Description: What does it mean to be a peacemaker in a polarized world?
It can feel as if the world--and the church--has never been more polarized. But when we feel worn down by the chasms dividing us, we can take hope from the early Christian vision of God uniting all things in Christ, a hope that can lead us to act. Stuck Together explores Bible stories and narratives ancient and modern that inspire us to open hearts and minds to persons with whom we disagree as we gain confidence in our own convictions.Drawing from Scripture, from his own life journey, and from the witness of others, author J. Nelson Kraybill demonstrates how even small steps of reconciliation by confessionally grounded Christians can have big effect and give loving Christian witness in a polarized church and society.
Brief description: Stuart Murray helps direct the Anabaptist Network in Great Britain, and serves the network as a trainer and consultant with particular interest in urban mission, church planting, and emerging forms of church. He has written several books on church planting, urban mission, emerging church, the challenge of post-Christendom, and the contribution of the Anabaptist tradition to contemporary missiology. He is the author of The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith, Planting Churches in the 21st Century: A Guide for Those Who Want Fresh Perspectives and New Ideas for Creating Congregations, and Church Planting: Laying Foundations.
Review Quotes: "In Stuck Together, J. Nelson Kraybill embraces a paradox at the heart of the Christian faith. 'The Spirit of God inspired diversity, ' he writes, yet 'diversity alone is not an adequate identity for the church.' Thus, the challenge for followers of Jesus is not to agree on everything, but rather to learn how to disagree 'with gentleness and reverence' (1 Peter 3:16). Yet Kraybill does not flinch from naming profound evils, such as genocide against Native Americans and systemic racism, where 'agreeing to disagree' is not an option."
--DAVID BRUBAKER, dean of the School of Social Sciences and Professions and professor of organizational studies at Eastern Mennonite University and author of When the Center Does Not Hold: Leading in an Age of Polarization