Adele J. Gonzalez

Gonzalez has crafted a short, concise look at how we should best live into our spirituality, which is in community with God, creation, our neighbor, and ourselves. Spirituality is truly about being human and not about "living as otherworldly, flawlessly perfect eccentrics (p.27). Christian spirituality is passionate as we seek out ways to communally function as 'one body', through our stories and shared experience. She's also quite adept at reminding us of the 'Eurocentric' hold on Christian spirituality and implores us to invite other voices into the mix.

For Gonzalez, Christian community is just a group, team, or a simple commune. It is about relationships and how those relationships allow us, as members of that community, to "discover and develop our unique gifts and love (p.91). This is done best through four key elements: Koinonia (fellowship); The Good News of a reign of love, peace, justice, forgiveness, and compassion; Liturgy (celebration in ritual); and Diokonia (service).

The spirituality of community hinges for Gonzalez on the practice of hospitality and the journey of hope toward transformation.

My favorite was chapter three and would say this is required reading for Christians seeking to understand and expand upon their spirituality of community. My critique is I wish chapter three would have been explored even further, in fact the whole book could have been centered there as well.… (meer)