{"product_id":"how-the-body-of-christ-talks-recovering-the-practice-of-conversation-in-the-church-9781587434112","title":"How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church","description":"\u003cb\u003eAcademy of Parish Clergy 2020 Top Ten Book for Parish Ministry\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn today's highly charged social and political environment, we often don't know how to talk well with others--especially with people whose backgrounds differ from our own. C. Christopher Smith, coauthor of the critically acclaimed and influential \u003ci\u003eSlow Church\u003c\/i\u003e, addresses why conversation has become such a challenge in the 21st century and argues that it is perhaps the most-needed spiritual practice of our individualistic age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSmith likens practicing conversation to the working of the human body. Bodies are wondrous symphonies of diverse, intricate parts striving for our health, and our health suffers when these parts fail to converse effectively. Likewise, we must learn to converse effectively with those who differ from us in the body of Christ so we can embody Christ together in the world. In community, we learn what it means to belong to others and to a story that is bigger than ourselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSmith shows how church communities can be training hubs where we learn to talk with and listen to one another with kindness and compassion. The book\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eexplores how churches can initiate and sustain conversation, offers advice for working through seasons of conflict, suggests spiritual practices and dispositions that can foster conversation, and features stories from several congregations that are learning to practice conversation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eC. Christopher Smith \u003c\/b\u003e(MA, Indiana University) is a writer, community developer, and founding editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Englewood Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e. He is coauthor of the award-winning book \u003ci\u003eSlow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus \u003c\/i\u003eand the author of \u003ci\u003eReading for the Common Good: How Books Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods Flourish\u003c\/i\u003e. His work has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eIndianapolis Star\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHuffPost\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eChristian Century\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRelevant\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSojourners\u003c\/i\u003e. Smith lives on the urban Near Eastside of Indianapolis, Indiana, where he is a longtime member of Englewood Christian Church, a congregation that has been learning to talk together for over two decades.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Brazos Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50855574208786,"sku":"9781587434112","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0f494cf2-1a57-4825-a011-bed1b3b5d64c.jpg?v=1737485279","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/how-the-body-of-christ-talks-recovering-the-practice-of-conversation-in-the-church-9781587434112","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}