal Number: 261.1
EAN: 9780687361595
ASIN: 0687361591
Publication Date: October 1, 1989
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In this bold and visionary book, two leading Christian thinkers explore the "alien" status of Christians in today's world and offer a compelling new vision of how the Christian church can regain its vitality, battle its malaise, reclaim its capacity to nourish souls, and stand firmly against the illusions, pretensions, and eroding values of today's world. Hauerwas and Willimon call for a radical new understanding of the church. By renouncing the emphasis on personal psychological categories, they offer a vision of the church as a colony, a holy nation, a people, a family standing for sharply focused values in a devalued world.
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| Customer Reviews:
 An excellent primer (before the paint) May 30, 2009
T.C. (NY)
If you are ready to begin your trek with the theology of Hauerwas (and Willimon for that matter), this is an excellent place to begin. Accessible, entertaining, yet theologically astute. A call for the kind of posture the church must embody--especially in regards to practicing Christianity in a Christianized culture. A must read.
The Call for the Church to be the Church March 16, 2009
Robert C. Johnson (Hendersonville, NC)
This book really hits home for those of us who are frustrated on both ends of the political spectrum as to why so many of the Biblical principles cannot be carried out in America. It's because America has never been, and never will, be a Christian nation. A careful examination of the Sermon on the Mount reveals that few Christians or churches have bothered to carry these out in their daily lives. The authors contend that only in community, vis a vis the 'real' Church (regardless of denomination), can Christians have a hope of being what Jesus calls us to become. And in so doing, we need to realize that we will be criticized and condemned and called "crazy" or fanatic. But then, that's what Jesus was called as well. One of the best books I've ever read--convicting but necessary for all who call themselves Christians in America (or anywhere else for that matter)
 Powerful critique but inadequate solution... March 16, 2009
Chad Oberholtzer (Boalsburg, PA, USA)
I found myself personally resonating with several of Hauerwas and Willimon's concerns in "Resident Aliens" about how American Christians tend to think. Hauerwas and Willimon rightly point out that it is absurd to expect a world no longer saturated with Christian language and assumptions to act like Christians. And it is insufficient to rest our hope in the restoration of Christendom, as they perceive that this longstanding era of church-state partnership (whether explicit or implicit) is seriously waning (now much more so than when they wrote RA in 1989).
They suggest that it is insufficient for the church to merely be an institution that tries to make the world a better place. And they find it to be equally unsatisfying for the church to simply try to minimize the discomfort that church-goers and would-be Christians experience in this individualistically-driven and materialistically-obsessed culture. They propose that the way for the church to be a Christian colony in a world that does not know God is to simply "be the church."
It is in this solution phase that Hauerwas and Willimon left me seriously wanting more. They are quite adept at picking apart a host of operating systems and philosophical constructs that many of us use to envision the church, ultimately to the detriment of the work of the church. But when they move into their proposed alternative (which they seemed to attempt at multiple points throughout the book), I was left in a world of abstraction. They kept returning to the idea that the church needs to be the church (without expecting the non-church world to function like the church). And as much as I embrace this general concept, they did very little to help me understand or picture what that means from their vantage point. The most concrete idea that appeared in several places was the suggestion that the church out to be a place of complete (and sometimes brutal) honesty. And as much as I agree, I do not think that being mere truth-speakers is a sufficiently holistic expression of following Christ upon which to base the church. I don't know what they think the church should be.
As a prospective pastor (and therefore, targeted audience for this book), I wanted to know how they recommend that pastors lead a church as a Christian colony? They seem to value preaching, but they are very critical of all of the ways that we have been taught to communicate from the pulpit (careful biblical exegesis, relevance, etc.) other than story-telling. They do not seem to think that pastors should have a vision and try to lead the congregation towards that vision, at least not coming out of seminary ripe with bad ideas of ecclesiology. They do not seem to think that pastors should respond to the needs of their congregants, as these people are saturated with individualistic and consumeristic dogma. They do not seem to think that pastors should care about ministering to a world in need, as social justice is just another reflection of the world's solution system.
To their credit, Hauerwas and Willimon actually manage to come across as relatively even-handed critics, in the sense that they seem to utterly disdain everything and everyone not named Karl Barth. (They are especially critical of anyone named Neibuhr.) But I found their sweeping negativity to be increasingly unhelpful as the book progressed. As accurate as their critiques may be, I found their work to be seriously lacking on the solution side of their thesis and much less poignant than it might have otherwise been had they more intentionally and specifically described what life in the Christian colony should actually look like. Maybe the picture of their hope for the church was painted in the midst of their abstract language, but I struggled to see that painting with any clarity.
Timeless November 10, 2008
K. Kersten (Olathe, KS)
I am amazed that this book is several decades old. It speaks to all believers today and reminds us of the kingdom that we are truly a part of. All the kingdoms of this world are faulty at the core, but this book reminds us that we are ambassadors of a different type of kingdom. Excellent read. I highly recommend it for everyone.
A Christian classic November 6, 2008
C. Repp (Orange County, CA USA)
I read this book with a group almost twenty years ago. Re-reading it now has shown me how much this book has influenced my faith and my view of the Church through much of my adult life. It's message still rings true. It's message still seeks a home in our churches, though. Most churches I am aware of, including my own, are the objects of their critique. Until we have 'being the Church' as our main focus, we will continue to fail at our mission. As long as we strive for niceness, effectiveness, growth, and cultural relevance we are self-distracted from being a peculiar community in the world, an embassy for the kingdom of God.
While they seem to have addressed the book to pastors and seminaries, all Christians will find this book both challenging and helpful as they follow Jesus. Oh that we could be known as followers of Jesus, as people who care for one another, and as a people who are aliens to the structures of the world around us. What wonders God would do if we would only have our first identity with him?
I'm glad I ordered this book. Re-reading it now has refreshed my thinking. It will also be a valuable resource as I lead classes in my congregation.
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