The Church Cracked Open
Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community

3.5 - Stephanie Spellers has managed to write both an incisive critique of white supremacist culture in the Episcopal Church and an invitation to think and act constructively towards where God is calling us. I have some lingering reservations about kenosis and privilege in her argument (to what exte......more

A very beneficial read. The author puts the Episcopal Church specifically into its historical context and then exposes the various issues that have developed over several centuries. Not stopping there she uses scripture to identify and develop ways forward to reverse trends and embark on a new direc......more

I found myself disappointed with this book. I had great expectations for a new image of “Church” but left disappointed. I hoped for blueprint for radical change and instead received a lecture intended for the liberal community already a sympathetic audience. Two major issues stood out. First, the ques......more

There’s much to love here, but it ultimately left me feeling like it was a critique without much to do. Granted the final chapter points toward The Way of Love (a modern take on the ancient idea of a rule of life), but I’m left with many questions. Maybe that’s the point. I appreciate dismantling wh......more

The guiding metaphor is the biblical story of the woman who broke the alabaster jar of oil to anoint Jesus, as a metaphor for the place the church finds itself: it can’t just dribble out change but needs to break some sacred vessels. Particularly for the Episcopal church, wrestling with its history......more