Being the Body: A New Call for the Church to be Light in the Darkness
Charles Colson has been called, "one of the most important social reformers in a generation." Ten years ago in The Body, Colson turned his prophetic attention to the church and how it might break out of its cultural captivity and reassert its biblical identity.
Today the book's classic truths have not changed. But the world we live in has. Christians in America have had their complacency shattered and their beliefs challenged. Around the world, the clash of world views has never been more strident. Before all of us, daily, are the realities of life and death, terror and hope, light and darkness, brokenness and healing. We cannot withdraw to the comfort of our sanctuaries...we must engage. For, if ever there was a time for Christians to be the Body of Christ in the world, it is now.
In this new, revised and expanded edition of The Body, Charles Colson revisits the question, "What is the church and what is its relevance to contemporary culture at large?" Provocative and insightful, Being the Body inspires us to rise above a stunted "Jesus and me" faith to a nobler view of something bigger and grander than ourselves--the glorious, holy vision for which God created the church.
Hardcover ISBN 0849917522
Top Highlights
“True unity is not sought by pretending that there are no differences, as modern ecumenists have done, but by recognizing and respecting those differences, while focusing on the great orthodox truths all Christians share.” (source)
“Second, the church is more than simply a collection of people; it is a new community.” (source)
“First, the church is not a building. The church is people.” (source)
“Lex Rex (‘The Law Is King’) in 1644, arguing that the truth of Christ could never be subordinate to Caesar. Only Christ’s authority is absolute and arbitrary. God is the true seat of government; rulers are merely trustees and stewards of God-given authority. The sovereign must administer law—not break, abrogate, or dispense with it. Public magistrates are public servants. Even the king, highest authority in the land, is a servant.” (source)
“Fourth, succumbing to consumerism strips the church of its authority. Providing peace through the feel-good gospel rather than pointing people to the truth of Christ and the reality of their own sin parallels and makes credible the New Age movement.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : Being the Body: A New Call for the Church to be light in the Darkness
- Author: Colson, Charles W.
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson
- Publication Date: 2004
- ISBN: 9781418514587
Chuck Colson was a popular and widely known author, speaker, and radio commentator. A former presidential aide to Richard Nixon and founder of the international ministry Prison Fellowship, he wrote several books that have shaped Christian thinking on a variety of subjects, including Born Again, Loving God, How Now Shall We Live?, The Good Life, and The Faith. His radio broadcast, BreakPoint, at one point aired to two million listeners. Chuck Colson donated all of his royalties, awards, and speaking fees to Prison Fellowship Ministries.