To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, And Possibility Of Christianity In The Late Modern World (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
I very much loved portions of this book, most especially his elaboration about "faithful presence." To date, it's probably most in step with my own thinking about how to appropriately engage culture and the world. However, I cannot for the life of me understand why Hunter doesn't include political participation as a way to participate in faithful presence? Surely the way is not to "take a break" from politics as Hunter encourages. Could it be that some of the political participation he lambasts is actually motivated by faithful presence? Also, as an aside, developing cultural taxonomies (e.g. Niebuhr "Christ & Culture") are helpful inasmuch as they help one think about polarities, but can often be generally unhelpful. It's no surprise these sections (Pt. II) in Hunter's book were that way for me. All in all, though, this was a tremendous book. Especially the exploration of faithful presence in Pt. III. JDH's basic point: Christians, stop trying to change the world (since this is complex and out of your control); instead, seek to embody a faithful presence in the time and place where you find yourself. While he incisively critiques the politicization of the Christian Right and the Christian Left as well as the withdrawal of Neo-Anabaptist models, I'm not sure that he adds anything significantly new to the discussion. Still, his cautions on the way that Christians think about and use power deserve some serious thought. Worth the read.
What do You think about To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, And Possibility Of Christianity In The Late Modern World (2010)?
Rich with historical perspective, but left me with an, "Uh, that's it?" feeling to his conclusions.
—ethel
Rarely have I read a book that started so strong (Essay I is excellent) and finished so poorly.
—HailyT
Great content. I love the idea of faithful presence.But the other repeats himself a lot.
—irish
adds a much needed systemic approach to this complex topic.
—emmarose
