The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why

Every five hundred years, the Church cleans out its attic and has a giant rummage sale.

Well, not exactly. But according to internationally renowned religion expert Phyllis Tickle, this is an accurate summary of the Church's massive transitions over time. According to the pattern, we are living in such a time of change right now. Tickle calls it "the Great Emergence"--a time of dizzying upheaval and hopeful promise during which various sectors of today's church swirl into a great confluence at the center.

If you long to make sense of the place in our world that the church has today--and will have in the years to come--The Great Emergence is your history lesson, your sociology experiment, and your field guide to the future. The reading and discussion guide will help you understand, internalize, and live out this extraordinary book, allowing you to bring meaningful practices into our postmodern world.

"This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the face and future of Christianity."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Diverse strands come together in a seamless fabric . . . a remarkable achievement."--Booklist (starred review)

"An immensely important contribution to the current conversation about new and emerging forms of Christianity in a postmodern environment--and a delight to read!"--The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church

"Once in a great while, a book comes along and makes things make sense. After reading these pages, neither the church nor the world looks the same."--Diana Butler Bass, author, Christianity After Religion


Phyllis Tickle is founding editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly. One of the most respected authorities and popular speakers on religion in America today, she is the author of more than two dozen books, including Emergence Christianity.

Phyllis Tickle, founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly, is the author of more than two dozen books on the subject. She is frequently quoted and interviewed in such media outlets as the New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, CNN, C-SPAN, and PBS. A lector and lay eucharistic minister in the Episcopal Church, she holds the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from both Berkeley School of Divinity at Yale University and from North Park University. She makes her home on a small farm in Tennessee. For more information, go to phyllistickle.com or thegreatemergence.com.