May 06 2008
Reviews on The Tangible Kingdom
Hi Friends, thought I’d occasionally catch you up on what folks are saying about The Tangible Kingdom. I’ve been most encouraged by all the comments thanking us for not only pushing the envelope on critical issues of missional living and “church,” but also giving honor to the existing church. One of our greatest hopes was that this book could finally be the tool that leaders use to hold faith communities and churches together in mission. I honestly think that as just about every church is struggling to redefine and find themselves in this new landscape, The Tangible Kingdom can be a guide in not only how to move forward, but keep as many folks on the ship as possible. One friend said, “This book finally helped my father understand what the call of mission is about without ticking him off!” This from a son of a pastor of a mega-church in Texas. Here’s a few more thoughts on the book from other readers. Free book offer at the end of this blog.
I just finished Tangible and found it to be a great encouragement. I think
it represents such a fundamental shift toward what things are to be. I
know it represents a great fit for the lifestyle I aspire to. I found
myself very envious of the community you have found there.
I have not found anything similar here and am starting to believe that I
may not for a while, but in the mean time I have been somewhat
intentionally engaging my world of young professionals at work and school
in a way I totally would not have the freedom to do if I had all the
responsibilities implicit with a local church involvement. I have loved
every minute of it. Andrew Talbert
I was able to get my hands on a free copy of The Tangible Kingdom last week, which thrilled me because I was going to buy it anyway. It’s the newest book from The Leadership Network, and so far, I haven’t read a book from them that I don’t like. The Tangible Kingdom was no exception, and it is going on my “Missional Must-Read” Book list.
This book really hit me hard, partly because the story of Hugh Walter (one of the authors) mirrors so closely my own story. He was well situated in the established church, but didn’t feel quite at peace with himself, or with God, in such a position. So he left it all behind to see if he could find (or create) something that was still true to Scripture, but was also more effective in engaging and redeeming our culture. Doing so created lots of tension. Here is what he wrote, which is exactly what I am feeling:
You can’t go back, but forward doesn’t feel much better, because forward may not pay the bills or make it any easier to live the Christian life you’ve always wanted to live (p. 18).
He made it through this time of uncertainty (so there’s hope for me!) and ended up in Denver planting a community of faith called Adullam with some friends. As people wanted to learn more about what they were doing and why, they also developed a Web-based practicum for pastors and church planters to help them innovate new ways of effectively being the church.
What I found most refreshing about the book is that the authors are not trying to criticize, judge, or condemn the way the typical church functions today. Instead, they just explained what they are doing and why, and how it is effectively bringing people into the Kingdom of God. His bottom line premise is that the church is supposed to be living out the Kingdom of God in our communities and with our friends. As we do this, the aroma of the Gospel simply attracts people to us. They put it this way:
Church should be what ends up happening as a natural response to people wanting to follow us, be with us, and be like us as we are following the way of Christ (p. 30).
My friends Hugh and Matt have released a new book. The book promo explains, In The Tangible Kingdom, authors Hugh Halter and Matt Smay help Christians and church leaders understand the Biblical concept of community as the key to evangelism, spiritual formation and enjoyment of life.
