Similarly, Professor James Dunn, Emeritus Lightfoot Professor of Divinity in the University of Durham, points to the radical New Testament ideas that define Christianity: the acute sense of being a new movement, unshackled by tradition and defining itself in relation to Jesus Christ. These demonstrate that fresh expressions of church are deeply rooted in the Christian tradition.
Elsewhere in the collection, the Rev Angela Tilby, vicar of St Benet's, Cambridge and former Vice-Principal of Wescott House, tackles the traditional reticence of some Anglo-Catholics when it comes to 'doing mission'. By drawing on the strengths within the Catholic expression of church for liturgy and sacramental life, Rev Tilby argues, fresh expressions can begin to build bridges between "a culture increasingly detached from its Christian roots and the Church which connects human beings with Jesus of Nazareth".
In explaining that the Church exists through time, and that it does not exist for itself but for the transformation of the world, Rev Tilby highlights some potential pitfalls for churches seeking to respond to popular culture.
She ultimately argues that more time is needed for fresh expressions to develop within the Catholic tradition that can truly prepare people to experience the order of liturgy and the wonder of the sacraments.
Elsewhere in the book, Professor John Hull, a lecturer at The Queen's Foundation, Birmingham, urges the mixed-economy church to take the biblical prophetic tradition seriously, and to focus on building the kingdom of God rather than focusing on growing the membership of the Church.
Professor Hull argues that fresh expressions can play an instrumental part in furthering the mission of God, but only when it is understood as an agent of that mission in building the kingdom of God.
Meanwhile the Rev Lynda Barley, Head of Research and Statistics for the Archbishops' Council, surveys the evidence of major enthusiasm for launching fresh expressions across the country: in 2005, half of Church of England parishes indicated to their dioceses that they had been involved in some sort of fresh expression since 2000, or that they intended to do so in the next two years.
Rev Barley suggests that fresh expressions have the potential to "significantly change the fortunes of church attendance in the twenty-first century" if they can respond to the call of God "doing new and sometimes diverse things" across the country, by being both "culturally relevant yet rooted in Gospel values".
Mission-shaped Questions is available at www.chpublishing.co.uk
