God with Us: Synergy in the Church

This challenging bodk is essentially a reflection on the first three words of its title. What understanding can we have of God, and of what God was about in Christ, such that the church may celebrate it in its sense of form or worship, live it out individually and collectively, and put it into practice? Who are we, and what are the activities we engage in among ourselves? What relationship do we have with others? And how is our relationship with one another related to our relationship to God? The accounts that Ruth Page gives, which arise out of her experiences in her own Church of Scotland and from seven years spent on the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and the WCC's Commission on Mission, are down-to-earth, practical, positive and sometimes critical. What stands out particularly clearly is that the word 'with' often cannot be used of what goes on in churches; any sense of togetherness can be sadly lacking. She also points out that contemporary thinking on mission is much more vibrant than thinking within the churches at home, where instead of rethinking relationships and the redistribution of power the churches for the most part continue in the same old patterns. A feature of the book is the inclusion of a large number of `boxes' of texts which form vivid illustrations of the main argument. uth Page is Senior Lecturer at New College, Edinburgh.