WHY CITIES MATTER

WHY CITIES MATTER?

Confession time, but before I do a few words…

I love the emphasis of getting Christians to consider the importance of living out the gospel in the city.  I love big cities.  I have spent much time in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston.  Overseas I have enjoyed Paris, London, Belgrade, Vienna, Zagreb, Venice, and Salzburg.  Growing up, I spent many happy days in Detroit.

My confession of sorts is that I also love rural America.  In fact, I have been privileged these past three years to serve as an interim pastor at a terrific, rural church.

The push toward planting churches in cities is a wonderful thing indeed, but I wonder if it is now getting too much attention.  All this made me both excited and somewhat reluctant to read Why Cities Matter? by Stephen Um and Justin Buzzard.  Would this “big city” pastor duo be imbalanced in their love for the city, or would they help me navigate this issue more intelligently?  To my delight, I found the latter.

Why Cities Matter? is not a long read at about 150 pages (not including the notes which are worth reading!)  It is more than I expected: solid research mixed with accessibility, engaging writing style, and lots of stuff to stew over.  I recommend it highly.

As somewhat of a “book cover snob,” let my add my kudos on the design.  It is simple, elegant, and creative.  Well done Mr. or Mrs. Graphic Designer!

2 thoughts on “WHY CITIES MATTER

  1. David McCoy

    One of the most fascinating books I have ever read is Jacques Ellul’s The Meaning of the City, in which he traces the concept of “city” throughout the Scriptures. A great read, but it may be out of print.

    Reply
  2. Dave Post author

    Hey Dave,

    Ellul has a fond place in my heart because he said Ecclesiastes was his favorite book of the Bible. His “commentary” is not a traditional approach, but full of wonderful insights like why we so easily want to believe propaganda instead of the truth.

    Reply

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