Sharing the Word: Preaching in the Roundtable Church

Rating:
Summary: An inspired vision for all of God's people
Review: Dr. Rose's book cannot be summarized by its cover illustration and yet that illustration is a true, if simplistic, representation of her vision of the church -- wherein human/ecclesiastical hierarchies are deflated of power and God's children sit in a state of honesty face to face, perhaps in occasional confrontation, and yet side by side, the everpresent possibility of reconciliation a companion to the whole roundtable. She does not blithely deny obstacles, discomfiture, nor other models of sharing. But the non-preacher reader comes away feeling that s/he MAY SPEAK and that marginalization of expression within the church, whether achieved overtly and covertly, is one of today's greatest sins. And for the preachers who take up this book, it may serve as a reminder that you might be caught in the trap of just going through the motions and formulas of homiletics. What really needs saying to the group that chooses to gather at your round table? Not an easy read, but an honest and good one.