{"product_id":"9780310412144","title":"A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God's Design for Life Together","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this compelling book, Scot McKnight shares his personal experience in the church as well as his study of the Apostle Paul to answer this significant question:  \u003cem\u003eWhat is the church supposed to be?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor most of us the church is a place we go to on Sunday to hear a sermon or to participate in worship or to partake in communion or to fellowship with other Christians.  C\u003cem\u003ehurch\u003c\/em\u003e is all contained within one or two hours on Sunday morning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe church the Apostle Paul talks about is designed by God to be a fellowship of\u003cem\u003e difference—\u003c\/em\u003ehow people differ socially\u003cem\u003e—and differents—\u003c\/em\u003ehow people differ culturally. God did not design the church to be a two-hour experience on Sunday but a mixture of people from all across the map and spectrum: men and women, rich and poor, Caucasians or African Americans, and Mexican Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, and Indian Americans, and a mixture of people with varying personalities and tastes.  The church McKnight grew up in was a fellowship of sames and likes. There was almost no variety in his church. White folks, same beliefs about everything, same tastes in music and worship and sermons and lifestyle.  Because of his experience, he writes incisively and compellingly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe church is \u003cem\u003eGod’s world-changing social experiment\u003c\/em\u003e of bringing unlikes and differents to the table to share life with one another as a new kind of family.  When this happens we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God’s show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a family.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Zondervan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47120676585712,"sku":"9780310412144","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/612615862.jpg?v=1744680565","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780310412144","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}