Foolish Church

Messy, raw, and real aren’t the words most of us use when we say what’s good about our churches. But what if they were? Author Lee Schott found out, serving a beautiful church inside the Iowa women’s prison. A lifelong church person, she discovered more church, and greater faithfulness, in this most unlikely setting, with room for people the church has often overlooked. She shares the lessons she has learned there, with the hope that church leaders outside of prison might be inspired, equipped, and encouraged to loosen the fetters that keep our churches so closed off. We’ll explore church characterized by honest relationship, protection of the vulnerable, radical welcome, and healthy boundaries. Practical application for the local church context and discussion questions for group study are included throughout.

An early reader of Foolish Church, a layperson, stood up in front of her church and said, “Every church person needs to read this, because we will learn a lot to help us as a church!” She grasped the point of the book: it’s about helping us do church differently. If you’re foolish enough to want to try what Lee shares in Foolish Church, this fools’ manual will help you do so. It offers book and Bible reflections for each chapter, along with practice suggestions that will help you and your church practice being more authentic, more relevant, and more open. You’ll be invited to connect with others, using the hashtag #foolishchurch on social media, so that we all might learn together. C’mon, all you church fools! We’ve got work to do.

Messy, raw, and real aren't the words most of us use when we say what's good about our churches. But what if they were? Author Lee Schott found out, serving a beautiful church inside the Iowa women's prison. A lifelong church person, she discovered more church, and greater faithfulness, in this most unlikely setting, with room for people the church has often overlooked. She shares the lessons she has learned there, with the hope that church leaders outside of prison might be inspired, equipped, and encouraged to loosen the fetters that keep our churches so closed off. We'll explore church characterized by honest relationship, protection of the vulnerable, radical welcome, and healthy boundaries. Practical application for the local church context and discussion questions for group study are included throughout.

Looks at Paul's letter to the Galations to encourage modern readers to put their faith into action and embrace the message of faith.

An early reader of Foolish Church, a layperson, stood up in front of her church and said, "Every church person needs to read this, because we will learn a lot to help us as a church!" She grasped the point of the book: it's about helping us do church differently. If you're foolish enough to want to try what Lee shares in Foolish Church, this fools' manual will help you do so. It offers book and Bible reflections for each chapter, along with practice suggestions that will help you and your church practice being more authentic, more relevant, and more open. You'll be invited to connect with others, using the hashtag #foolishchurch on social media, so that we all might learn together. C'mon, all you church fools! We've got work to do.

Richly written, Jesus the Holy Fool combines diverse images from religious traditions, world literature, Jungian archetype, and Scripture. Weaving the best theology and spirituality, Jesus the Holy Fool is a fresh and inviting Christology. The Scriptures tell us that religious leaders thought Jesus was "possessed," and his own family thought he was "crazy." In his open table fellowship, choice of followers, radical passion, and his death and resurrection, Jesus was willing to appear as a fool for the sake of God's reign. His teachings--especially the parables, paradoxes, and the beatitudes--advocate a way of life that is grounded in Holy Foolishness. Through an archetypal examination of the fool motif as it applies to Jesus in the Gospels, Jesus the Holy Fool develops the connections between holiness and folly. Offering new insights into Christology and exploring its practical pastoral ramifications, Jesus the Holy Fool presents Holy Foolishness as a paradigm for the Christian journey and as a new model of what it means for us to be church.