95 Prostheses

Five hundred years after Luther's famous posting of his 95 Theses in 1517, the church again faces an important crossroads. Sunday worship attendance is shrinking at alarming rates. There are now more "Elvis believers" in the US than Episcopalians and almost limitless spiritual options exist for those who seek faith and trust in something, but are hesitant to commit to a particular path leading to truth. The word prosthesis, normally associated with surgery, is also an apt word to describe the church's need to forge a theological identity that fits our current context. The church faces change and a transformed body, but not at the expense of the biblical richness and tradition that fueled the restlessness of the reformers. The essays gathered here, arranged around the seasons of the church year, address familiar challenges faced by all pastors and leaders in an era of transition, specifically in Christian formation and discipleship. Appropriate for group and personal reflection, 95 Prostheses employs humor and biblical accessibility with the skeptical outsider who may be considering Jesus and his church for the first time in mind.