http://www.wordandspirit.co.uk/blog/i... ( )

This book is a direct and intelligent challenge to the individualism and consumerism that has pervaded the attitude towards Church held by most North American Christians. Everyone who imagines their faith as a private affair or EXCLUSIVELY a "relationship with Jesus Christ" should read this accessible and short work. I think if every congregant of a local Church read and absorbed its Biblical teaching, the Church and its congregants would be transformed. ( )

Some very interesting and challenging thoughts on what motivates commitment to church, clearly showing that Christ's love for his bride, the church, should be mirrored in our love for the church. Being so firmly based in a US, congregational, evangelical church context can make some of the suggested practical applications of this concept appear a little narrow. This is particularly true in the UK where we are having to learn new ways of being church that may not be geographically local, meet on Sunday or in congregations. Despite this, the author does have a gift for producing some really nice turns of phrase that will stick with me. ( )