Faith as a Way of Life: A Vision for Pastoral Leadership » (New Edition)

Christian Scharen is assistant professor of worship at Luther Seminary. His other books include One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters to Those Seeking God and Public Worship and Public Work.

Christian ministry is deeply concerned with proclaiming the transforming power of God’s gift of faith in the daily lives of disciples. How is it, then, that Christian faith so often fails to be an orienting force that impacts every aspect of our lives?

In Faith as a Way of Life Christian Scharen articulates a vision of pastoral leadership grounded in substantive faith language. He examines other powerful languages in our culture — emotion-driven therapeutic and results-driven managerial models of leadership — and shows how their domination leads to faith becoming a weak sibling. Highlighting concrete examples of excellent pastoral leadership in action, Scharen offers creative practical theological reflection on how faith can truly inform our family life, our work, our politics, our leisure — literally all of life — and how pastoral leaders of all kinds can foster faith as a way of life.

Foreword: Gathered and Scattered Miroslav Volf Volf, Miroslav

1 Introduction 1

Pt. I Obstacles to Faith as a Way of Life 11

2 Life, Compartmentalized 14

3 Lives, Self-Maximized 27

Pt. II Pastoral Leadership and Christian Practice 41

4 Kinship and the Family 43

5 Work and the Economy 59

6 Citizenship and the Government 78

7 Leisure and the Arts 95

Pt. III Leading the Gathering and Scattering 111

8 Pastoral Leadership for Faith as a Way of Life 114

Subject-Name Index 134

Scripture Index 137