Christian Scharen

Welcome to this exploration of the Roots of hip-hop. The roots of hip-hop, as in: the Roots--a story of one of the most enduring, multi-talented, and successful groups of the past thirty years in any genre--and the story of the roots of hip-hop, that is, the story of hip-hop, a musical culture born in New York's South Bronx during the 1970s. Alongside the two hip-hop stories I tell here, I also tell the story about what God has to do with the Roots of hip-hop--a theological story, if you will. I describe how, in the process of becoming one of the most creative faith-rooted voices in music today, the Roots' developed a calling as artists. And I do this, in part, to say that you, too, can discover and live your prophetic calling. You can't help but be inspired by the Roots. Yet the best result of that is that you become inspired to be your most playful, passionate, purposeful, prophetic self in the world around you.

In this addition to the acclaimed The Church and Postmodern Culture series, leading practical theologian Christian Scharen examines the relationship between theology and its social context. He engages with social theorist Pierre Bourdieu to offer helpful theoretical and theological grounding to those who want to reflect critically on the faith and practice of the church, particularly for those undertaking ministry internships or fieldwork assignments. As Scharen helps a wide array of readers to understand the social context of doing theology, he articulates a vision for the church's involvement with what God is doing in the world and provides concrete examples of churches living out God's mission.

What happens after a congregation welcomes new Christians into its ministry? Building on the work of the first volume in this series, Faith Forming Faith, Paul Hoffman interprets how a congregation that intentionally practices baptism and its renewal is itself re-formed. Pastors, teachers, lay leaders, students of ministry, and people in the pew: all will find the compelling story of the ministry of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle, Washington--one of our nation's most secular cities--to be an inspiring and practical primer for renewal. Who would have thought? Bringing others to the waters of baptism transforms those already at home in the congregation. In fact, this intentional spiritual practice completely transforms the parish and the lives of God's people. There are new discoveries to be made in the ancient treasures of the Church as these gifts are shared with those hungering and thirsting for a place at God's table.

Christian ministry is deeply concerned with proclaiming the transforming power of God's gift of faith in the daily lives of disciples. How is it, then, that Christian faith so often fails to be an orienting force that impacts every aspect of our lives? In Faith as a Way of Life Christian Scharen articulates a vision of pastoral leadership grounded in substantive faith language. He examines other powerful languages in our culture -- emotion-driven therapeutic and results-driven managerial models of leadership -- and shows how their domination leads to faith becoming a weak sibling. Highlighting concrete examples of excellent pastoral leadership in action, Scharen offers creative practical theological reflection on how faith can truly inform our family life, our work, our politics, our leisure -- literally all of life -- and how pastoral leaders of all kinds can foster faith as a way of life.

In a time of increasing cultural pluralism and vast religious restructuring in the United States, Christian social ethics must take account of how values and commitments shape Christian communities. In Public Worship and Public Work Christian Scharen examines theological claims about the relationship of worship and ethics by means of ethnographic study of the life, worship, and work of three vibrant congregations. Public Worship and Public Work moves beyond two caricatures of the relationship between worship and social ethics. Rather than resolute portrayals of the Church as a reflection of its culture and context and causal accounts of the Church's liturgy forming a Christian witness over and against culture, this book lifts up congregational identity as an area of dynamic interaction between worship, social ethics, and culture. Chapters in Part One are "Liturgy and Social Ethics: Characterizing a Debate," and “Sociologizing the Debate: Identity, Ritual, and Public Commitment.” Chapters in Part Two, Three Case Studies in Atlanta’s Old Downtown are " 'People Living Church’: The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception,” “’Jesus Saves’: Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church,’” and “’The Church at Work’: Central Presbyterian Church.’” Part Three concludes with "The World in the Church in the World.”