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The Offensive Church
hardcover
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Crises around race have put the church in a defensive posture, always reacting to racial conflicts in society. But Jesus wants more. He wants Christians to play offense by discipling people into a new humanity, where we push beyond mere diversity and into a biblical vision for ethnic unity.
Bryan Loritts calls Christians to proactively and intentionally live out the embodied reality of a people at one with one another. We play offense by practicing a robust gospel, preparing reliable leadership, and providing relational environments so that the church becomes the aroma of Christ to our culture and gains ground against the demonic foothold of racism in all its forms.
"If the church in North America does not discover the New Testament ethos of multiethnic community, the church in North America will fail in accomplishing its mission. I know of no better voice to show us the way than my friend Bryan Loritts. In his new book The Offensive Church, Bryan shows us the way forward rooted in a gospel-centered missiology of making disciples in community. This is a must-read for anyone serious about joining in God's activity in North America and the nations!"
"One of the many radical things Jesus taught was that his followers must learn to love across the lines of difference, or what some call enemy lines. In Christ there is now no longer any Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. In tearing down these and other dividing walls of hostility through his death on the cross, Jesus provided not only an example of what it means to love one's enemies but also the resources that empower us to do so ourselves. In a world filled with racial tension and discord, my friend Bryan Loritts does a tremendous job helping us unlock those resources and showing us how to love in the power of Christ."
Introduction: What's Going On?
1. Playing Offense
2. Seeing Through the Fog
3. Communal Identity and Ethnic Unity
4. The Practices of Ethnic Unity
5. Beware of a New Vision with an Old Culture
6. Proclaiming a Robust Gospel
7. Practicing a Robust Gospel
8. Reliable Leadership
9. Relational Environments
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes