Households of Faith - by Emily Hunter McGowin (Paperback)

About the Book

Is there an alternative to the idealized, picture-perfect "traditional family" model that's neither idolatrous nor revisionist? Theologian Emily McGowin casts a holistic, biblical vision for families that are not limited to just the biological nuclear family, calling Christians to discern the times and improvise faithfulness together.

Book Synopsis

Is there an alternative to the idealized, picture-perfect "traditional family" model that's neither idolatrous nor revisionist? Theologian Emily McGowin casts a holistic, biblical vision for families that are not limited to just the biological nuclear family, calling Christians to discern the times and improvise faithfulness together.

Review Quotes

"A warm and loving space to consider the purposes and complexities of family. Setting aside the all-too-familiar trope of the 'ideal' Christian family, Emily Hunter McGowin instead invites us to explore the embodied reality of family life. Family is hard, and we need companions along the way to help us process our past experiences with God and with one another, frame our present, and cultivate hope for the future. With Households of Faith, McGowin has given us one such companion that is theologically rich and truly practical."

"Emily Hunter McGowin weaves church history, biblical wisdom, and current day applications into a highly readable and deeply knowledgeable work. Households of Faith will challenge and inspire readers within the context of their own family life as well as within life as part of the larger church family."

"Few topics are as contested-and as crucially important-as family. Emily McGowin meets our great need for deeper theological reflection with skill and compassion, weaving together rich theology and careful attention to our lived experience of family life. This is a fresh and thoughtful take on a topic too often bogged down with culture war antics."

"Finally, a book that actually looks for the blueprint for families from the words of Jesus! Emily McGowin does not pretend to put forward answers or formulas for the Christian family, but she relies on the verb 'practice' as a way of discovering what family means in God's kingdom. For those who desire to practice family as Christians, this book should be your guide."

"Like having coffee with a wise and gracious friend, but also like contemplating well-crafted art, Households of Faith is both approachable and profound. Emily Hunter McGowin embodies her vocation as a pastor-theologian, and in this writing, the reader is invited behind the curtain into the nuts and bolts of her calling. She suffers neither foolishness nor pretense; she gifts her reader the respect of frank speech which makes you want to purge yourself of the false daydream into which you've been lulled concerning the purpose of families and press forward instead, into the coming kingdom. Neither does she guilt trip the reader. Her successes spark ideas; her failures remind you that you are not alone and that it is possible to grow in your apprenticeship of love. Her expertise and her passion shine through on each page, providing insightful life hacks, revelations for difficult theological conundrums, and the confidence that the triune God works graciously and mightily through families."

"Pastor and writer Emily Hunter McGowin has a gift for helping readers breathe new life into familiar spiritual practices and beliefs. She teaches us how to be 'apprentices of love' as we create dynamic households of faith. I wish I had this insightful book thirty years ago when I was raising my children!"

"Resisting short-sighted stereotypes, Emily Hunter McGowin invites readers into an expansive and beautiful vision of the Christian family. Unafraid of facing imperfection, pointing readers toward the richness found in vulnerability and community, this book keeps it real. McGowin's image of 'apprenticeship to love' offers an especially rich way for any family to imagine-or re-imagine-their life together. She invites all readers, precisely in the midst of their own family's particular circumstances, to a way to ask, how will Jesus by his Spirit teach us to love today?"

"The Christian family needs to be further radicalized; that is, returned to its life-giving roots and stripped of parasitic accretions. Emily Hunter McGowin does that work, reminding the Christian of what family really is, and in doing so, offering a great gift to the people of God. By linking the Christian family tightly to the church, the church to the kingdom of God, and the kingdom to its King Jesus, McGowin narrates a beautiful golden chain that provides the Christian with both vision and practice that leads to Christlikeness. I can think of no better gift to the Christian family than a voice that relentlessly points to the kingdom. Emily McGowin has offered such a voice!"

"This book is the beautiful and much-needed antidote to family books based on control and 'try-hard-ness.' This book is based in the grace of Jesus Christ and will bless those who read it."

"What does it mean to be a family in today's world? Emily Hunter McGowin asks this question, inspiring the reader to grasp a holistic vision for what family can be in light of God's kingdom. This is an essential question-one that both stimulated and challenged me to grapple with how family life is influenced and shaped by our culture, history, and sentimental yearnings. Both thoughtful and practical, McGowin invites readers to understand the complex world that families exist within and encourages them to live as apprentices to God's love in the daily chaos of our everyday life."

About the Author

Emily Hunter McGowin (PhD, University of Dayton) is associate professor of theology at Wheaton College. She is the author of Quivering Families and Christmas, and coeditor of God and Wonder. Her articles have appeared in Christianity Today and The Week. She is a priest and canon theologian in the Anglican diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others. She and her husband, Ron, also a priest, live in Chicagoland with their three children.