The Suburban Christian: Finding Spiritual Vitality in the Land of Plenty
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.12 (523 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 083083334X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 220 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-01-30 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Yet much in our suburban world militates against such aspirations, and people find themselves isolated and alienated, trapped by consumerism and materialism. With broad historical background and sociological analysis, Hsu offers practical insights for living Christianly in a suburban context. People come to suburbia looking for a fresh start, the second chance, a new life. Suburbia may be one of the most significant mission fields of the twenty-first century. And he challenges suburban Christians to look beyond suburbia and marshal their resources toward urban and global justice. Here is guidance and ho
Hsu is writing to a divided Christian culture: one segment would call the suburbs evil and equate them with unhealthy selfishness and excess (which he acknowledges they may promote), while another unquestioningly accepts the suburban ethos without reflecting on how faith should influence suburban life. He reminds readers that the burbs do not inherently prevent a thriving and genuine Christian faith, and stresses that since over half the population now resides there, Christians must figure out how to do suburban living well. . Every suburban pastor should read this book. (July)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. They can integrate faith into a suburban life by, say, going out of their way to remember the needs of those around them, giving generously, doing more business in their immediate local area, questioning the urge to buy what advertisers are pitchin
"A Good Start for Worldview Discussions in the Suburbs" according to H. Laack. The suburbs and suburban Christianity have been the subject of a great deal of often justified criticism, so Hsu, a suburbanite all his life, undertook the task of looking at how Christians really can live out their faith even in this too materialistic society. His approach is good, his scholarship is well-balanced, and he has some useful suggestions on how better to address the culture rather than just be carried along on it. "Honest assessment of hurdles to profound spirituality" according to Dan Panetti. I thought this might be an easy read; boy, was I mistaken! Actually this book is full of social commentary that is rather interesting - not interesting enough to last 200 pages, but the author does make some really excellent points along the way. As a product of suburbia, Hsu examines how this new culture has arisen to dominate our landscape today and asks some pretty poignant questions about the "progress" of our society tow. Researched, challenging, and balanced J. Nolt Al Hsu does an extraordinary job in the work that seeks to guide us on how to live in the suburban context. It is well researched and very balanced. There is no 'stone throwing' here to us suburbanites, but it is a thoughtful guide that challenges those who live in suburbia to do so in a redemptive fashion. In particular chapters 4 and 5 are very good and practical in terms of how to live in such a context. I would highly rec