Philip D Kenneson

Desire. Conviction. Character. Story. Practice. Institution. The Shape of Our Lives digs into how these six factors-often operating beneath our consciousness-profoundly affect our spiritual formation, both as individuals and congregations. As Christians across America grapple with the value and purpose of church, this accessible volume provides a roadmap for exploring what motivates and forms us. The Shape of Our Lives equips readers to look beneath the surface, understanding the forces impacting our formation. The book lays a theological and practical foundation for congregations and communities to be transformed more into the image of Christ. How does a community of people-with their different and sometimes competing values-grow together? How can congregations make room for God's spirit to be at work? The Shape of Our Lives will give you and your Christian community the language to renew these conversations and embark on the journey of congregational formation." In these times of disillusionment with church, there could not be a more timely book. " --David Fitch, Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary

The church in our post-Christendom era needs different models for conceptualizing its own identity and its relationship to the rest of society. Philip Kenneson sets forth a model that suggests that the church's role in contemporary society is to serve as a "contrast-society." In this model, the church is animated by a different spirit than that which animates "the world." Moreover, the "contrast-society" model has tremendous missional promise in that its embodied life in the world is its witness to the world. Kenneson acknowledges that this model is sometimes rejected by both Christians and non-Christians because it appears to be too "sectarian." He therefore asks, What are we claiming about a particular group when we call it sectarian? He argues that critics who regard a "contrast-society" church as sectarian often operate with untenable understandings of rationality, culture, politics, religion, and critique. In a concluding chapter, Kenneson offers reflections on how moving "beyond sectarianism" allows us to see afresh some of the missional promise of the church-as-contrast-society model. Philip D. Kenneson is Assistant Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Milligan College and author of Selling Out the Church: The Dangers of Church Marketing.