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Scot McKnight

A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God's Design for Life Together MP3 CD – MP3 Audio, Feb. 24 2015

by Scot McKnight (Author), Van Tracy (Reader)

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In this compelling audiobook, Scot McKnight shares his personal experience in the church as well as his study of the Apostle Paul to answer this significant question: What is the church supposed to be?

For most of us the church is a place we go to on Sunday to hear a sermon or to participate in worship or to partake in communion or fellowship with other Christians. Church is all contained within one or two hours on Sunday morning.

The church the Apostle Paul talks about is designed by God to be a fellowship of difference—how people differ socially—and differents—how people differ culturally. God did not design the church to be a two-hour experience on Sunday but a mixture of people from all across the map and spectrum: men and women, rich and poor, Caucasians or African Americans, and Mexican Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, and Indian Americans, and a mixture of people with varying personalities and tastes. The church McKnight grew up in was a fellowship of sames and likes. There was almost no variety in his church. White folks, same beliefs about everything, same tastes in music and worship and sermons and lifestyle. Because of his experience, he writes incisively and compellingly.

The church is God’s world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God’s show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a family.

Language

English
Publisher

Zondervan on Brilliance Audio
Publication date

Feb. 24 2015
Dimensions

16.51 x 1.59 x 13.97 cm
ISBN-10

1501223232
ISBN-13

978-1501223235
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Scot McKnight
444
Hardcover
24 offers from $24.99

From the Publisher

Success of a church is determined by how many invisible people become visible to those not like them

Praise for A Fellowship of Differents


"Pour yourself a cup of coffee and settle into this timely, provocative, and challenging book on what it means to be the church." —Lynn H. Cohick, professor of New Testament, Wheaton College	"Reading this book gave me a new vision for what my church is and what it could be." —John Mark Comer, Pastor of Teaching and Vision, Bridgetown: A Jesus Church	"A Fellowship of Differents provides a hopeful and an applicable ecclesiology for the twenty-first century that provides insight into the burden and joy of being the church." —Soong-Chan Rah, Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism; author of The Next Evangelicalism	"I enthusiastically recommend this book!" —Rev. Dennis R. Edwards, PhD, senior pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis; adjunct seminary instructor in biblical studies


	The King Jesus Gospel	A Fellowship of Differents	The Blue Parakeet, 2nd ed.
More from Scot McKnight	The Original Good News Revisited	Showing the World God's Design for Life Together	Rethinking How You Read the Bible

Product description

About the Author

Scot McKnight (PhD, Nottingham) is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, Lombard, Illinois. He is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed, The King Jesus Gospel, One.Life, and The Blue Parakeet, as well as Galatians and 1 Peter in the NIV Application Commentary series, and The Sermon on the Mount, in the Story of God Bible Commentary series. Website: patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zondervan on Brilliance Audio; Unabridged edition (Feb. 24 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501223232
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501223235
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 99 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.51 x 1.59 x 13.97 cm

Customer Reviews:
76 ratings

About the author

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Scot McKnight

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Born in Southern Illinois, came of age in Freeport, Illinois, attended college in Grand Rapids, MI, seminary at Trinity in Deerfield, IL. Did a PhD at the University of Nottingham in England.

Now a professor at Northern Seminary.

Scot is awaiting the publication of a book this fall called A Church called Tov (Tyndale).

Two children, two grandchildren.

Kris, my wife, is a psychologist and the greatest woman on earth.

Customer reviews

5 star		67%
4 star		23%
3 star		7%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from Canada

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M. Bells

book review: fellowship of differents

Reviewed in Canada on March 8, 2016

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title A Fellowship of Differents
author Scot McKnight
date 2015
publisher Zondervan

Scot McKnight in A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God’s Design for Life Together, argues that our Christian lives are formed by our experiences in and with the church. And so, the shape of the church is of profound importance to understand and embrace because, like it or not, “churches determine the direction of our discipleship.”

McKnight obverses that far too often the church is organized around the principle of “likes” and becomes a gathering of those who are similar in theological persuasion, socio-economic status, race or some other organizing principle (missional, liturgical, contemporary, etc.). But he argues that this kind of homogenization, though definitely easier, short-circuits God's purpose for the church. The main image McKnight uses (surprisingly) is a salad bowl. As he walks the reader through some key texts in the New Testament, he argues that the church is a fellowship of difference and differents all tossed together in one, big, mixed-up, not-always-happy family.

And this, McKnight acknowledges, is hard work.

McKnight contends that “we often attend church for ourselves” which stops us from thinking of church as a communal commitment we make to each other, for the sake of others. This type of commitment can help us look past personal preferences and draws us to love those who are different around us. “We don’t love others for who they are now” he argues, “but for what God will make them in the kingdom.” This is not simply tolerance (which is meaningless word in our western culture), but a deep and foundational commitment to “transcend our differences while remaining different as we live with one another. Our difference is not eliminated, for difference is the vitality of our fellowship.”

McKnight calls the church to unity – not uniformity. Living together in the salad bowl has many challenges, but if we can allow for healthy “differents,” perhaps the church can play a wonderful part in showing the world God’s design for life together.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Brenton D Dickieson

The Benefits of an (Un)Necessary Book

Reviewed in Canada on October 16, 2015

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Scot McKnight provides an essential teaching to the American church that is tempted to forget its global and historical diversity. 90% of American Christians are worshiping in congregations filled people that are 90% like they are. This can make people forget the diversities of experience and culture that we inhabit (or inhabit us). Beyond the normal questions of gender, sexuality, and race, McKnight reminds of diversities of age, political views, and even social engagement (like how churches can exclude introverts).
McKnight builds his work upon biblical and theological scholarship and still writes in a very accessible way for everyone. It is not as creative and transformational as his "Blue Parakeet," but it is an essential message. Indeed, the book should have been unnecessary: what is more basic to Christian experience than that God brings all different kinds of folk together?

