{"product_id":"how-the-body-of-christ-c-christopher-smith-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\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e C. Christopher Smith\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1587434113\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781587434112\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Brazos Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/16\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.70d","brand":"C. Christopher Smith","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43939815915775,"sku":"9781587434112","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_d6e16b89-acf9-4812-a4a7-b967cb88a40a.jpg?v=1681443654","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/how-the-body-of-christ-c-christopher-smith-9781587434112","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}