The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity

Summary:

Why would anyone become a Christian today? Why, when God is dead, religion a cause of global conflict, and the Church inflexible, irrelevant and illiberal, would anyone in his right mind embrace the Christian faith? They do and Journeys and Stories explores why. The result of a year-long research project conducted by LICC and a ecumenical group in Scotland, it follows and analyses the journeys and stories of over 40 Scottish men and women on their varied, often meandering, sometimes heart-breaking, but mostly inspiring journeys towards God.

Details:

Why would anybody in Britain become a Christian today?

They do – in their thousands – but surprisingly little research is done to fi nd out why.

Following in the footsteps of the groundbreaking study Finding Faith Today, Journeys and Stories explores how and why people come to faith in Christ. Based on a series of in-depth interviews with people across Scotland, of all ages and backgrounds, who had made a public profession of faith at some point in the previous two years, Journeys and Stories details the bewildering variety of crises, co-incidences, encounters, experiences, sermons, signposts, and obstacles that made up their journeys. In doing so, it draws out from people’s stories a structure of common themes that will inform mission in Scotland and beyond for years to come.

Journeys and Stories is an important contribution to an increasingly ‘mission-shaped church’, which should be read by anyone concerned for the future of Christianity in the UK.

“We need to discover the direction in which the Spirit is blowing and then hoist our sails. This research does just that. It demands careful study - and then action.” Rt Revd John Finney