Richard H. Bliese draws on historic architecture of eight-sided churches to call attention to an important but often overlooked emphasis on the eighth day of creation. Early Christians were focused on God's new creation that began in Christ's resurrection on Sunday, the first day of the week. But these Christians understood resurrection as the continuation of God's creative and redemptive activity. So the first day of the week became the eighth day of creation, and therefore the day of resurrection work and time to join with Christ in transforming the world. Christian disciples do this work by living out their baptismal vocations, especially in their daily work and through their ethical economic choices. The author turns to Martin Luther and the Reformation to outline an evangelical spirituality that invested in people and their vocations as worker-priests. Daily life, work, and family were underscored as the place where discipleship came alive. Bliese describes this as an architectural "design" for faithful living. He further draws on parts of Luther's Small Catechism (Ten Commandments, Apostles' Creed, and Lord's Prayer) as keys to this evangelical design. Five additional architectural designs for eighth-day disciples are included. The final chapter describes how eighth-day disciples are called to live by faith in freedom and responsibility. Making disciples today needs to revolve around a gospel story that links one's personal faith with one's work and economic life. Such faith gives us ears to hear God's unfolding drama and eyes to see the needs of the neighbor. The book includes a study guide for personal reflection and group conversation.
Richard H. Bliese is an accomplished leader, teacher, innovator, and visionary with extensive ministerial experience on three continents, forty years of church leadership, nonprofit and entrepreneurial experience in over fifteen different organizations, and deep teaching and consulting expertise nationally and internationally in theological education and congregational ministry. He is the editor, with Craig Van Gelder, of The Evangelizing Church: A Lutheran Contribution. John Arthur Nunes is an author, speaker, academic leader, and Lutheran pastor. He is the president of Concordia College-New York. He previously served as the president and CEO of Lutheran World Relief, as a professor at Valparaiso University, and as an inner-city pastor in Dallas, Texas, and Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of several books, including, with Alberto Garcia, Reimagining the Reformation from the Edges (2017) and Meant for More: In, With, and Under the Ordinary (2020).
Introduction:An Evangelical Architecture for Life 1 Eight-Sided Churches:Connecting Faith and Work 2 Eighth-Day Christians:Living in God's Home Economics' Project. 3 TheCatechismandthe Ten Commandments:Law as theFirst Key to an Evangelical Design 4 TheCatechismandthe Creed:Redemption as theSecond Key to an Evangelical Design 5 TheCatechismandTheLord's Prayer:The Kingdom of God as theThird Key to an Evangelical Design. 6 FiveMore Architectural Designs for Eighth-Day Disciples 7 Livingby Faith with Responsibility and Freedom:Eighth-Day Discipleship in an Eight-Sided Church. Appendix: Key Questions and Resources Acknowledgements
