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Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 03/2020
  • 9781734073300
  • 386 pages
  • $29.99
Open Ebook Ebook Details
  • 03/2020
  • 9781734073393
  • 386 pages
  • $9.99
Andrew Fox
Author
Experiencing the Body and Blood of Christ: Communicating Biblical Truth to Late Millennials and Generation Z
Andrew Fox, author

Adult; Other Nonfiction; (Market)

This book recognizes the preservation and practice of Communion as a Christian celebration throughout church history and the current need to communicate the redemptive story through it to individuals and communities with a postmodern/post-Christian worldview. This book explores lived experiences of college students that represent Millennials and Generation Z with a postmodern/post-Christian worldview. The qualitative method of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to reveal what those experiences were, and four interpretative lenses were used that revealed how the perception of those experiences can be understood during Communion. The research involved 425 students from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, in addition to selected faculty and staff. A total of 49 religious affiliations were represented on campus, of which 38 incorporate Communion into a church service. Their participation helped me discover what the students experienced, explained in their own words, in their own way, and with the meaning they associated with it. Their participation also helped me discover what can be understood from a lived experience during Communion. All of the students encountered who they identified as a supernatural God; however, what the students perceived as an encounter with God was not informed by historical or biblical contexts. Consequently, this book also examines the ways in which participants in Communion experienced Christ as described in church history and in the biblical text. Emerging across the research were key discoveries towards understanding how celebrating Communion can communicate biblical truth to postmodern communities similar to Millennials and Generation Z with a post-Christian worldview by retelling the redemptive story. Such understanding informs ministry practitioners how people, like those at St. Edward’s University, associate a Christian celebration with meaning making or sense-making.
Reviews
Fox, a pastor and professor, delivers an outstanding and thorough analysis of the historical, contextual, and personal nature of Communion in relation to older Millennial and Generation Z students, investigating the sacrament and the retelling of the redemption story as a means of individual connection and community building. The work is aimed at ministry practitioners, who will find it an effective guide to learning about and connecting with young people who may feel alienated from or confused by this aspect of Christian practice. This exhaustive and sweeping assessment offers abundant resources relevant to Communion and current Christian generations.

Throughout the text, the reader moves through natural points of questions and answers, in an experience reminiscent of a classroom setting. Fox, acting as teacher and guide, includes many examples of the lived experiences of Communion as reported by students, faculty, and faith leaders. He provides a solid foundational understanding of Communion and its importance as a biblically and liturgically sourced celebration of the redemption narrative, through an extensive exploration of its origins in the early days of the Western Church to the present day. Clearly designed tables and figures reiterate the information provided in the text and will be useful for visual learners.

"Summary Thought” sections placed throughout each chapter help consolidate the analysis and discussion into bite-size paragraphs that can easily be revisited for further study. Covering topics as wide-ranging as church history, the importance of a biblically sourced theological lens, and the effects of a postmodern existence and culture on the sensibilities of current generations, Fox’s methodical outlines and meticulous examinations of history, theology, and lived experiences establish this comprehensive guide as a standout in its field. This informative and thoughtful exploration of scripture will greatly aid religious leaders reaching out to current and future generations of Christians.

Takeaway: This in-depth examination of Christian Communion is an indispensable guide for ministry practitioners and religious teachers.

Great for fans of Alexander Schmemann’s The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom; Rowan Williams’s Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer; Samuel Gregg’s Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 03/2020
  • 9781734073300
  • 386 pages
  • $29.99
Open Ebook Ebook Details
  • 03/2020
  • 9781734073393
  • 386 pages
  • $9.99
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