Dynamic Diversity: Bridging Class, Age, Race and Gender in the Church [Paperback]

Bruce Milne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 2007

From the footpaths of our cities to the chatrooms of the Internet, people are connecting today as never before. As the planet shrinks through the multiple forces of immigration, travel, electronic communication and more fluid employment patterns, we will find ourselves increasingly forced into contact with those who are significantly different from ourselves. Sadly however, the stranger is often a threat to be resisted rather than a friend to be embraced. In this context of in-your-face diversity, it is time to revisit the heart of the New Testament, with its claim that in Jesus Christ a new quality of human relationship is possible. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul claims that Christians are a new kind of people, part of a new community: a 'new humanity' in Christ (Ephesians 2:15). We exist not in isolation, but in relationship. Dynamic Diversity contends that all Christian congregations everywhere are called to be bridging places, centres of reconciliation, where the major diversities separating human beings are overcome through the presence of God's Holy Spirit. Bruce Milne presents a biblical model for today and tomorrow where the diversities of gender, generation, ethnicity, color and socio- economic status present exciting and challenging opportunities to demonstrate practical oneness. When this happens, churches become wonderfully alive. In Christ we can be one people, one new humanity, one life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Of the many books I've read on this subject, Milne's by far is one of the most biblically comprehensive and compelling. When I picked it up, I didn't need to be any more convinced that the church exists to model the new humanity that Christ has made possible. After finishing this well-thought-out work, I'm not only more convinced of this divine mandate, I'm even more excited to proclaim it and pursue it. I love this book!" (Rev. Dr. Ken Fong, senior pastor, Evergreen Baptist Church of L.A. )

"There is a way to do church that captures the vibrancy of global community and builds bridges among all people. Bruce Milne demonstrates dynamic and practical ways to do just that." (Dr. David Anderson, author, Gracism: The Art of Inclusion )

"This is an invaluable, scholarly and accessible tool for all leaders and thinking Christians who want to grapple with the challenges and privileges of holding unity in diversity." (Joel Edwards, general director, Evangelical Alliance )

"Whether we are complacent conservatives or radical misfits, here is an invitation worth accepting to rethink church and bring it more in line with God's heart and purpose." (Dr. Derek Tidball, principal, London School of Theology )

From the Publisher

* Counteracts contemporary secular notions of diversity and human community

* Highlights key issues concerning diversity in the Christian community

* Features biblical, theological, historical and cultural support for a Christian model of diversity

* Offers excellent practical suggestions for embracing Christian diversity in the local congregation

* Provides an excellent resource for pastors, lay leaders, missionaries and pastoral ministry professors

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (October 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830828060
• ISBN-13: 978-0830828067
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,188,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Challenging -- to an evangelical audience!, May 15, 2009

By 

Jacob Robinson "reconciliation is good" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dynamic Diversity: Bridging Class, Age, Race and Gender in the Church (Paperback)

Bruce Milne's "Dynamic Diversity" is a thoughtful challenge to the homogeneous congregations that dominate North American Protestant Christianity. From years of experience working with a diverse church in Vancouver, Canada, Milne provides solid biblical, theological, and practical support for his "new-humanity church" which cherishes and pursues diversity in our increasingly multicultural existence. In spite of these strengths, the book lacks in one essential area: for a book on diversity, his perspective is exclusively white, middle-class evangelical Christian. He also tends to universalize his evangelical perspective on the Church, Scripture, worship, mission, etc. As a evangelical student at a seminary with a majority of mainline Protestant students, I do not think his arguments would be very convincing to many of my Methodist, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, or Lutheran colleagues. In this, his challenge is only really going to be relevant and received by the evangelical community. To be honest, the subtitle of the book should be: Bridging Class, Age, Race and Gender in the evangelical Church. Again, Milne's book is helpful, but only for a specific audience.