Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony (edition 1989)

Severely disappointed. I had heard great things about this book. I really tried getting into it, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. I found it rather boring and it seemed as if the authors were rambling on to me. Even though I ascribe to many of the beliefs of the Anabaptist tradition, there didn't seem to be any new fresh insight gained from this book. Nor, did it seem there was anything new or different than what the Bible already speaks to in regards to living as aliens of this world. However, I am a fan of Hauerwas' progressive views and will likely read some of his other works sometime within the near future. ( )

This book was quite an awakening for me when I first read it. Today it seems somewhat too strident in tone. Maybe because I have come to take its arguments somewhat for granted.

Hauerwas and Willimon challenge the contemporary church--and particularly the clergy--to actively create communities that follow Jesus. They argue that Christendom exists no more, and that contemporary society is far closer to 1st century society with religious pluralism and Christianity out of power than it is to 19th century ideas that Christianity was the norm in society. As a result, they call for clergy and believers to cease making accommodations to the society in which we live and instead to live as "resident aliens" who belong to a different kingdom. ( )

Some of these concepts are a bit dated and done well by others, but it still stands as a great book in talking about the way the church should look amongst the world and the status it should maintain in its society and world. ( )

In this bold and visionary ebook, two leading Christian thinkers explore the "alien" status of Christians in today's world, and offer a compelling new vision of how the Christian church can regain its vitality, battle its malaise, reclaim its capacity to nourish souls, and stand firmly against the illusions, pretensions, and eroding values of today's world. Hauerwas and Willimon call for a radical new understanding of the church. By renouncing the emphasis on personal psychological categories, they offer a vision of the church as a colony, a holy nation, a peole, a family standing for sharply focused values in a devalued world. ( )