Practices of Faith

In this new volume for the Practices of Faith Series, Douglas Hicks looks at how Christian faith applies to economic life--spending, saving, giving, etc., especially as an alternative to a life of unbridled consumerism. This book offers reflections for people of faith and other curious readers who want to connect their Monday through Saturday lives with their faith and live a more integrated Christian life. It offers choices beyond adopting the so-called "prosperity gospel" of some popular evangelical preachers on the one hand or going for a determined "opting out" on the other--or just ignoring the implications of how our economic lives have spiritual consequences. In this especially perilous economic time, Hicks' level-headed, thoughtful reflections on Christian practices of getting and spending will be particularly welcome to readers of all ages and Christian denominations.

Dorothy Bass' Practicing Our Faith book grew out of the Lilly Endowment funded Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People of Faith's work in exploring what it means not just to believe but to act upon one's faith. Over the past 11 years, it basically established an entirely new way of thinking about everyday practices such as hospitality, forgiveness, and keeping Sabbath that has been highly influential across a wide range of Christian laypeople, leaders, denominations, and study groups. In this second edition, Dorothy incorporates a reader/study guide into the back of the book, revises the concluding chapter, and adds an afterword on her meditations on the practices discussed in the book and how they relate to and intersect with other basic Christian practices (prayer, worship, and Bible study).