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by Martin Camroux (Author), David R. Peel (Foreword by)
The church is in deep trouble, maybe in its death throes. Losing touch with the church has meant a break with the Western cultural past, its history, its music, its art, its literature, much of which cannot fully be understood without its religious heritage. But something more important than any of that is in danger of being lost. The church is a deeply imperfect and frustrating organization, but within it, community is experienced, values are nurtured, and God's presence in the world is embodied in a people. The church carries the story of Jesus; it tells the story of who we are, it calls us to give away our lives to others and to find love as life's central meaning. We have crossed a cultural divide. Before, if you did not hold traditional religious beliefs and belong to a church you felt obliged to explain yourself. Now the pressure is to explain why you do. This is my answer.
Author Biography
Martin Camroux is a United Reformed Church minister and served in local ecumenical partnerships for over thirty years. He was cofounder of Free to Believe, the URC Liberal Network, and was the London Times' "Preacher of the Year" in 2001. He is the author of Ecumenism in Retreat: How the URC Failed the Break the Mould (2016) and Keeping Aive the Rumor of God: When Most People Are Looking the Other Way (2020).
