Political Formation

Being Formed by the Spirit in Church and World

Jenny Leith

• Publisher: SCM Press
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9780334063056
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

What might it mean us to be formed as disciples not only by the church but also by the world? In Political Formation: Being Formed by the Spirit in Church and World, Jenny Leith argues that ethical and political formation of Christians takes place through the work of the Spirit both in the church and in civic life, and the church, too, has something to learn from wider political practices and movements. This account of formation places centre stage a reckoning with the forms of exclusion and marginalisation that mar the church, and yields an understanding of the church as not only ethically formative but also in constant need of being formed itself.

Offering a fresh vision for ecclesiology, which grapples with the ethical failings of the church and takes seriously the need for the church to keep on recognising and repenting of its sins, the book offers a major new contribution to discussions around Christian formation and the relationship between discipleship and ethics.

Table of contents

• Copyright information
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part I: Locating Christian Formation
• 1. Ethical Formation in the Church?
• 2. Formation by the Spirit through Doubt and Disruption
• Part II: Ecclesial Formation
• 3. The Form of Church Polity
• 4. Formation through Conviction of Sin
• 5. Formation through Each Member
• Part III: Formation Through Civic Life
• 6. Radical Democratic Discipleship
• 7. Formation through Civic Participation
• Conclusion: Forming Common Civic life
• Bibliography