Reviewed in Canada on February 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book is an important one for Christian leaders as well as those who may feel disillusioned with the Church. McKnight provides an amazing vision for what the church could (and should) look like as a "fellowship of differents" who pursue God together.

Helpful

Brad Sumner

“What is the church supposed to look like? ” you might get an astonishing variety of ...

Reviewed in Canada on April 13, 2015

If you were to ask 100 people, “What is the church supposed to look like?” you might get an astonishing variety of answers. Despite their cultural and ecclesiological variety, however, these answers ought all to be shaped by the Bible – specifically the teachings of Jesus and Paul.

It is to this task that New Testament scholar and author Scot McKnight turns his attention in his latest book, A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God’s Design for Life Together. In this thematically arranged work, McKnight argues convincingly that our Christian lives are formed by our experiences in and with the church. Thus, the shape of the church is of profound importance to understand and embrace because, like it or not, “churches determine the direction of our discipleship.”

McKnight obverses that all too often the church is organized around the principle of “likes” and becomes a gathering of those who are similar in theological persuasion, socioeconomics, race or any other organizing principle (missional, liturgical, contemporary, etc.). But he argues that this kind of homogenization, though definitely easier, short-circuits the divine purpose of the church.

The main image McKnight employs – perhaps surprisingly – is a salad bowl. Looking at key texts in the New Testament, he argues that the church is a fellowship of difference and differents all tossed together in one, big, mixed-up, not-always-happy family. McKnight rightly acknowledges this kind of fellowship is hard work. He traces the necessary virtues and practices he sees laid out in Paul’s writings that must be present in the church both historically and today in order to achieve this kind of community.

He begins with the necessity of grace that is “both a place and a power” to transform hatred and divisive suspicion into love. This is not just a concept, but a series of commitments and actions undertaken by the “differents” inside the church. After all, “love is a great idea until the one you are called to love happens to be unlike you.”

McKnight contends that “we often attend church for ourselves” which prevents us from thinking of it as a rugged communal commitment we make to each other. This covenant has staying power, can help us look past personal preferences and draws us to love those who are different around us. “We don’t love others for who they are now” he argues, “but for what God will make them in the kingdom.”
This is no mere tolerance, however, but a deep and foundational commitment to “transcend our differences while remaining different as we live with one another. Our difference is not eliminated, for difference is the vitality of our fellowship.”

Overall, there is a clarion call to unity – not uniformity. Living together in the salad bowl has its challenges to be sure, but if we can allow for healthy “differents,” perhaps the church can play a wonderful part in showing the world God’s design for life together.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Doreen

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2016

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Lovely book!

Bes

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2017

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A great book for the deeper thinkers !

@joemcfddn

Excellent presentation of a 3rd way of relating to others often missed in our modern understanding of the Gospel.

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

I added this book to my reading list partially because of the cover and also partially because of the description of it. There was much that I enjoyed about the book.

Community is not about conformity toward sameness. It is according to popular author, Scot McKnight, a "fellowship of differents." Using the metaphor of a salad bowl, McKnight argues passionately that the Church should look like a "salad" of different tastes, different ingredients, and different mixes. In fact, the Church is "God's world changing social experiment" for bringing all sorts of different people together. Differences are not to be despised but welcomed. Alternatives should be celebrated. This refers to not only gender or ethnicities but also status changes like widows and widowers.

I especially like McKnight's presentation of Pauline theology throughout the book that transcends the work of others I have examined to date. McKnight's research on the life of Paul and the house churches he established is clearly presented throughout the book to show how this is not a new idea but one marked by a counter-cultural way of relating to others which Paul and the early house churches were known for. In order to facilitate the fellowship of differences, McKnight proposes six ideas to keep different people together.

This book is a wonderful contribution to how a "third way" can be realized, to give a fresh breeze of hope for the weary and a renewed sense of purpose in accepting one another not simply because we are different, but because we are all in Christ. There is no single common denominator than to build the church on Christ.

5 people found this helpful

P. Diaz

Convince me to finish this book

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

I wish I had read the description more closely. The premise of a "fellowship of differents" matches what I'm fleshing out on my own, so I clicked to buy maybe too readily. The books says the church is designed to be a "mixture of people from all across the map and spectrum," but then elaborates by listing "Caucasians or African Americans, and Mexican Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, and Indian Americans." So . . . white people and Americans.

Is this just an unfortunate slip-up? Or does the book focus ONLY on the Church in America? If that's the case, then I don't want to continue because it's not what I thought it was.

One person found this helpful

D. Lee

A must-read for every church leader!

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

By the end of this book, I'm not sure if I love the idea of the book more than I do the content. Sunday mornings are some of the most segregated times in America today. McKnight acknowledges that "like attracts like", he challenges the reader to go beyond that, not for the sake of diversity, but for the sake of growing deeper with Christ and deeper in fellowship.

And the diversity he tackles is not just ethnic diversity, though that's his strongest argument. He challenges every Christian to examine their routines to see how we're trusting the routine more than we are God. Some thoughts are fleshed out better than others, but all-in-all, a great book.

4 people found this helpful

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A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God's Design for Life Together MP3 CD – MP3 Audio, Feb. 24 2015

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From the Publisher

Praise for A Fellowship of Differents

Product description

About the Author

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About the author

Scot McKnight

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