Love Letter to a Conflicted Church: Promise in Our Anger and Disagreements

by Olson, Richard P

• ISBN13: 9781606083192
• ISBN10: 1606083198
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-12-07
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Pub

Summary

The book is organized into three divisions, and as the title implies, there is a brief letter in the form of a New Testament epistle to the contemporary church, a portion of which begins each chapter. The first division reexamines the gifts and redemptive possibilities of anger and conflict. The barriers to healthy anger-conflict are considered and addressed. In the second, attention is given to conflicts surrounding the Bible. There is a chapter on conflict and reconciliation in the Bible, followed by suggestions on how people who read the Bible differently from each other can resolve some of those differences. Consideration is also given to discovering biblical priorities for the contemporary church. The third division offers "vistas of change and reconciliation." Parables of hope and promise are provided. Insights from the studies of persons and communities as well as ethics and theology are summarized. There is reflection on those unresolved conflicts that continue in spite of our best efforts. Then moral imagination is engaged to visualize the opportunities for a church that moves beyond its present stalemates. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
The Letter: "Dear members of a vital but painfully divided churchà"	p. xiii
Reflection-Commentary on the Letter
Anger and Conflict Reconsidered
Introduction: "Three Men and a Calf"	p. 3
The Gifts of Anger and Conflict	p. 10
The Redemptive Possibilities in Conflict	p. 21
Overcoming the Barriers to Creative Conflict	p. 32
Revisiting the Bible for Perspectives on Conflict
Anger, Conflict, and Reconciliation in the Bible	p. 47
Beyond Conflict about the Bible: A Beginning Dialogue	p. 70
The Purpose of the Church: A Search for Biblical Priorities	p. 83
Vistas of Change and Reconciliation
Parables of Hope and Promise	p. 95
Insights from Studies of Persons and Communities	p. 114
Further Aids to the Search from Christian Ethics and Theology	p. 131
What If-in Spite of All Our Efforts-We Are Still at Odds?	p. 144
A Healing Balm to the Nations: Activating Our Moral and Spiritual Imagination	p. 156
Resources for Congregations (and Other Entities) in Conflict	p. 173
Bibliography	p. 175
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