Of the City, By the City, For the City: On Christian Witness and Mission

“I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:

to you is born this day in the city… a Savior,

who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

-Luke 2:10b-11, NRSV (emphasis added)

from justiceunbound.org

The “city” has been an important image in Christian theological and popular imagination since its inception. Holy Scriptures point to the creation of the world centered in an idyllic garden, yet redemption on the cross and the restoration of the created order is narrated to happen in a city.

American Christianity developed mainly out of cities. Christian ministry and life in the United States, and indeed around the world, has a significant urban focus. Certainly, not all Christians live and worship in cities, yet there is a particularity to the challenges and opportunities of the urban contexts that seems to call on the imagination, passion, and commitment of Christians in very creative and sometimes consuming ways.

To read the rest of this reflection, please visit UNBOUND
To read on UNBOUND's urban ministry series, visit this link