Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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?"

A good discussion of the virtues of cities and other pedestrian-friendly environments from a Christian perspective. For example, Jacobsen emphasizes the importance of cities (and in particular Jerusalem) in the Bible, as well as more practical considerations such as social equity and the importance of sharing, civility to strangers, and other values best met in a public sphere. Not just for Christians, because Jacobsen uses the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible as well as the New Testament.

Pastor Jacobsen calls America to account for worshipping three false idols: individualism, freedom and independence. Individualism without constraint results in monotonous suburbs. Freedom to travel for some becomes isolation for others (youth and elderly). And a neglect of interdependence actually restricts an individuals ability to achieve their maximum potential.

Jacobsen believes that to be a Christian means to be a city person. The author defines a city simply as something you know when you see it. All cities possess six identifiers, including public spaces.

In public spaces Christians can walk amongst and greet their fellow citizens. This is incarnational ministry. Without public spaces it is hard to build relationships.

In heaven we will be citi-zens or denizens of the city. Jerusalem is a city on earth that God is using for good.

So why do some people see cities as corrupting? Jacobsen points to three cities in the Bible that were troubled: Enoch, Babel and Ramses. Because of these examples some people seek an eden-like existence in the suburbs.

Jacobsen distinguished between Private Christians and Public Christians. Private Christians focus on the Great Commission and the state of the individual. Public Christians concentrate on caring for the needy through institutions. Neither group has really taken the physical forms of their cities very seriously over the past century. Albert Borgmann, author of Crossing the Postmodern Divide, provides that vision.

Jacobsen notes "We've given very little thought to the physical structure of our cities and how that provides a framework for the human relationships that go on in these places." The author provides a theology that seeks to rectify this situation: (1) learn to live out our discipleship to Christ in cities and (2) stewardship of the environment includes our built environment.

Jacobsen advocates for mixed use zoning which allows for some commercial uses and different types of residential uses to coexist. The result is incidental contact, community cohesion, less time in the car, more walking and more attractive neighborhoods.

In the eyes of the author the suburbs are not welcoming to strangers. It is in the city where strangers meet other strangers. Cities experience problems when civility is in short supply, neighborliness is not practiced and some segments of society are not recognized for their inherent worth. We need 24 hour cities and metro areas that share the LULUs, (Locally Undesirable Land Uses).

Finally, Jacobsen notes over 400 developments in the U.S. have followed the New Urbanist Guidelines for Traditional Neighborhood Design. (See Congress for the New Urbanism [...]). We should enjoy these new developments and our older cities which already embody them. This not revolutionary activity but a return to how cities used to be built, such as Geneva. The church, writes Jacobsen, has an important role to play in the new urbanist movement.

This is an interesting book written from a 'conservative' Protestant viewpoint. The author, a Presbyterian minister, attempts to draw together biblical citations and the general goals of the New Urbanist movement as part of his own exploration of his time in Missoula, Montana. Readers who feel they need a biblical justification for such views may be encouraged by the author's insight. My criticism is the general narrowness of perspective that apparently is a feature of 'conservative' Protestantism, namely an inability to relate to the world without locating a precursor in the Old Testament and to a lesser extent in the New Testament. Strangely, the author even ends the book by implying that he was slighted because there was no separate category for a 'Christian' member of the Congress for the New Urbanism, believing Christians are being left out of the process. At issue should be his notion of 'Christian' and the dichotomy that he has assigned. This is a perhaps an uncharitable comment. Nevertheless, I am sure Rev. Jacobsen's main goal was to promote the city in all its forms which he does fairly well, even if there are glimpses of his latent Calvinist unease with the world as it is.

I really enjoyed this book and Jacobsen's perscpectives. One must remember though that his main experience is with the city of Missoula. It does encourage me to think about my surroundings and the importance of interacting with people.

The urban sprawl that blights the USian landscape has had more impact than merely the growth of ugly landscapes. It has broken apart communities, led to less healthy lifestyles, and increased ghettoization. Jacobsen's book sets out to introduce Christian groups into the new urbanist agenda, calling for walkable neighborhoods, more community-focussed building practices, and support of local business where real relationships can be borne. While this may well be a good primer, anyone who has read any other new urbanist material or who is looking for a thorough theological account may be disappointed. Jacobsen sets up false dichotomies (community-building is apparently not a part of evangelism for him) and doesn't dig into the environmental arguments which should be so central for Christians (and indeed, for anyone who cares about the future of the planet and its people). He also talks of how he believes he's the only Christian member of the Congress for New Urbanism, but without recognising that perhaps he's the only one who goes out of his way to advertise himself as such. It's good to see Christians publicly engaging with the vital issues of urban planning, but it would be good to see more serious engagement with urban theology.