Remnant Christianity in a Post-Christian World: Plight of the Modern Church
Ebook
Overview
The contemporary Christian church is in critical decline, both in membership and finances. All attempts at reversal are failing, primarily because of the consuming socioeconomic-secular dynamic in which society is immersed in its self-destructive course. Consequently, Christian imagery is losing its conceivability and credibility, and past motivations that once encouraged belief have lost their appeal. Without these as points of contact, the demise of the institutional church will be relentless, despite all efforts to halt it. Yet, as at other crisis points in history, the divine promise has been to raise a “faithful remnant” with sufficient promise to outlast whatever the societal demise. After carefully analyzing the ingredients of our societal crisis, the author develops the contours of a “Remnant Church” to be set in place now within the present institutional churches. This necessitates distilling a vital spirituality and discerning the heart of a preservable tradition, sufficient to claim both personal and communal commitment. Thereby prepared for the long haul, the Remnant Church can emerge as a prophetic alternative.
“This extraordinary book is the most comprehensive summary I
know of analyses and data covering the United States today. Jones
describes a nihilistic postmodernism, a rapacious capitalism, the
plutocratic destruction of democracy, the illusory construction of
our sensibilities and appetites, and more! These dynamics are basic
to the diminishment of our churches and an ongoing assault on the
common good. Into this morass Jones offers a significant remnant
strategy for dying churches.”
—Tex Sample, Pastor, Trinity United Methodist Church, Kansas City,
Missouri
“Rarely in the pages of one book do we find both a penetrating and
solidly informed analysis of our present cultural situation and a
visionary prescription for the church’s future. Spurning efforts to
reverse declining interest in the church by quick fixes, Paul Jones
draws upon his long experience as a theologian and spiritual
director to outline how a remnant church of the future, based on
‘pure faith,’ can bear witness in a post-Christian world.”
—Neal F. Fisher, President emeritus and Senior Scholar in Theology,
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
“All of us who are paying attention are sensing the coming of a
spiritual winter that calls into question all that we believe. In
this book, which is both challenging and comforting, W. Paul Jones
analyzes the forms of idolatry that contemporary society presents
to the church and the reasons why people of faith must prepare to
live as a remnant people in a new reality. No one is better
equipped with the gifts of mind and spirit than W. Paul Jones to
help us understand what is happening to the church and why, and
what it will mean for all of us to live faithfully in a
post-Christian world.”
—William Boyd Grove, Bishop, retired, the United Methodist
Church
“I have participated in the church-growth models that Jones
criticizes, spending much of my career working to increase numbers
of people in church. But I also admit that those models have done
little to ease the decline and the lack of authentic discipleship
that he accurately describes in the twenty-first-century church.
Given the hurt and division of our time, we need voices advocating
for deeper spirituality and authentic discipleship. Paul Jones’
vision for remnant community is not only biblical but compelling as
well.”
—Bishop Bob Farr, Missouri Conference of the United Methodist
Church
“After a frank and brutally honest assessment of the impact
postmodernism has had on Christianity, the church, and our culture,
Jones offers a deeply compelling and hopeful path forward for
Christian faith. This is one of the most spiritually honest and
meaningful books I’ve read in a long time.”
—Adam Hamilton, author of The Lord’s Prayer: The Meaning and
Power of the Prayer Jesus Taught
- Title: Remnant Christianity in a Post-Christian World: Plight of the Modern Church
- Author: Paul Jones
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2021
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781725294868, 9781725294844, 9781725294851, 1725294869, 1725294842, 1725294850
- Resource ID: LLS:9781725294868
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-02-18T08:20:15Z
W. Paul Jones, known for serving with humor, creativity, and
compassion as resident director of the Hermitage Spiritual Retreat
Center, is an Emeritus Professor of Theology, an ordained United
Methodist for forty years, a Trappist Family Brother, and a Roman
Catholic priest. His ecumenical work focuses on the relationship
between spirituality and social justice and is particularly
concerned with the dilemma of the contemporary church. He is author
of fourteen books, some award-winning, and numerous
articles.