"United and Uniting" studies the commitments, covenants, and challenges of the United Church of Christ in the twentieth century, with reflections from significant theologians and historians of United Church of Christ thought. Edited by Frederick R. Trost and Barbara Brown Zikmund. Series editor Barbara Brown Zikmund.

"The United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 to be first and foremost a proactive agent in the often tangled but nonetheless breathtaking ministry and mission of ecumenicity in the pursuit of ever greater visible unity among the diversity of Christian churches. This singular task of ecumenicity is arguably the most crucial in the formulation of an ecclesiology essential to the United Church of Christ as a ""united and uniting"" church; a mission Albert Walsh refers to in this book as her God given ""vision-and-vocation."" In United and Uniting, Walsh contends that the identity and self-understanding of the UCC at both national and local levels is best comprehended as a ""Christ-centered"" and ""conciliar"" fellowship, and therefore her ecclesiology must be fundamentally ecumenical. A Christ-centered ecumenicity must shape, inform, and characterize the whole of her ecclesiology, and membership in the UCC is defined almost exclusively in terms of a ""conciliar"" identity. Walsh advocates a return to ecumenical formation at the level of the grassroots or membership in the local congregation as holding the greatest promise for furtherance of the wider ecumenical mission."

"United and Uniting" continues the ongoing story of the United Church of Christ that Gunnemann began in "The Shaping of the United Church of Christ." The book provides an invitation to readers to join in a recovery of the original vision of the United Church of Christ and, at the same time, to allow it to correct, through historical perspective, their own understanding of the United Church of Christ.

This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online. For more information, please read the site FAQs.

The election of Donald Trump in 2016 shocked the American political system, and the aftershocks have widened the nation’s partisan divide and magnified deep tensions in the public sphere. At a time when our political focus so often shrinks to the immediacy of the latest jolt, this book puts these alarming events in a much broader—and more manageable—context. Even as we become more polarized along partisan and ideological lines, author Daniel Kemmis reminds us that authentic conservatism and progressivism are both deeply rooted in genuine human concerns and in the shared history of our democratic republic. Citizens Uniting to Restore Our Democracy is at once a cogent analysis of what ails our body politic and a wide-ranging, deeply informed prescription for healing our wounded democracy. The Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission amplified the role of big money in American politics. But, as Kemmis notes, the threats to our democracy long preceded Citizens United. While the influence of big money and relentless partisanship can make ordinary citizens feel powerless in a chaotic political culture, Citizens Uniting to Restore Our Democracy offers a stirring reassertion of the power Americans possess as collaborative problem-solvers—namely, the very homegrown self-governing skills needed to rebuild our democracy. Drawing on several decades of public service—as a politician, activist, and scholar, one of Utne Reader’s “100 Visionaries Changing the World”—Kemmis highlights the transformative potential latent in the everyday practice of engaged citizenship. Leveraged by new mechanisms, such as an effective democratic lobby of the kind his book advocates, that reservoir of active, hands-on citizenship must be mobilized into a twenty-first-century version of the Progressive movement, providing both necessary and sufficient conditions for the renewal of the nation’s democratic institutions.

This three-volume set brings together the unique stories of each of the fifty United States' journey into statehood.

Conversations about racism are as important as they are hard for American Christians. Yet the conversation often gets so ugly, even among the faithful who claim unity in Jesus. Why is that the case? Why does it matter? Can things get better, or are we permanently divided? In this honest and hopeful book, pastor Isaac Adams doesn't just show you how to have the race conversation, he begins it for you. By offering a fictional, racially charged tragedy in order to understand varying perspectives and responses, he examines what is at stake if we ignore this conversation, and why there's just as much at stake in how we have that discussion, especially across color lines--that is, with people of another ethnicity. This unique approach offers insight into how to listen to one another well and seek unity in Christ. Looking to God's Word, Christians can find wisdom to speak gracefully and truthfully about racism for the glory of God, the good of their neighbors, and the building up of the church. Some feel that the time for talking is over, and that we've heard all this before. But given how polarized American society is becoming--its churches not exempt--fresh attention on the dysfunctional communication between ethnicities is more than warranted. Adams offers an invitation to faithfully combat the racism so many of us say we hate and maintain the unity so many of us say we want. Together we can learn to speak in such a way that we show a divided world a different world. Talking About Race points to the starting line, not the finish line, when it comes to following Jesus amid race relations. It’s high time to begin running.

God created the institution of the family and the institution of the local church with distinct purposes. Both exist for the glory of God and the spreading of the Gospel. Limited Church: Unlimited Kingdom seeks to reclaim the simple, transformational, and global mission revealed in Scripture for both the church and family. Rob Rienow shares from a heart for ministry and gives significant insight based on his ministry experience as well as the experiences of others. His motivation for writing is to see churches and families have a lasting impact on future generations. This book establishes a solid foundation for any church ministry.