Word, Worship, World & Wonder: Reflections on Christian Living

Focusing on "doing" ethics within the context of the church, Karen Lebacqz asserts that an adequate ecclesiology for this task must be formed around four foci:

- a WORD of judgment and hope, conviction and grace, which must be inclusive, ethical, poetic, and nonverbal as well as verbal;

- WORSHIP that incorporates liturgy as "the work of the people" and sacrament as a "remembering" of the people and an outward sign of God's redeeming presence among us;

- an orientation toward justice in the WORLD as the call of God, with an emphasis on diversity, a transnational self-understanding and a commitment to bring the "good news" to others; and

- WONDER, in the sense of reverence for God, others, self, and nature on the one hand and of curiosity, creativity, and rumination on the other.

Word, Worship, World & Wonder will be a helpful textbook in theology, pastoral formation, ministry, and ethics courses. It also offers the parish clergy a new perspective on the difficult issue of church renewal.