Free for All: Rediscovering the Bible in Community (ēmersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith) - Softcover

Conder, Tim; Rhodes, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080107147X ISBN 13: 9780801071478

Publisher: Baker Books, 2009

Synopsis

Is our study of the Bible as pure as we think it is? In Free for All, Tim Conder and Daniel Rhodes show how the way we read the Bible is held captive by the dominant culture in which we find ourselves. They aim to expose the cultural authorities that influence our understanding of the Bible and provide a way for communities to encounter the text as communities. This journey into community interpretation of the Bible not only honors the text and liberates its voice, but also catalyzes transformative practices of proclamation, hospitality, ethics, mission, and imagination.
Church leaders, pastors, small group leaders, and those interested in the emerging church conversation will find Free for All an energizing resource to infuse their study of God's Word with new life.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Unleash the Scriptures

Say "free-for-all," and most people imagine a brawl. But what if we had a free-for-all with the Bible? What if we opened up to aggressive interpretation within the communities of our local churches?

In this provocative book, Tim Conder and Daniel Rhodes explore the critical need to encounter Scripture collectively, and then they invite us to listen in as a group from their church delves into four Bible passages--the obscure, the emotive, the familiar, and the controversial.

Free for All makes a compelling case for communities as a valid authority for biblical interpretation. The authors show that communities are capable of breaking open the texts in fresh and surprising ways, unleashing them anew into our lives.
"This is as clear and thought provoking a statement as I have seen yet of a theology of Scripture for emergence Christianity."--Phyllis Tickle, author, The Great Emergence

"A wonderful exercise in biblical hermeneutics. . . . Weaving in popular culture, well-informed Christian theological insight, and excitement for the Bible as uniquely revelatory, Conder and Rhodes lead us into a fresh new encounter with Scripture."--Will Willimon, bishop, the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church; author, Conversations with Barth on Preaching

"There is, in this book, good news for those of us who are passionate about Scripture, deeply committed to community, and longing to experience the power of both with candor and openness in the midst of our pain, confusions, and disappointments."--Brian J. Walsh, coauthor, Colossians Remixed and Beyond Homelessness

"It's not easy to make the familiar odd, but Conder and Rhodes accomplish that feat by helping us recover what it means to read Scripture in communion."--Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School

"An excellent guide to recovering the place of the Bible in the life of Christian communities. . . . Following the wisdom found in these pages can help unleash the transforming power of the Bible in the church and in the lives of those who read it."--John R. Franke, Clemens Professor of Missional Theology, Biblical Seminary

About the Author:

Tim Conder is a founding member of Emergent Village, the founding pastor of emerging church plant Emmaus Way in Raleigh/Durham, and the author of The Church in Transition. Conder lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Daniel Rhodes is a pastor at Emmaus Way and a ThD student at Duke Divinity School. Rhodes lives in Durham, North Carolina.

About this edition

• Publisher: Baker Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 080107147X
• ISBN 13: 9780801071478
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256