Beyond Resistance: The Institutional Church Meets the Postmodern World

Beyond Resistance is a template for those devoted to the the idea that faith should be just, generous and inspire commitment to the common good. The rise of postmodernity and its influence on the expression of faith are not the cause of religion’s perceived diminishment in capacity, relevance, and impact. To the contrary, both the Institutional Church and those who hold faith in a postmodern key can—and should—be allies in a common cause. What is unfolding is nothing short of a second Reformation, and this Reformation (unlike the previous one) can unite both the change agents and the changing institution as partners on the same playing field. This book addresses the realities faced by what too many have called a dying institution. It is a call to move the institutional church out of a modality of denial and into a perspective of hope; out of a paradigm of scarcity and into a world of possibility with a growing multiplicity of options and allies; out of a time of end-game scenarios where only the fit will survive, and into what James Carse calls an “Infinite Game,” where those who play ensure that the game continues long after they have left the field.

Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer is the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ. After growing up Roman Catholic in St. Louis and spending eight years in Catholic seminary, he earned his Masters in Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1988 as a Protestant minister. John served sixteen years in two local churches and twelve years on two Conference staffs. His years in ministry at both the local church and judicatory levels have given him a unique perspective from which to view the great transformation that is coming.