The Shape of Participation is a work of constructive theology addressed to theologians, seminarians, and thoughtful pastors. Owens engages and deepens recent popular discussions of church practices by approaching practices from the church Fathers' understanding of the church's participation in God. Through a wide-ranging engagement with theologians, both ancient and contemporary–including Cyril of Alexandria, Maximus the Confessor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Herbert McCabe–Owens argues...
“I challenge you to get through a chapter of this book without a desire for God being struck in your soul. Roger Owens wears his brilliance lightly and loves words tenderly and lavishly in these pages. He is ferociously gifted, and fast becoming one of the abbas to whom the reading church often turns for a word from the Lord.” -Jason Byassee, Senior Pastor of Boone United Methodist Church and a Fellow in Theology & Leadership at Duke Divinity School With a style and warmth of presentation...