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by David Rietveld (Author), Stuart Piggin (Foreword by)
The social landscape has radically changed over the past fifty years. Christians were once respected, sought out, and trusted. Now we are blamed, marginalized, and viewed with suspicion. In this book, David Rietveld explains what, how, and why this has happened, in a way that the average person can understand. He begins with Christendom, where both Christians and non-Christian held shared beliefs and values. He explains the church's role, and how evangelism and discipleship worked in that era. He then tracks the changes that have occurred and clarifies what and why things are now different. Insightful, broad explanations are illustrated by real-life examples, and woven together so that readers can see the patterns in the new twenty-first-century Western landscape. If you are seeking a thoughtful overview of what is going on in our world and how this relates to being a Christian in a local church, this book is a great introduction.
Author Biography
David Rietveld has worked in local church ministry for thirty years, across three Australian states, in three denominations. On the weekend, he still plays for the local pub soccer team, and discusses life with his secular teammates after the game over a beer. David is married and has raised four adult children. David gets the radical social change we are experiencing. He combines his coal-face ministry and life experience with insights from sociology, history, philosophy, and theology in this interdisciplinary book.
