Review of Making Sense of Church: Eavesdropping on Emerging Conversations About God, Community, and Culture (Paperback)

I have to admit that my shelves are getting a bit too full of books that teach us all about postmodernism and how the church should respond.I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read another one, but when I saw that Making Sense of Church was written by Spencer Burke, founder of TheOoze.com, I knew this one would be worth reading.It's not because he has become a "voice" for postmodern ministry, but because he has enabled so many other voices to be heard.

And that's what makes this book so unique.Spencer gives voice to those who would otherwise go unheard.This is more a collection of viewpoints-often conflicting-than it is a traditional book.Each chapter is a mixture of observations from his personal journey with dozens of posts from TheOoze's discussion boards.

This blending of viewpoints accomplishes what the author hopes the church can do-enter "an era where we can have meaningful, compassionate conversations with each other, no matter where our allegiances lie-modern or postmodern, Eastern Orthodox or Catholic, mega church or house church."

Admittedly, for the first few chapters I felt like this was territory that's already been explored.Some of the ideas are covered elsewhere by popular authors like Leonard Sweet.It's the later chapters that made the book worth it for me.Chapter 7, "Adversary to Ally," makes me carry on some rather uncomfortable internal dialogue.Some of the chapter frustrated or even angered me, which is why this book needs to be read.It forces me to ask some of the questions I don't want to ask, because I'm afraid of the answers I may find.In reality, what I'm discovering is that they actually lead to even deeper and more challenging questions.Which in turn shapes me into a more honest and faithful follower of Jesus.

Can this book be one part of "a bridge between these camps" of modern and postmodern argument within the church?Between conservative and liberal?As I read the book, I can easily see fundamentalists dubbing this liberalism and the liberal camp thinking some of the observations are boringly conservative.Hopefully we can embrace the attitude that this book communicates-an attitude that seeks to understand before it tries to be understood.An attitude of deep, rich, and meaningful conversation.

Product Description
Using the most compelling e-mail conversations from theOoze.com, an online meeting place for those interested in postmodern spirituality, author Spencer Burke comments on and guides the reader through subjects such as authentic community, experiential worship, the internet and God, and more.

From the Back Cover
Samplings of online discussions about God, truth, and church-from theOoze.com

Our culture is rapidly changing andpeople are searching for new models and paradigms to find meaning in their lives. As in all transitional periods, this search takes place in grass-roots conversations where the "new" is taking form. No other place so uniquely captures this struggle more than the message boards at theOoze.com, the premier melting pot of emerging spiritual conversation.

Making Sense of Church is a snapshot of this "community conversation" as it tries to make sense of God in the emerging worldview. It represents a gathering of individuals with different points of view, theologies, life contexts, and feelings. Author Spencer Burke, creator of theOoze.com, provides the framework writing for each chapter and acts as a "guide" to the accompanying e-mail postings that supplement the chapters.

Subjects discussed include:- Authentic Community- Experiential Worship- The Internet and God- Art as a Vehicle for Communicating Truth- Spirituality and Sexuality- What Is the Church?- What Is Postmodernism?

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