Written for those who are trying to nurture authentic faith communities and for those who have struggled to retain their faith, The Tangible Kingdom offers theological answers and real-life stories that demonstrate how the best ancient church practices can re-emerge in today’s culture, through any church of any size. The Tangible Kingdom offers new hope for church leaders, pastors, church planters, and churchgoers who are looking for practical new ways to re-orient their lives to fit God’s mission today. Hugh and Matt sent me a preview copy a few months ago and I am glad to see it out. They have been training church planters in missional incarnational approaches to church planting and I think they have much to say. Ed Stetzer
I just received an advanced copy of “The Tangible Kingdom – Creating incarnational community” from Leadership Network by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. I have so many other things to read, but I haven’t been able to put this one down. Without giving away too much of the content, let me just say it’s refreshing to hear the tone with which they write. They are honest about their wounds, they give honor to ‘traditional church’, they’re open to the various types of people and structures needed in the local church today, and heck they’re even funny.I haven’t finished it just yet, but I”m so glad they’re sharing their story with the rest of us. Lon
The space of the church is not yet “Roman” or ecclesiastical with its hierarchies, sacramental solemnities, enclosed basilicas, and doctrinal dicta, but “ecclesial” in the original sense of ekklesia, the “calling” together of those who empowered by the Spirit and responsive to Jesus’ “sending” (the Great Commission) of the spirit-led and spirit-driven to the ends of the earth It is the space of what Hugh Halter, with whom I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet and partner with in the past few weeks, calls “the tangible kingdom” (cf. Hugh Halter, The Tangible Kingdom, Leadership Network Publications, 2008). The tangible kingdom is the incarnational kingdom of those who are involved in mission, whose “being” is both being-sent and being-in-relation. Halter is not a theologian. Nor is he an “ecclesiologian.” He is a true Antiochene church theorist who see “churches” not as places or communities, but as relational networks.
The tangible kingdom is the ongoing and global incarnation of God in the mundus, the world. It does not represent the secularization of the church, but the Christification – not to be confused with the Christianization or “churchification”of the saeculum. He calls the congealing of these relational networks into effective nerve centers of outreach and benevolence as “communities of blessing.” They are not a “third space”, which is still an institutional space, but the spatialization and semiotic articulation on its myriad planes of the soma Christou. Dr. Carl Raschke, Denver University
For extra credit and a good theological/linguistic challenge, google “Carl Raschke, Denver University” and try to understand this entire article. First one who can explain it to me, “the non-theologian” wins a free book!!
wow. here’s my best shot:
I think he’s agreeing with you that church, rightly defined, isn’t simply buildings, rituals and doctrines. Instead it is a group of people who have been called together to be sent out in the Name of Jesus (empowered by the Spirit).
This reality is the “Tangible Kingdom” of which you (the non-theologian or non-churchy person) speak. The Church isn’t called primarily to come together to a place, but to exist in networks of relationships wherever a Christ follower finds her/himself living. He likes you.
Living the ideals of the Tangible Kingdom is the way in which people (born after the original church founders died) will demonstrate the true life of Christ. These “communities of blessing” aren’t that third space (beyond home and work) — they are individual groups who are significant in and of themselves, but can also be combined to form a whole greater than any single group (semiotic articulation — I think).
These communities of blessing incarnate the body of Christ on many, many levels.
whew, my brain hurts thinking about this and i spent a lot more time on that than i had planned. reminds me of the joy of being out of school.
I referenced the following web site as I thought about this:
ttp://churchandpomo.typepad.com/conversation/2008/04/incarnational-e.html#comments
To me a “Non-theologian” is the opposite of a theologian. Many theologians are trying to understand who God is, so they can explain who He is, while “non-theologians” are more conserned with showing who God is with their lives.
Just wanted to add this…I am a Pastor of two country churches between nowhere and next to nowhere, and I have been preaching a teaching HARD on the Acts chapter two principle since I arrived here a year and a half ago. We have seen some progress externally as well as internally. Our Denominational Leader is promoting your book and we are hopefully all going to have a chance at a copy at our spring conference, as well as a chance to meet with one of the authors…Being back in the woods like this, it will be refreshing to get a hold of a book like this to share with the congregation and leadership, so they too can capture the vision of the first century church, and be a blessing to the kingdom of God. My D.L. let me sift through the primer at our last pastors retreat last week…and I am excited about where our leadership has placed their vision. I think “the church” has become a very inward focused group and that many of our churches are like Country Clubs. Sure I will get in trouble for saying this…but that is OK…the truth hurts sometimes. But better to hurt now than “Later”…if you know what I mean. I would rather be recognized by Christ than be told He never knew me.