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Laddar... The ice cube is melting : what is really at risk in United Methodism? (2004)av Lyle E. Schaller
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Comparing current membership figures in The United Methodist Church with those from forty years ago, it would be easy to conclude that the United Methodist "ice cube" is melting. Any number of factors might account for this trend, but almost every observer would agree that what Lyle Schaller calls the "contagious disease of intradenominational quarreling" has played a large role. Schaller says that the day has arrived to focus on the cure to this disease. Recognizing that the most difficult step in this process will be to gain agreement on what are the non-negotiable issues in the disagreements that divide United Methodists, Schaller has recruited a number of individuals from around the denomination to comment on what is really "at risk" in The United Methodist Church. Only by undertaking the hard work of gaining agreement on what the real issues are that divide United Methodists, he says, will it be possible to hope for a way forward. Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
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Google Books — Laddar... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)287.6Religions Christian denominations Methodist Methodist episcopalKlassifikation enligt LCBetygMedelbetyg:
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Schaller wrote this book in response to United Methodism @ Risk by Leon Howell. While he felt that it was an important book, he things that there are more issues, or lines in the sand, than the two raised in @ Risk. He also prefers the speak of people from Jerusalem and people from Athens, rather than "progressives" and "conservatives". The title refers to the fact that UMC has been shrinking since the 1960s.
Schaller has produced an almost overwhelming list of controversies, although at the root of many is "the contagious disease of intradenominational quarreling" that makes people take stands, rather than accepting diversity. I personally would have to read this book at least twice to digest it. Occasionally the terminology is a little confusing, but since it is presumably intended for United Methodists, this is more my lack of background than a flaw in the book.
Schaller comes across as a very likable and fair-minded person with a low-key sense of humor that lightens the book. He comments that the perspective of younger women is needed "(That inventory is far larger than the number of UM women who are older than this writer!)" (I'm guessing that he was in his eighties when he wrote this.) In addition to his own concerns, he has included essays from six other authors to broaden the book.
This book gives United Methodists a lot to think about, although the sheer number of controversies may be disheartening. Schaller does have some suggestions, including learning to get along, and this gives the detail to balance more general accounts of what is wrong with, and how to fix, the denomination. Imitating Schaller's apparently genial and generous personality would be a start. ( )