By Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon Resident Aliens discusses the nature of the church and its relationship to surrounding culture. It argues that churches should focus on developing Christian life and community rather than attempting to reform secular culture. Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon reject the idea that America is a Christian nation; instead, Christians should see themselves as “resident aliens” in a...
Chapter 1 – The Modern World: On Learning to Ask the Right Questions
From the book: “Resident Aliens – A Provocative Christian Assessment of Culture and Ministry for People Who Know That Something is Wrong.” By Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon. Preface “The church is a colony, an island of one culture in the middle of another.” (p. 12) The poem No Man Is an Island by John Donne opens with the lines: “No man is an island,Entire of itself,Every man is a piece of the continent,A part...
Chapter 2 – Christian Politics in the New World
From the book: “Resident Aliens – A Provocative Christian Assessment of Culture and Ministry for People Who Know That Something is Wrong.” By Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon. Mixing Religion and Politics In this chapter, we will discuss three different perspectives of what the church is within the world and our author’s challenge to each of these. The first is based on ideas from Martin E. Marty. He posits that the church is of two...
Chapter 3 – Salvation as Adventure
From the book: “Resident Aliens – A Provocative Christian Assessment of Culture and Ministry for People Who Know That Something is Wrong.” By Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon. The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason (1685-1815), radically reoriented European and Western politics, philosophy, science, and religion. Thinkers of the time questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved...
Chapter 4 – Life in the Colony
From the book: “Resident Aliens – A Provocative Christian Assessment of Culture and Ministry for People Who Know That Something is Wrong.” By Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon. Being Faithful to the Church’s Vision of Living and Acting as Disciples. Our authors pose the question, “Does the church really matter in trying to live as a Christian?” Is the church just another special interest group within the culture vying for their piece of...
Chapter 5 – Ordinary People: Christian Ethics
From the book: “Resident Aliens – A Provocative Christian Assessment of Culture and Ministry for People Who Know That Something is Wrong.” By Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon. People Who Follow a God Who Is Odd. In many ways, we fail to see or appreciate the uniqueness of the church within the culture when it is most faithful to the example of the church set by Christ and the apostles. The church does not help us be moral; it teaches us...
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