Check Out My First Book - On Religious Innovation and Racial Diversity ~ Praxis Habitus - On Race Religion & Culture

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Check Out My First Book - On Religious Innovation and Racial Diversity


A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church
by Gerardo Marti

Now Available! 2nd edition paperback

Reviews

"... Engagingly and accessibly written... deserves wide readership among everyone interested in US religion, ethnicity, organizations and urban culture." -- Choice

"...fascinating...offers valuable insights...This book will be of great interest to scholars of religion in America..." -- Sociology of Religion Fall 2006

"...highly readable... easily used in an undergraduate course...engaging...useful for a graduate course...I look forward to reading Marti's future work." -- Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"...of methodological value to students of new religious movements...will help observers of other groups as well." -- Novo Religio, 10, 3 Feb. 2007

"Marti's argument seems to be that such a complex project can succeed..." -- Contemporary Sociology, 36, 1 Jan. 2007

"Anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of American evangelical diversity, of the emergent church movement, and of intriguing congregational efforts to bridge ethnic divides, will want to read this book." --Christian Scholar's Review

Brief Highlights
"Mosaic" in Southern California is one of the largest multiethnic congregations in America, and also one of the most innovative. This book takes us inside this unusual church.

A Mosaic of Believers shows how the church achieved multiethnicity, not by targeting ethnic groups, but by providing multiple havens of inclusion and commonality that render ethnic differences moot. These havens are arenas for multiethnic companionship, cooperation, and camaraderie that arise out of a union of creative volunteer resources and the ambitious global mission of the church.

A Mosaic of Believers reveals a congregation aiming to reconstruct evangelical theology, personal identity, member involvement, and church governance in an attempt to create an institution with greater relevance to the social reality of a new generation. Based on interviews and participation with the congregation and grounded in contemporary sociological theory, the book presents a rich portrait of an emerging religious community.

Full Reviews Available Online

CHOICE Reviews, January, 2006, by K.D. Lyon

A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church
Sociology of Religion, Fall, 2006, by Kathleen Garces-Foley

Multiethnic Mix: Review of A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church
The Christian Century, July 26, 2006, by R. Stephen Warner

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