Americans have been leaving their churches. Some drift away. Some stay home. And some have been searching for—and finding—more authentic ways to find and follow Jesus. This is the story of one such 'radical outpost of Jesus Americans have been leaving their churches. Some drift away. Some stay home. And some have been searching for more authentic ways to find and follow Jesus. This is the story of one such "radical outpost of Jesus followers" dedicated to service, the Sermon on the Mount, and working toward justice for all in this life, not just salvation for some in the next. Part of a little-known yet influential movement at the edge of American evangelicalism, Philadelphia's Circle of Hope grew for forty years, planted four congregations, and then found itself in crisis, dedicated to service, the Sermon on the Mount, and working toward justice for all in this life, not just salvation for some in the next. Part of a little-known yet influential movement at the edge of American evangelicalism, Philadelphia's Circle of Hope grew for forty years, planted four congregations found itself in crisis, and ultimately disbanded. The story that follows is an American allegory full of questions with urgent relevance for so many of us, not just the faithful: How do we commit to one another and our better selves in a fracturing world? Where does power live? Can it be shared? How do we make 'the least of these' welcome?
What makes Griswold’s book so valuable is the way in which every combatant in the church’s internal culture war is treated with humanity and empathy ... It’s very much worth reading Griswold’s book, examining our own hearts and asking ourselves a vital question: Are our differences so great that they justify destroying relationships or institutions that are truly good?
The real gift of the book is how Griswold is able to construct a taut narrative of the missteps and blowups among the four pastors, deftly tease out the modern dilemmas they face, and create a truly moving character study of the pastors themselves, along with Rod and Gwen and some of the church’s other members ... It’s nearly miraculous how Griswold manages to present everybody involved as neither villains nor heroes and heroines. Circle of Hope is a pleasure to read, despite the pain it often witnesses.
Her exhaustive reporting makes for a compassionate narrative that has something like the effect of an ambulance ride-along: propulsive and immersive, but at times overwhelming. This reader craved an occasional counterbalance to the narrative’s granularity and near-constant action, a broader perspective on the internecine battles and what they mean to Griswold’s overarching concerns about religion and politics in American life ... Griswold’s subjects speak for themselves, as journalistic ethics justly dictate, but I was always aware that I was seeing the action through the eyes of an interpretive and selective observer laboring to present these complexities as though she were not there ... These considerations aside, this is an ardent, distinctive work, generous and character-driven, with concerns that speak directly to the current moment and beyond.
