The Church of Us vs. Them: Freedom from a Faith That Feeds on Making Enemies Hardcover – July 16, 2019

Thank you for the honest description and good service!

This book is a synopsis of what is happening in religion and in many church denominations today. The author provides insight into how churches structure their philosophies and align with contemporary culture. It also describes some of the divisions that are occurring between leadership and congregations especially in the areas of gender equality, entertainment and how the New Testament Gospel is presented/adhered with creeds and doctrines. Proposed solutions seem a bit vague and leaves the reader asking more questions than answers. Reflective of the times.

David Fitch offers a more compelling vision of the gospel, and its call to bring all life under the Lordship of Jesus. Fitch pushes back against what the modern church has become and its approach to doing and being the church. He deconstructs the events that have contributed and given rise to divisive and toxic culture that permeates many modern churches today. He goes on to propose a reconstructed way forward that is Christ-centered, Holy Spirit led, and God honoring.

What I liked about this book is it's candid take on how antagonisms are shaping the American church. Fitch is able to give a name and context to what drives this enemy-making attitude in the church. I appreciate the practical examples from his work as a pastor in a local church, as well as his seasoned and scholarly reflections as a professor. In light of the acrimonious engagements over our most embattled cultural divisions, Fitch helps unveil the beliefs that underpin the enemy-making. He then points to ways a church can engage our culture rooted in the presence of Christ in our midst, with a devotion to embodying our faith that builds bridges of reconciling love, that extend the gospel into contentious places. I identify with the Christian sub-culture that he describes in the book, the audience that he is writing too, the context from which he was formed. His engagement with concepts around being Biblical, making a decision for Christ, and the ways the church is political will be sure to come across as provocative, insightful, and for me, wise.

I am using this book for a class that I am teaching adults in my congregation. It is very helpful in examining the issues that polorize us in religion and politics.

If you have found yourself frustrated lately with the impotence trying to get people to understand your position on theological and political positions then this book is for you. This book is for all different types of people in and outside of the church who want to understand why it seems like we are all yelling at each other into an empty void.After reading this book I now have more empathy for those who I don’t agree with, or those that I have the tendency to label my enemy within the church and without. Personally, I tend toward being hyper critical of the church and our “arms folded” posture toward the most vulnerable in our society. I feel as though we have made them a scapegoat or an enemy out of a variety of groups in our American context. To me this isn’t Jesus like and the church should be pursuing these groups of people not demonizing them and marginalizing them. What I have learned from this book is that I am caught up in what Fitch calls “the enemy making machine” if I can not find love or commonality with those who I disagree with. By his presence Jesus works in a space that is beyond making enemies. And to that I say, AMEN!There is such so many awesome quotes and ideas from this book. Here are some of my favorites:“And yet God, I contend, cannot work his mission for the world via the anger, antagonism, and violence that characterize the world apart from God. If the church is to open up a new space beyond making enemies for the work of Christ in the world, it must do so by his Spirit through his presence (p.11).”In regards to the Bible as a tool for antagonisms, “Instead of being a narrative exposition of God’s mission, of what he is doing, how he works, and what he is calling us into, it has become a blunt weapon, stripped of its true power, used to antagonize and to make points and win (p.56).”Dave Fitch unpacks what an antagonism is and how it works itself out in society. One result of an antagonism is that it creates “others” that are depersonalized. The “others” are made into enemies that groups of people can rally together to come against them. He refers to this as the coming together under a common enemy the banner we get behind. In regards to conservatism vs. progressivism in the church, he writes: “All our energies are directed into this mess of antagonism. And the daily tasks of simply being present to the sick, of unwinding the sexual confusion of the ones around us, of tending to our brothers and sisters who are persecuted because of their country of origin, and of sharing with the poor all go ignored. When this happens, we have a sure sign we have lost touch with the actual struggle of justice in the world and with the One who makes all justice ultimately possible (p.133).”I would have liked for Dave to have expounded upon the mechanics of antagonisms and how they are manipulated by political strategists. Also, it may have been cool to study of “the enemy making machine” and how it has shown up all over the Old Testament, yet that may be for another book.Last thing I will say, the Appendix 2 alone is worth the book. They are basically rules of engagement on how to unwind antagonisms. I have them on my desk. Anyone on social media who refuses to get caught up in the enemy making machine should memorize these before getting into a debate.