Being a Sanctuary: The Radical Way for the Body of Christ to Be Sacred, Soft & Safe

Christians must work together to repair an American church riven by crisis, division, and disillusionment, according to this wise guide from Perreaux-Dominguez (Good News Is Coming), CEO of Full Collective, an organization for Christian women. According to the author, the “Body of Christ”—comprised of the church’s members—has been infected by a monolithic culture that centers white men and excludes those of different races, ages, and abilities, cutting against Jesus’s vision of a diverse, unified faith community. As a corrective, Perreaux-Dominguez draws on the Bible for such suggestions as praying for others, inviting the “lost” into “healthy Christian spaces and communities,” and donating time, energy, or resources to marginalized church members. Throughout, she stresses the importance of viewing other Christians as fellow “image bearers” of God for whom one must care, even if one doesn’t agree with all aspects of their life. Linking her core principles to a broad slate of action items (examples of living justly range from “treating our neighbors with dignity” to recycling), Perreaux-Dominguez constructs a solid model of church reform that recognizes social, cultural, and racial differences while prioritizing the essential unity that comes from “working alongside Christ” and one another. This inspires. (Sept.)