Review: How the Body of Christ Talks

How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church, C. Christopher Smith, Brazos Press, 2019, 222 pages.

The Apostle Paul uses a picture of the human body to describe the Body of Christ. Our bodies are interconnected in ways that we understand and ways that are still a mystery. The brain is the control center. Yet there is a interdependence among the members and the need for some of the lowliest and smallest parts. This interdependence is seen in how the physical body communicates within itself. How the Body of Christ Talks by Christopher Smith uses this same analogy to highlight the importance of conversations within the church.

As believers, our relationships are important. While those connections are the result of our union with Christ and inclusion in the church universal, they need to be strengthened and maintained in the church local. Just as our physical body needs the flow of chemical messages from one part to another to flourish, we need one another. Therefore, how we talk to each other and what we talk about is crucial.

At the author's church, they have intentional meetings for the purpose of conversation which gives an opportunity for the members to speak but also listen and learn. While controversy cannot be avoided, the main topics should be for the health of the body as a whole. The purpose isn't so much to come to consensus as it is to prayerfully abide with one another even when there is disagreement. This commitment to abide is also counter-cultural in a world that is driven by consumerism, hyper-mobility, and distraction. Just as these conversations are intentional so is the preparation which can include additional reading of scripture or other resources, taking notes, or prayer. And when there is a fracture within the body, communication is vital for healing to occur. This involves acknowledging that there is a problem and aligning ourselves to Christ first and foremost before the slow and sometimes painful reconciling process can occur.

Of note, as a confessional Reformed Baptist who holds to classical theism, I would disagree with the author's use of social trinitarianism as an example for human community. I think the case can be made without that. But despite that, I think How the Body of Christ Talks is worth reading. There was much in this book that resonated with me. I love my local church. We love one another, but there is always room to grow. This book offers aspects that I had not considered before and ways to be more deliberate in relationships, moving from a "religious community" to "real community." 

I will close my review with this quote:

We have been created to abide in Christ, who is our Creator and the source of all life. As we abide in Christ, we abide with our sisters and brothers in Christ and others, receiving from them the life of Christ. Abiding with another person means remaining in a relationship with a posture that allows one to receive the Christ-given gifts of the other. In a world which we are quick to part ways with those with whom we have disagreements, abiding is rooted in the hope that the mutual giving and receiving of relationship will be more vital than our disagreements. Abiding is thus an appreciative way to be in relationship that understands the other primarily as a gift, not as a burden or an enemy. Of course, we should not be naive or evasive about problems and disagreements, but through abiding, we commit to learning and sharing together despite challenges we might encounter along the way. (Kindle location 1419)

I received an e-copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."