Given and Sent in One Love: The True Church of Jesus Christ - Softcover

Gerrit Scott Dawson and Mark R. Patterson offer a breath of fresh air. Noxious vapors surround us, alienating us from the One who breathed into our nostrils the breath of life. Christians are called to live in the world, but we can never be of such a world, for its fumes are poison. "The 'air' of this world is not the atmosphere of our true country," they write. So, when the Church gathers, "we are meant to breathe the air of heaven as the Scriptures are rightly proclaimed." Drawn into the divine communion, God's people breathe deeply. But what happens when the world's "alien atmosphere" is allowed to seep into the gathered Church? Christ is compromised, his peace disrupted, unity fractured and purity besmirched. Echoing an ancient confession, we cry, "There is no health in us." Given and Sent in One Love: The True Church of Jesus Christ leads us to the true peace, unity and purity of the Church. Part-poetical, part-polemical and built on the solid rock of Reformed theology, this refreshing vision helps the Church breathe again. The book includes a study guide for individuals, small group sessions and Sunday school classes; a guide for sessions; an analysis of the report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Presbyterian Church (USA); and other resources.

Dawson is Minister of the First Presbyterian Church, Lenoir, North Carolina.