I would highly, very highly, recommend this book for any study groups at local Christian congregations. It calls individual and corporate attitudes towards church membership into question. Any questions one asks of him- or herself regarding one’s faith will only strengthen that faith. Failure to ask question will guarantee that faith will never be able to mature to be in the image Christ wants.
This writer is in one of the groups which John Pavlovitz, author of A Bigger Table, mentions as an outsider to many in the Church, especially “evangelical” Christianity. However, the book was also intended as much for me as anyone else. I need to be more open to hearing and communicating with even those who would like to see me outside of the church.
Read this book. To be honest I tried to find a quotation in the book which might illustrate the author’s points. That proved impossible for me. Each page contains something which is worthwhile and quotable. If a person is perfectly comfortable in his or her church congregation, that person needs to read the book. Pavlovitz makes it clear that one who is making church work correctly will always have a level of discomfort.
A study guide is included to help congregations discuss and implement the material in the text. ( )

Memoir meets community guide in this book by Pavlovitz, in which he explores what it means to be a Christian - one who works to follow in the footsteps of Christ rather than a modern pulpit.

While there is certainly a religious perspective within the book, it is not tied to only one dogma. Never stated, the Golden Rule is implicit in the work.

Well written, easy to read, and personable, I was a fan from the start.

The afterward to the New Edition was vital to me, though, as I try to navigate our current world. ( )

It seems these days that many Christian churches are determined to keep out people, whether because they are LGBTQ+, for or against vaccines, or even of the wrong political persuasion. Author John Palovitz calls this the ‘Big God, Small Table’ approach.

Pavlovitz began his Christian career as a junior pastor in a large conservative church. After exploring ideas with his youth group, he was summarily fired. Instead of this being an ending, after his period of grief, he found it expanding as he became more and more inclusive and Christ focused.

He makes a wonderful case for a larger, not smaller, table. Whether you belong to a conservative church and would like to understand the more liberal Christian’s view, or you belong to a liberal church and want to read well-stated reasoning, I’d highly recommend this book. It fits well into my goals of learning multiple points of view. ( )

A wonderful guide for building community in a world that seems to want to do anything but. Highly recommended, especially but not exclusively for those with a religious/spiritual tradition. ( )

At last, my Early Reviewers copy arrived just after the holidays. My only prior experience with John Pavlovitz was seeing his blog on occasion, and I welcomed the book! I was not disappointed. Following his journey from a childhood in a conservative Catholic family through his experiences as a pastor and activist offered insights and food for thought. It seems so clear that a spiritual community should be a place where all feel welcomed and valued, yet the current climate of "christian" nationalism, bigotry and hate - even violence - can be overwhelming and discouraging. This book offers a path to identify and reflect on ways to build a true spiritual community. I would welcome the chance to participate in a group discussion of the book, using the study guide. ( )