Christianity is not some ideal toward which we ought always to strive even though the ideal is out of reach. Christianity is not a series of slogans that sum up our beliefs.
Stanley HauerwasRead
The most creative social strategy we have to offer is the church. Here we show the world a manner of life the world can never achieve through social coercion or governmental action. We serve the world by showing it something that it is not, namely, a place where God is forming a family out of strangers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the unique role of the church in fostering genuine community and connection that transcends societal norms and pressures.
In this quote, Stanley Hauerwas argues that the church serves as a distinct social strategy that creates a community formed by divine connection rather than social coercion or governmental forces. He suggests that through the church, individuals can experience a transformative way of life, establishing deep familial ties among people who would otherwise remain strangers, ultimately reflecting a divine purpose in building relationships.
Themes
CommunityChurchRelationshipsFamilySocial Strategy
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon about community building, one can quote this to highlight the role of the church.
More from Stanley Hauerwas
All quotes βMy way of putting it is that Christians are called to live nonviolently not because we believe nonviolence is a strategy to rid the world of war, but in a world of war as faithful followers of Christ, we cannot imagine being anything other than nonviolent.
Stanley HauerwasRead
Advent is patience it's how God has made us a people of promise, in a world of impatience.
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War is America's central liturgical act necessary to renew our sense that we are a nation unlike other nations.
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To kill, in war or in any circumstance, creates a silence. It is right that silence should surround the taking of life. After all, the life taken is not ours to take.
Stanley HauerwasRead
Saints cannot exist without a community, as they require, like all of us, nurturance by a people who, while often unfaithful, preserve the habits necessary to learn the story of God.
Stanley HauerwasRead
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