Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism and the Christian Faith (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life) [Paperback]

Eric O. Jacobsen (Author), Eugene H. Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003 | Series: The Christian Practice of Everyday Life

Christians often talk about claiming our cities for Christ and the need to address urban concerns. But according to Eric Jacobsen, this discussion has remained far too abstract. Sidewalks in the Kingdom challenges Christians to gain an informed vision for the physical layout and structure of the city.
Jacobsen emphasizes the need to preserve the nourishing characteristics of traditional city life, including shared public spaces, thriving neighborhoods, and a well-supported local economy. He explains how urban settings create unexpected and natural opportunities to initiate friendship and share faith in Christ.
Helpful features including a glossary, bibliography, description of New Urbanism, and companion website (www.sidewalksinthekingdom.com) make this book ideal for study groups. Pastors, city-dwellers, and those interested in urban ministry and development will be encouraged by Sidewalks in the Kingdom.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Like Jane Jacobs, James Howard Kunstler, Ray Oldenburg, and other urban visionaries, Jacobsen sees the city as a hopeful place, where community, tradition, and beauty come together on a human scale--a vision that an eclectic mix of architects, city planners, and sociologists has recently promoted as the New Urbanism. Jacobsen offers a distinctly Christian perspective on this phenomenon, looking to the Bible to develop a theology of the city. He believes that Americans' love affair with the automobile has undermined the social fabric by offering a false promise of independence while contributing to the impersonal nature of much of American society. He discusses the dangers of urban sprawl, the soul-numbing architecture of the late twentieth century and its devastating effects on communal identity, and the lack of appropriate public space in American cities. Jacobsen has much to say about how we got into the present predicament and what to do to change it, and by resurrecting the notion of the "good" city, he proffers the conception of the city as a spiritual place. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

ERIC O. JACOBSEN is adjunct professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He previously served as associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Missoula, Montana. Jacobsen is a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587430576
• ISBN-13: 978-1587430572
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars City dwellers are divine July 17, 2003

By Avery Yale Kamila, GreenMarketReport.com

Format:Paperback

People of all religious persuasions can find wisdom in this plain-spoken portrait of how humanity and culture are enriched by the informal social contacts of city life. Jacobsen, a pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Missoula, Montana, builds a case for why Christians should have special concern for traditionally designed urban areas. At the same time, the book explores themes of community and identity that are relevant to people of all spiritual traditions.

He argues that we have been lulled into "worshipping false gods in the name of American values." The concepts of individualism, independence and freedom are wrongly associated with life in the suburbs, Jacobsen tells us. Pointing out that identical tract homes and big box retailers are not expressions of individual choice, he says we have allowed corporations to bend our communities to their bottom-lines instead of our communal needs.

The car, so often equated with freedom, does not, in Jacobsen's view, equal the Biblical sense of liberation, instead it represents a form of escapism. He writes that we have allowed ourselves to be isolated from one another by our cars and our low-density developments. The result is a loss of civility and a dismissal of God's command to "love the stranger."

He notes that cities give rise to critical mass, a condition that stimulates and incubates new ideas, significant events and formal art. Sidewalks in the Kingdom is a powerful call for Christians to endorse our cities in the same way they have embraced our natural environment. Should the concept catch hold, Christians everywhere may soon be fleeing the suburbs for a city near you.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Weaving faith and life into an integrated fabric February 19, 2004

By David Greusel

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are a person of faith who feels vaguely uneasy with our car-centric suburban American culture, you simply must read this book!
Jacobsen tackles the somewhat trendy topic of new urbanism, the idea of creating (or preserving) neighborhoods like some of us remember from our childhood, where it was possible to walk to the barbershop and stop for an ice cream cone along the way. Jacobsen goes to some length to connect this powerful idea to a sound biblical theology of the city. He makes the point (more than once) that the ultimate conusmation of human existence is described not as a garden--where it all started--but as a city. But not one to only give one side of the story, the author deals honestly with scriptures that show how cities also grew out of human vanity and pride. His arguments are well grounded in both reason and scripture, and he manages to find fault with both conservative evangelicals and mainline liberals, which I consider a plus.
The introduction invokes a powerful sense of community as the author describes a walk to a local coffee shop, and how the decision to relocate his church to the suburban edge of town would not only make such a walk impossible, but would at the same time disenfranchise the elderly, infirm and younger members of the congregation whose access to cars is limited.
In short, this book, as the title suggests, gives a superb overview of the most compelling New Urbanist ideas from a Christian perspective that is not biased toward liberal or conservative, but is biased toward a humane theology that cares about people and the cities they live in. Highly, highly recommended.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Putting back Sidewalks May 18, 2004

By Stephen M. Anderson

Format:Paperback

God instructed Jeremiah, "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will have welfare" (29:7). Imagine creating an approach to church life, church growth, and evangelism based on seeking the welfare of the city--the city (or neighborhood) that your church represents? Imagine. Eric O. Jacobsen in Sidewalks in the Kingdom gives us a blueprint for considering the welfare of the city. Jacobsen builds a case for Christian communities to take an interest in the urban centers where many churches are located. He points out that we have been relying on the false gods of individualism, independence, and freedom, worshipping at the feet of gods that come in the name of American values. Granted not everyone lives in an large urban setting--even Jacobsen writes on urbanism as a pastor, not in NY City or Detroit, but of the First Presbyterian Church in Missoula, Montana. Nonetheless, Sidewalks is worth the reading, if only to help you develop your own theology of the city or town you live in or near. Sidewalks shifts the discussion from "how do we grow our church?" to a more biblical mandate, "are we looking out for the welfare of the city?"