Suburbia: Paradise or Wasteland? Suburbia is a place of spiritual yearnings. People come to suburbia looking for a fresh start, the second chance, a new life. It embodies the hopes and longings of its residents, dreams for the future, safety and security for their children, and the search for meaningful community and relationships. Yet much in our suburban world militates against such aspirations, and people find themselves isolated and alienated, trapped by consumerism and materialism. Is there hope for a Christian vision for the suburbs? Al Hsu unpacks the spiritual significance of suburbia and explores how suburban culture shapes how we live and practice our faith. With broad historical background and sociological analysis, Hsu offers practical insights for living Christianly in a suburban context. Probing such dynamics as commuting and consuming, he offers Christian alternatives for authentic spirituality, genuine community and relevant ministry. And he challenges suburban Christians to look beyond suburbia and marshal their resources toward urban and global justice. Suburbia may be one of the most significant mission fields of the twenty-first century. Here is guidance and hope for all who would seek the welfare of the suburbs.
The Suburban Christian
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Hsu (Grieving a Suicide), an associate editor at InterVarsity Press, provides a unique book examining the social and economic forces that created the suburbs, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses and providing a thoughtful critique of what living Christianly in the suburbs should look like. Hsu is writing to a divided Christian culture: one segment would call the suburbs evil and equate them with unhealthy selfishness and excess (which he acknowledges they may promote), while another unquestioningly accepts the suburban ethos without reflecting on how faith should influence suburban life. He reminds readers that the burbs do not inherently prevent a thriving and genuine Christian faith, and stresses that since over half the population now resides there, Christians must figure out how to do suburban living well. They can integrate faith into a suburban life by, say, going out of their way to remember the needs of those around them, giving generously, doing more business in their immediate local area, questioning the urge to buy what advertisers are pitching, getting out of their cars and getting to know their neighbors. Hsu avoids heavy-handed directives, but provides a number of thoughtful alternatives for the way different Christians may work their faith out in suburbia. Every suburban pastor should read this book. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
We often hear about the American dream, but the suburban dream? Is that an oxymoron? According to Hsu, more than half the American populace now lives in suburbia. There, he maintains, it offers a contemporary version of the huddled masses in search of a better life who populated modern America. A suburbanite himself, Hsu has a love-hate relationship with the suburban lifestyle. He easily lists the many negative aspects associated with suburban living: long commutes, anonymity and isolation, the generic nature of the housing, lack of true community. Is it possible, he asks, to live authentically Christian lives as suburbanites? Yes, he replies, and here discusses how suburbia can shape Christianity and vice versa. Making a well-meaning and honest appraisal of the way that many Americans live, Hsu offers suggestions on how suburbanites can become better Christians. He is an immensely appealing writer, and what he has to say, which includes practical and incremental steps to take, will resonate with many suburbanites and nonsuburbanites alike. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The suburbs and suburban Christianity have been the subject of a great deal of often justified criticism, so Hsu, a suburbanite all his life, undertook the task of looking at how Christians really can live out their faith even in this too materialistic society. His approach is good, his scholarship is well-balanced, and he has some useful suggestions on how better to address the culture rather than just be carried along on its tide. I think he may be a little too gentle on how Christians need to change their lives in response to the challenge Christ laid out for us, but the book is still an excellent way to begin asking the right questions.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thought this might be an easy read; boy, was I mistaken! Actually this book is full of social commentary that is rather interesting - not interesting enough to last 200 pages, but the author does make some really excellent points along the way. As a product of suburbia, Hsu examines how this new culture has arisen to dominate our landscape today and asks some pretty poignant questions about the "progress" of our society towards the individualism and isolationism of suburbia. He addresses the issue that I see as being a fundamental hurdle to a profound and vibrant spiritual journey - an "absence of scarcity" that has resulted in our entitlement culture devoid of appreciation and always demanding more...faster...easier! Hsu makes the connection between our physical environment and our resulting spiritual lives - and the conclusions he reaches aren't necessarily positive.
Hsu also takes to task the church in the suburbs and examines how many are more like shopping malls bending to the consumer culture than bodies of Christ transforming the culture around them. He also examines how we've lost a sense of connectedness - from the days of yesteryear when families gathered on the front porch to sit and chat with neighbors to the isolated homes of today with high fences, air conditioning and televisions as the centralized all-encompassing focus of "family time."
While Hsu doesn't back down from his concerns, he doesn't paint a bleak picture for the future - there are things that we, as suburban Christians, can and should do to counter our culture; but we must first see that our commercialized, consumer-driven, convenience-at-all-costs society does have some flaws! For Hsu, the answer is that bigger isn't always better, that easier isn't always worth it, and that as a follower of Christ, living counter-culture means more than opposing abortion or not smoking. It means that we must add value to our culture beginning with those closest to us - our neighbors. It means learning to make sacrifices and living within our means so that we can be used by God to assist others in need. And it means understanding that everyone longs for a place they can call home - a place of rest and peace - and while many believe that to be a physical refuge, as Christians we know that our soul will only find rest in Christ and we can share that rest with others who are longing for it.
Hsu also takes to task the church in the suburbs and examines how many are more like shopping malls bending to the consumer culture than bodies of Christ transforming the culture around them. He also examines how we've lost a sense of connectedness - from the days of yesteryear when families gathered on the front porch to sit and chat with neighbors to the isolated homes of today with high fences, air conditioning and televisions as the centralized all-encompassing focus of "family time."
While Hsu doesn't back down from his concerns, he doesn't paint a bleak picture for the future - there are things that we, as suburban Christians, can and should do to counter our culture; but we must first see that our commercialized, consumer-driven, convenience-at-all-costs society does have some flaws! For Hsu, the answer is that bigger isn't always better, that easier isn't always worth it, and that as a follower of Christ, living counter-culture means more than opposing abortion or not smoking. It means that we must add value to our culture beginning with those closest to us - our neighbors. It means learning to make sacrifices and living within our means so that we can be used by God to assist others in need. And it means understanding that everyone longs for a place they can call home - a place of rest and peace - and while many believe that to be a physical refuge, as Christians we know that our soul will only find rest in Christ and we can share that rest with others who are longing for it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By J. Nolt
Format:Paperback
Al Hsu does an extraordinary job in the work that seeks to guide us on how to live in the suburban context. It is well researched and very balanced. There is no 'stone throwing' here to us suburbanites, but it is a thoughtful guide that challenges those who live in suburbia to do so in a redemptive fashion. In particular chapters 4 and 5 are very good and practical in terms of how to live in such a context. I would highly recommend it!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Spiritual Resistance in American Culture
Although focused on suburbia, the forces of consumerism, branding and social isolation can be found is urban and rural settings as well. Read more
Published on February 8, 2009 by Robert Veale
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good to get a Christian perspective on suburbia
It is good to get a Christian perspective on suburbia. Of all the books that are out now that tell you about how and why North America's suburbia came about, and what can be done... Read more
Published on February 5, 2008 by Jonathan Davies
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought-provoking, interesting, and a little convicting
I have met the author (last name is pronounced 'shee') and heard him speak a few times. His writing style reflects his speaking style: easy to follow, casual voice, yet punctuated... Read more
Published on March 17, 2007 by Wishoosier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
It is very nicely written, in a straightforward way and without judgements etc. on living in suburbs, as most of us do. Read more
Published on December 20, 2006 by Scholar
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lacking Passion
The topic of suburban Christianity is one that deserves attention and thought. And I do agree with the premise of the book--that Christians must not give up on the suburbs. Read more
Published on December 4, 2006 by Elaine Lo
