Book Review: Consuming Jesus

Totally challenging and rewarding!

It was an interesting read for me because of the timing of it - the
US in the midst of a political cycle that has two very similar groups of people (conservatives and liberals) vying for the seat of the
presidency telling us how different they are; at the same time, personally I am in the midst of some self
review. In the midst (I just like saying that word) of it all, this book was dropped at my front door.

This book has probably had more of an impact on how I look at my community than any other book on my bedside table. I struggled initially with the book because it slammed up against much of my previous notions (politically, culturally, and religiously). By the last chapter, my definition of community had changed from the limited view of community - the people in the area you live in that look like you, live like you, sound like you, and smell like you, to a new view of community that encompassed all people (no matter their social standings and their religious beliefs).

My favorite part of the book was the conclusion, A Nobler Vision of Patchwork Quilts and Church Potlucks. The chapter provided a vision for how the church the active part of the community, networking to serve and strengthen each piece.