Dennis A. Jacobsen – 2001, Augsburg Fortress Publishers
Notes/Outline:
Chapter 2: The World as It Should Be
Story of author getting kicked out of leading Bible Study in prison.
“Power without love is tyranny, love without power is sentimentality.”
Chapter 3 : Engaging the Public Arena
“the church is the church only when it exists for others” – Bohoeffer
Material on Franz Bibfeldt (Martin Marty’s Theologian of Accommodation) [more…]
Chapter 4: Congregation-Based Community Organizing
Stories from Milwaukee organizing
Chapter 5: Power
Rollo May >> most people seek innocence to avoid the responsibility of power
Chapter 6: Self-Interest
Christian “self-denial” isn’t to ignore our self-interests. Be in community to be able to facilitate shared action based on mutual self-interest.
Chapter 7: One-on-Ones
One-on-one interviews are the best way to get from an I-it to an I-Thou relationship.
Chapter 8: Agitation
Agitation is needed to break out of “niceness” that paralyzes us. Yet we must learn how to do so tenderly and always aimed at life.
Chapter 9: Metropolitan Organizing
Regionalization as model for planning to help with urbanization/suburban sprawl problems.
Is Grace UMC perfectly situated to be a leader in “regionalization” in our area?
Chapter 10: Building and Sustaining an Organization
Where there is no vision, the people perish (Prov. 29:18).
Without organization, the vision perishes.
Chapter 11: Community
An explication on holy, catholic, apostolic, and confessional nature of church in light of community organizing oriented church
Chapter 12: A Spirituality for the Long Haul
Stay connected to life-giving practices in justice work.
