Chapter 1: The Peculiar Community

“The difference between Christians and the rest of mankind”: Attributed to Athenagoras, Epistle to Diognetus, in Early Christian Writings (London: Penguin, 1968), pp. 244-45.

Figure 1.1: Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1996), p. 7. I refer to Mr. Stark as a “secular” historian because at the time of the writing of this book, he was not a practicing Christian. I was recently informed that this has changed. I say “secular” because too often the statistics offered by Christians are suspect. Noting that he was not coming from a faith position helps to show that he was not padding the numbers.

“There have always been Christians”: Cornel West, on Bill Moyers Journal, July 3, 2009. Dr. West appeared alongside two other professors and discussed the theological implications of the financial collapse of 2008-2009.

“It takes courage to ask”: Cornel West, Hope on a Tightrope (New York: Smiley, 2008), pp. 9-10.

Chapter 2: The Hopeful Community

“The solid facts about the future hope of Christians”: N. T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, Tyndale New Testament Commentary (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1986), p. 56.

“has its roots in the future and its branches in the present”: John D. Zizioulas, Being as Communion (Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1977), p. 59.

“a mission-shaped church must have its mission shaped by hope”: N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2008), pp. 269-70.

“To be truly effective in this kind of mission”: Ibid., p. 270.

“The victory of God in our time over this deathly idolatry”: Walter Brueg-gemann, Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism (Nashville: Abingdon, 1993), p. 41.

“My wholeness, my integrity, is made possible”: Stanley Hauerwas, The Peaceable Kingdom (Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1983), p. 94.

“The question ‘What ought I to be?’ ”: Ibid., p. 116.

average time between seeking and commitment: This comes from a study done by Tom Albin of the early Methodists. Albin studied the time frame in which the people first came to a Methodist gathering (awakened obviously to a need for a deeper life with God) and the date when they experienced “conversion.” The average span of time between first inquiry and conversion was twenty-eight months. See Scott J. Jones, The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor (Nashville: Abingdon, 2003), p. 90. The original source is Tom Albin, “An Empirical Study of Early Methodist Spirituality,” in Wesleyan Theology Today: A Bicentennial Theological Consultation, ed. Theodore Runyan (Nashville: Kingswood Books, 1985), p. 278.

Chapter 3: The Serving Community

“splendid, never-to-be-duplicated stories of grace”: Eugene Peterson, Living the Message: Daily Help for Living the God-Centered Life (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2007), p. 5.

“O God, help me believe the truth about myself”: Macrina Wiederkehr, Seasons of Your Heart (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1991), p. 71.

Chapter 4: The Christ-Centered Community

“This love that is characteristic of God’s kingdom”: Stanley Hauerwas, The Peaceable Kingdom (Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1983), p. 91.

the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed: The two most commonly used creeds in the church are the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. They were composed by church leaders in the early centuries in an effort to define the basic beliefs of Christians.

“In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity”: Scholars disagree on the origin of this phrase and its author. The phrase was originally stated in Latin as: “In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis [or, dubiis] libertas, in utrisque (or, omnibus) caritas.”

“God’s very reality is radically multiple”: Serene Jones, quoted in Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace (Nashville: Abingdon, 1996), p. 176.

“These distinctions . . . have become irrelevant in Christ”: N. T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, Tyndale New Testament Commentary (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1986), p. 144.

“Right now we largely remain”: Richard J. Foster, Streams of Living Water (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998), pp. 273-74.

Wesley’s five ways to show love: John Wesley, “The Catholic Spirit,” sermon 39. Available at www.ccel.org/w/wesley/sermons/sermons-html/serm-039.html.

Chapter 5: The Reconciling Community

Stan is a former student of mine: The story about Stan was first told in a book I wrote in 1995 called Embracing the Love of God. Then, as now, Stan gave me permission—even encouragement—to tell his story. The reason I am retelling it is twofold: First, it took me many years to understand this story, and only now, with an awareness of the importance of narrative, exercise and community, am I able to understand how Stan was transformed. Second, some things have happened since those days that further enhance the power of his story, and I want to share them with others.

a clear explanation of the finality of the cross: I am indebted to author and radio teacher Bob George for this phrase. If he got it from somewhere else, I am not aware of it. Bob was the first person to explain this concept to me with great clarity and with great benefit to my soul.

Ten thousand talents is approximately six hundred thousand times more: R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), p. 707.

“Woe unto you if you try to stand on your rights”: Joachim Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1963), p. 213.

“The pattern of our forgiven-ness”: L. Gregory Jones, Embodying Forgiveness (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), p. 166.

“Paul here makes two points”: N. T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, Tyndale New Testament Commentary (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1986), p. 147.

“Christ forgives through us”: Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), p. 200.

“Christ’s sacrifice relocates our lives as forgiven betrayers”: Jones, Embodying Forgiveness, p. 176.

Chapter 6: The Encouraging Community

information about Claypot: The story can be found at www.claypot.co.za.

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!”: Fanny J. Crosby, “Blessed Assurance” (1873).

“The Christian needs another Christian”: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper & Row, 1954), p. 23.

“I was more convinced than ever”: John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley, vol. 21, Journal and Diaries IV, ed. Reginald Ward and Richard Heitzenrater (Nashville: Abingdon, 1992), p. 424 .

Chapter 7: The Generous Community

“Generosity is ‘other-centered,’ whereas greed is self-centered”: Matt Johnson, personal communication with the author, fall 2009. Matt is a pastor in Wichita, Kansas, who works with me in the Apprentice ministry.

The idealization of poverty is one of the most dangerous illusions”: Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988), pp. 194, 199.

“We need a third way”: Shane Claiborne, quoted in School(s) for Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism, ed. the Rutba House (Eugene, Ore.: Cascade Books, 2005), p. 32.

on living well: see David Wann, Simple Prosperity (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007), p. 61.

“the service of being served”: Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978), p. 119.

“Practicing frugality means we stay within the bounds”: Willard, Spirit of the Disciplines, p. 168.

our time to be generous is limited: I believe we will be able to be generous in heaven. I do not believe there will be money in heaven, for example, but we will have time, and I suspect we will be our unique selves, which can be a blessing to others. The point is that the way we give of our resources on earth will come to an end, thus making it more important to give while we can.

Chapter 8: The Worshiping Community

“Through Christ in the Spirit we respond”: J. D. Crichton, “A Theology of Worship,” in The Study of Liturgy, ed. Cheslyn Jones et al. (London: Oxford University Press, 1992), p. 11.

“When I first became a Christian, about fourteen years ago”: C. S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis, ed. W. H. Lewis (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovan-ovich, 1966), p. 224.

not about “individual fulfillment” but the “constitution of a people”: James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), p. 153.

“One day when I went up there”: Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow (New York: Counterpoint, 2000), pp. 164-65.

“holy expectancy”: Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978), p. 140.

“Enter the service ten minutes early”: Ibid., p. 142.

“Just as worship begins in holy expectancy”: Ibid., p. 148.