Cathy Higgins’ new book, Churches in Exile: Alternative Models of Church for Ireland in the 21st Century (Columba, 2013) starts from the premise that churches in Ireland are in crisis, wedded to an outdated ‘Christendom’ model of church that has not served Christianity well. But in this thoughtful and easily digestible book, Higgins reflects on [...]
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Exploring the Significance of Peter Rollins and the Ikon Collective – Talk on Sunday 12 May at UCD
I’ll be presenting a paper titled, “Northern Ireland, America and the Emerging Church Movement: Exploring the Significance of Peter Rollins and the Ikon Collective” on Sunday 12 May at the Clinton Centre, University College Dublin, in a panel from 12.00-1.30 pm. The paper is based on my forthcoming book, co-authored with Gerardo Marti of Davidson [...]
Ryan Bolger’s The Gospel After Christendom Book Review–Part 3
Today is the third and final post taking in my review of Ryan Bolger’s edited collection, The Gospel After Christendom. In my first two posts, I provided a general outline review, and then descriptions of three of the chapters I found most useful. In today’s post, I focus on three more of my favourite chapters. [...]
Ryan Bolger’s The Gospel After Christendom Book Review–Part 2
Last week I wrote an initial overview review of a new book edited by Ryan Bolger, The Gospel After Christendom: New Voices, New Cultures, New Expressions (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012). The book contains 28 chapters by scholars and practitioners, and I indicated I would be back to highlight the chapters I found most intriguing. [...]
Ryan Bolger’s The Gospel after Christendom–Book Review, Part I
The Gospel after Christendom: New Voices, New Cultures, New Expressions (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012) is an ambitious attempt to conceptualise, synthesise, and internationalise the Emerging Church Movement (ECM). Edited by Ryan Bolger, co-author of one of the earliest books on the ECM, it features 28 chapters by practitioners and scholars. The volume identifies some [...]
Fr Martin Magill’s Ecumenical Tithing–Prof John Brewer at Fitzroy Presbyterian
This week we continue with Fr Martin Magill’s experiences of ecumenical tithing. Last night he visited Fitzroy Presbyterian in Belfast, where Prof John Brewer of Queen’s University spoke on the findings in his new book, Religion, Ex Combatants and Peace in Northern Ireland, co-authored with David Mitchell and Gerard Leavey. (I earlier reviewed the book [...]
Fr Michael Bennett Guest Post–Response to The Catholic Church in Ireland in Transition – Reflections for Zimbabwe
In a recent post I shared the text of an article that was published in the latest issue of Mukai/Vukani (meaning “Wake up!”), the Jesuit Journal for Theological Reflection in Zimbabwe, titled ‘The Catholic Church in Ireland in Transition – Reflections for Zimbabwe.’ Fr Michael Bennett has written a response to the post, which I’ve [...]
Jay Bakker – Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I’ve Crossed: Book Review and Interview in Belfast Tues 23 April
What is God like? Is doubt harmful to faith? Who do Christians marginalise? Those are just some of the questions explored in a new book by Jay Bakker, Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I’ve Crossed: Walking with the Unknown God (Jericho Books, 2013). Bakker, who will forever be known as the son of scandal-ridden American [...]
What We Talk About When We Talk About God by Rob Bell – Book Review and Talks in Manchester and Edinburgh Tues and Wed
Rob Bell’s latest book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God (Collins, 2013), can be read on a number of levels. First – there is the level of pure enjoyment, which even some of his critics are willing to concede. Whether or not you like his message, Rob Bell is simply a good [...]
The Past Still Haunts the Present–my post on the 15 Years On Blog
My post titled “The Past Still Haunts the Present” has been published on the “15 Years On” blog. The blog was set up to mark the 15th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and to stimulate conversation about where we go from here. It is described this way on the “15 Years On” website: We [...]
The Idolatry of God (with Peter Rollins) Starts Next Week in Belfast … tickets still available
In my review of Peter Rollins’ latest book, The Idolatry of God, I wrote that debate should focus on: “ … whether or not Rollins’ articulation of what it could mean to live authentically as Christians in a world where most of us are addicted to consuming products (and more insidiously, other people and our [...]
About me
Welcome to Building a Church Without Walls, a website for people who are excited about how Christianity is developing in the 21st Century. I am a Lecturer and Coordinator of the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Studies Programme at Trinity College Dublin at Belfast (the Irish School of Ecumenics).
Please note this is my personal site. All views are my own and are not representative of TCD.
I also write for the popular NI Politics site Slugger O'Toole. Click here to view my posts on Slugger...
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