The Dream of God: A Call to Return (Seabury Classics)

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Editorial Reviews

Apr 03, John rated it it was amazing Shelves: The primary premise in this nonfiction book is that the institutional church has emphasized the worship of Jesus at the expense of his call to serve others in a heralding of the kingdom of God on earth. The weight of her message belies the shortness of the book. There is much to think about in its pages.

Mar 22, Bob rated it it was amazing. Verna Dozier is a prophet of our times.

This book is a must read for those seeking to be Servant Leaders and those who want to expand their notions of God. Apr 11, D Ellis Phelps rated it liked it Recommends it for: Biblical scholars; lay readers with a scholarly bent. Dozier is a candid, intellectual religious working to bring a community of divided Christians together around one central idea: She writes, "The important question to ask is not, 'What do you believe? She consistently quotes the work of other scholars, arguing or supporting their points as the case may be.

In other words, this is not an easy, light read, nor is it inspirational meditation, but instead it is a heady book for study, one to digest in small sections over time. I do not recommend this book to the spiritual seeker: I do not recommend this book to those wanting to mature childhood Christian beliefs, nor to those whose early brushes with religion have been thwarted by unfortunate disappointment or abuse. But if you are reader looking for ammunition to dismantle beliefs you find may not be working to lift you, one who needs help understanding why Christian dogma ruled by an ineffective hierarchy makes you squirm, or one who can no longer accept teaching based on stale, literal interpretations of the Bible, this book may prove to be a marker on the journey to new understanding.

Apr 18, Janet Mahlum rated it it was amazing. I read this as part of the EfM study and found it to be the best of what we have read so far. In clear, easy-to-understand language, yet not "dummied down", Dr. Dozier carefully explains what Jesus meant by "the Kingdom of God," our responsibility, the church's responsibility.

The Dream of God: A Call to Return

In Chapter 2 she carefully goes through the Biblical story from Genesis to John. There are so many gems in this book it is impossible to list them all here. But here are a few: That is the Biblical understanding of creation. It has nothing to do with looking like God.

It has to do with God's freedom. I am just sorry we have to spend so much time on TR that we can't discuss more of the book. I would highly recommend this book to clergy, laity, seekers, students, anyone interested in learning more about God's dream. One of the best books I've read This book helped me clarify my beliefs better than any I've read.

A really worthwhile read if you are prepared to challenge your thinking. Apr 24, Troy Rosamond rated it it was amazing. My impression upon finishing: On this one, we could fill a class period of deep deba My impression upon finishing: On this one, we could fill a class period of deep debate from just the first four and a half pages.

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And you can value all of my time involved over that four years with maximum Mammon hyperbole. I've still gotten well more than my money's worth! I feel as if I've gotten riches beyond riches beyond imagination of riches. I'm a little fired up! Dec 11, Gwendolyn B. Clergy spanning the widespread spectrum of Christian denominations struggle with the question of how to convince the faithful to live Christ's teachings outside of their weekly one-hour session in the sanctuary. If they had and read and lived this book, they would know exactly what to tell their congregation.

Simply put, it i Clergy spanning the widespread spectrum of Christian denominations struggle with the question of how to convince the faithful to live Christ's teachings outside of their weekly one-hour session in the sanctuary.

Simply put, it is our call as Christians and must infiltrate our daily lives and big-picture vocations. Dozier takes this core idea and peppers it with quotable nuggets of wisdom, such as p. We are always afraid that freedom will degenerate into choice--as it often does--so to escape chaos we flee to authority, which means authoritarianism. Or from page I will add my voice to the chorus of Education for Ministry students who found this book refreshing, thought-provoking, and often even uncomfortable in its scrutiny of the institutionalized church.

Jul 30, Alexis rated it it was amazing. I will never ever tire of reading theologians who offer a revolutionary perspective on the institution of the church at large. Verna Dozier is a black woman and offers an even more nuanced perspective from her Baptist upbringing and her life as a teacher and now an Episcopalian priest all while still of course being a black woman. May 06, Jean Marie Angelo rated it it was amazing Shelves: Verna Dozier was a D. I received so much from this book and I will be visiting her other works.

Lovely and thought-provoking ideas in a slim but powerful volume. She was an educator and it shows. Ideas and distinctions between following Jesus of Nazareth and worshiping God it was has become the organized, institutional church. I want my worship to be informed by following Jesus. I thank her for th Verna Dozier was a D. I thank her for this.

Apr 06, Maya rated it liked it. An interesting examination of the failings of the church as an institution. Dozier outlines the fall of the people of God as a pattern- first in the story of Adam and Eve, second in the people of Israel choosing the kingdoms of this Earth over the kingdom of God, and then culminating with Constantine establishing the church institutionalized. She contends this institution is not actually following Jesus. While the content is compelling, I was hoping Dozier would have more solutions to offer, rat An interesting examination of the failings of the church as an institution.

While the content is compelling, I was hoping Dozier would have more solutions to offer, rather than pointing out and explaining problems Apr 24, Stephanie rated it it was amazing Shelves: We read this beautiful book for EfM and I am just now getting to post about it. I love everything about this book. We are called to follow Jesus, not just worship, but what does it look like to follow, especially in these modern times?

Here's what we were asked to do and I'd suggest you do the same if you are reading this book: What is your favorite "gem" word, sentence, phrase- even paragraph in the book? Apr 23, Denise Junker rated it it was amazing Shelves: This was difficult to understand at first. After the first discussion with my EfM group, I understood what I needed to look for.

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The Gospel of Mark. The Four Vision Quests of Jesus. Following the Way of Jesus: Volume 6 Church's Teachings in a Changing World. Her vision of the Bible is insightful and persuasive, her writing accessible and powerful. She is known all over the country and overseas for her Bible teaching, conferences, preaching, and work with lay groups in the church to strengthen their callings and ministries.

A Method of Bible Study. Product details File Size: Church Publishing; th edition January 1, Publication Date: May 15, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention dream of god verna dozier institutional church years ago follow jesus recommend this book might call following jesus worship christian message beliefs christians bible faith understanding biblical christ ministry thinking.

Showing of 31 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. What is the faith taught by Jesus. How does that faith, as understood and lived by a first century Hebrew rabbi translate to our call as Christian's in the 21st Century. This is a powerful treatment of that understanding.

Following Jesus is challenging , and all to often, we opt out of that task and simply turn to worship.

The Dream of God: A Call to Return by Verna J. Dozier

Here we get some clarity on the meaning of the gospel stories and jesus earthly ministries that I can understand and relate to. One person found this helpful. Verna Dozier wrote this book now nearly 30 years ago, but it is as fresh to read today as it was when it first appeared. Verna weaves a storyteller's craft into what we would now call a straightforward look at the foundation of "Progressive Christianity" - Perfect choice for many seekers of the Christian faith who are tired of seeing their beliefs 'highjacked' by fundamentalist mindsets.

I purchased this book upon the recommendation of someone whose opinion I greatly respect. She had heard the author and was most impressed. This book is the compilation of speeches and it reflects that in redundancy and repetition.

The message was very short compared to the book. I did not feel there was sufficient substance in it for an entire book. Wonderful, engaging and thought provoking book that discussed how the church failed to follow Jesus. Dozier's thoughts are amazing! Powerful call to The Dream of God and not to the world. Verna Dozier gives us a call to our true mission as lovers of God. An excellent read that captures the challenges we face today in our societies.

The laity must step into the role that was always intended for them, to be be a true disciple of Christ. This book helped me clarify my beliefs better than any I've read. A really worthwhile read if you are prepared to challenge your thinking. See all 31 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. The Dream of God:

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