The Online Book Club: "The Rebirthing of God"

Fee: $50
Five Weeks

About the Book (required text for this course)

In this book club selection, John Philip Newell calls for a rebirth of Christianity in order to counter its collapse in contemporary Western cultures. He proposes eight ways that Christians and seekers can be attentive to the struggle for rebirth.  Using the island of Iona as an imaginative setting for this spiritual undertaking, he mines the wisdom of those who have provided prophetic leadership in these ways. His book inspires hope that, through reconnection, faith can be renewed and enlivened personally and collectively.

About the Online Book Club

Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?

Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?

Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author’s ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text.  In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text.  Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle.  

Click here for other Online Book Club courses

Check the course schedule for the dates for the Online Book Club.

Topics

• Getting Started Week: Introduction to the book
• Week 1: Reconnecting with the Earth and with Compassion (chapters 1 and 2)
• Week 2: Reconnecting with the Light and with the Journey (chapters 3 and 4)
• Week 3: Reconnecting with Spiritual Practice and Nonviolence (chapters 5 and 6)
• Week 4: Reconnecting with the Unconscious and with Love (chapters 7 and 8)

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study about the topic discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed

John Philip Newell. The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for Rebirth. 
ISBN-13: 978-1683364191 ISBN-10: 1683364198 (paperback)Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 3 - 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar:  Rev. Dr. John Philip Newell is founder of the School of Celtic Consciousness, Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Spirituality at the Iliff School of Theology, University of Denver, ordained minister in the Church of Scotland, and former warden of Iona Abbey in the Western Isles of Scotland.