The Body Broken: Embracing the Peace of Christ in a Fragmented Church

Although the Restoration Movement began as an attempt to unify people via the Bible, it has demonstrated itself to be divisive and fractious group. At the heart of many (important) issues are century old opinions and approaches to the Bible. The love of God has taken a back seat to being right. Jack Reese calls us back to remember Jesus while not rejecting our distinctive heritage. This is an important read for anyone in the Stone-Campbell movement. "The Body Broken" is a natural follow up to "The Crux of the Matter". "The Crux of the Matter" gives the background to our current dilemmas and strife. "The Body Broken" takes the information and personalizes it. From academic to accountable is the progression between books. It is recommended that you read both books as they have a great deal of earthy insight into our thinking, hearts and potential future. Jack Reese takes his own personal experiences and lays them bare in "The Body Broken". His confessions, fears, victories and personal insights bring the subject matter of unity to a personal level. This is not an emotional mess of a book, far from it. Mr. Reese calls us to embrace our theology and differentiating salvation doctrine. As he dives into baptism and the Lord's supper, he also calls us to remember the holiness to which we were (are) called by these wonderful acts of participating in our relationship with God. The book is not only a great personal read, but is the foundation for deeper study as a group. There is a study guide at the back of the book to facilitate discussion. The book is not an intellectual challenge to read, it leaves all the challenge for the heart. "The Body Broken" is an important work for those who wish promote unity and Godly relations within Restoration Movement churches.

The Body Broken is a wonderfully written, timely book. The main thesis is this: even when we as Christians disagree, we should still be able to talk. This book should be required reading for any church leaders. Unfortunately our Restoration movement is plagued by our inability to have authentic unity. This book will serve as a useful tool to help mend some fences, and begin new conversations on the purpose of unity. After personally reading Body Broken, I took the liberty of ordering six copies, one for each of our elders here. The feedback I have received has been positive! One of the great strengths in Body Broken, is the way Dr. Reese returns time and again to the New Testament examples of God's people being guided towards unity in diversity.