The origin of the phrase ’the church has left the building’ lies with Elvis. In order to clear halls of his riotous fans after concerts, it was announced that ‘Elvis has left the building.’ Here, the expression highlights intense change within the church. Not only does the church change for its own existence, it also does so for the life of the world. The church cannot avoid the many past and future changes of our constantly transforming society, demographic changes long in process. What you have before you is a gathering of first-hand reflections–stories really–from a diverse group of Christians, lay as well as ordained. While each has a distinctive experience of the church in our time, all of them have something to say about the many changes in our society and how these are affecting our faith, the parish, and pastoral work.
Contributors:
Mary Breton
Nicholas Denysenko
Adam A. J. De Ville
John C. Frazier
David Frost
Carol Fryer
Kenneth J. Guest
Brett Hoover
Abbie Huff
Wongee Joh
Justin Mathews
Maria Gwyn Mc Dowell
William C. Mills
Robert Corin Morris
Sarah Hinlicky Wilson
Michael Plekon
Over de auteur
John Anthony Mc Guckin is an Archpriest of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He is the Nielsen Professor of Early Church History at Union Theological Seminary and the Professor of Byzantine Christian Studies at Columbia University in New York. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and author of many books of Early and Byzantine Christian culture, as well as several volumes of translations of ancient Christian poetry as well as one book of his own poetry.