Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation
by Sarah Cunningham
List Price:
Our Price: $1.99
You Save: $11.00 (85%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Sarah CunninghamEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-07-18
ISBN: 031026958X
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Zondervan
Book Reviews of Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation
Book Review: Review of Book for Course on Young Adult Ministry
Summary: 5 Stars
Summary
With witty humor and in a cleverly constructed format, Sarah Cunningham writes a series of letters on her generation's disillusionment with the church. Telling things as they are, these letters are addressed simply as "Dear Church". Cunningham begins by recounting her own story of disillusionment with the church and then shares a list of characteristics she has found to be true about twentysomethings - who make up the so-called "disillusioned generation". Following, she explains our disillusionment and proposes a way for hope in the end.
One of Cunningham's particularly astute observations comes from her list of twentysomething characteristics. She points out that because of today's technology - which allows us to "get the dinner dishes done and still make it to the movie on time" - we live in a "both-and" culture that has pervaded not only our society, but also our politics and spirituality. As a result, we do not feel threatened by polar opposites but perhaps thrive off the differences. I appreciate Cunningham's mention of so many "groups" who are often excluded by the church because I believe that it is in the context of twentysomethings' "both-and" culture - as well as our resistance to identity labels - that the postmodern generation has come to value inclusiveness.
Review
Cunningham's fundamental question regards the identity of the church. What or who is the church? Her raw reflections realize that the church is human, that "thanks to the imperfect nature of its participants, every kind of local church we imagine or bring to expression is marked by human flaws, missed expectations, and disillusionment" (2006:108). This statement most plainly means that the church is the people themselves, not the building nor the institutional structure. The quote also brings to the table what Cunningham raises as a major reason for our disillusionment: unreasonable, unhealthy expectations up to which no human could possibly live! Implicitly tying this to the characteristic need among twentysomethings for authenticity, she writes that we must honestly admit the flaws that are present in the church. Finally, the quote leads to the book's conclusion that the church is not to be the hope of the world. Rather, Jesus is! We are merely flawed reflections of Jesus, trying to live by his example but failing miserably at it.
By her poignant understanding that the church is the people, Cunningham creatively places the responsibility for disillusionment not on a distant, faceless institutional church but on each individual comprising it, including - and perhaps even especially - on those who have been disillusioned. In her words: "We all do our part in contributing to the church's shared mistakes, but when it comes time to take the blame, we seem to lose our individuality. All of a sudden, the church is just one faceless, nameless, ownerless institution that can't own up to its failures" (140). Therefore, we must each collectively take responsibility for the mistakes of the church, owning up to the reality whether we are to blame or not. Indeed, I would agree that ownership of the church - or the lack thereof when it comes to our collective faults - is key toward developing serious credibility, not only with the church, but also - and I believe more importantly - with the world. Dedicating an entire chapter to the dangers of dwelling on our disillusionment and the need for forgiveness, she calls attention to the fact that any solution process will necessarily involve pain. However, that "suffering is actually linked to the production of hope" (135). We must understand this reality in order to keep moving forward and not run away when the difficult moments arrive.
In a sense, Cunningham's conclusion borders on the simplistic. While she introduces a solution - to live as Christ - I wish she would have analyzed it in the context of postmodernism, using her list of Generation X and Y characteristics. What is it about twentysomethings that might call for a slightly different solution? What are some practical steps we can take - specific to our generation - toward living like Jesus? Indeed, Cunningham does not directly address the postmodern issue other than to base the book on her extensive correspondence with a diversity of postmodern twentysomethings. At the same time, perhaps a simplistic solution is best, since that is what the reader may remember best in order to apply to complex contexts.
My final comment is this: What about those who are just plain disinterested in church?
Summary of Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation
Dear Church is a series of letters from a twenty-something to the global church she's not always sure she wants to be a part of. The author's story awakens the voice of a younger generation whose attendance in the church is dropping, yet she encourages the church that their Christian faith is still alive and well. In the end, Dear Church tells a story that will be familiar to every age group: the story of overcoming disillusionment and staying the course.Christian Living Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Christian Living Books
A Survey of the Old Testamentby Andrew E. Hill, John H. Walton
Zondervan; Published: 2009-02-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.01
Price in other shops:
Steps to Christby Ellen Gould Harmon White
General Books LLC; Published: 2012-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.14
The 1928 Book of Common PrayerOxford University Press, USA; Published: 1993-11-18; Leather Bound; Book
Price in other shops:
A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Storyby Diana Butler Bass
HarperOne; Published: 2010-03-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.51
Price in other shops:
Works of Loveby Soren Kierkegaard
Harper Perennial; Published: 1964-10-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
America by Heart : Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flagby Sarah Palin
Harper Collins Publishers; Harper; Published: 2010-11-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In Godby Dallas Willard
HarperOne; Published: 1998-03-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.98
Price in other shops:
God for Us: The Trinity and Christian Lifeby Catherine Mowry Lacugna
Harpercollins College Div; Published: 1992-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $73.97
Ruthless Trustby Brennan Manning
HarperAudio; Published: 2004-01-06; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $2.98
Price in other shops:
The Screwtape Lettersby C. S. Lewis
Macmillan; Published: 1982; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church...and Rethinking Faithby David Kinnaman
Baker Books; Published: 2011-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.70
Price in other shops:
On the Verge: A Journey Into the Apostolic Future of the Church (Exponential Series)by Alan Hirsch, Dave Ferguson
Zondervan; Published: 2011-04-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.85
Price in other shops:
The Pastor: A Memoirby Eugene H. Peterson
HarperOne; Published: 2011-02-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.92
Price in other shops:
The Slow Fade: Why You Matter in the Story of Twentysomethings (The Orange Series)by Reggie Joiner, Chuck Bomar, Abbie Smith
David C. Cook; Published: 2010-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.88
Price in other shops:
Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Livedby Rob Bell
HarperOne; Published: 2011-03-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.47
Price in other shops:
They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generationsby Dan Kimball
Zondervan; Published: 2007-02-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops:
Picking Dandelions: A Search for Eden Among Life's Weedsby Sarah Cunningham
Zondervan; Published: 2010-02-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops:
mY Generation: A Real Journey of Change and Hopeby Josh James Riebock
Baker Books; Published: 2009-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.49
Price in other shops:
unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Mattersby David Kinnaman, Gabe Lyons
Baker Books; Published: 2007-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.49
Price in other shops:
Picking Dandelions: A Search for Eden Among Life's Weedsby Sarah Cunningham
Zondervan; Published: 2010-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.61
Price in other shops: