Foreword to the original edition of Body Life
Much is being said today about the church being irrelevant. With many
observers of the religious scene, the church has become the whipping-boy
for many of the world's ills.
It depends, of course, on how one defines the "church." In
Body Life, Ray C. Stedman uses the leverage of the Word itself to bring
us back to the church's real meaning and mission. With strong, convincing
argument he points to the weaknesses within the institu-tional church, and
clearly reminds us of the strength inherent in Christ's body, the true church.
This book is not all theory and semantics. In Chapter Twelve, the author
relates how his interpretation of the church has worked effectively in the
crucible of practical experience. He convinces us that the New Testament
definition of the church is the outworking of Christ Jesus through his corporate
Body.
His Peninsula Bible Church (PBC) began with only five laymen who felt
the need for more meaningful and effec-tive Christian witness, and a richer
koinonia-fellowship than they were accustomed to. These five, convinced
that the church too often boxed itself behind stone walls, took the church
to the people of their community with sincerity, dedication, and effectiveness.
Today, it is one of the most dynamic companies of Christian believers on
the West Coast.
Ray C. Stedman, eager to share PBC's blessings with other groups, has
given us a "how-to" book which shows us how the church can relate
to community life in a meaningful, satisfactory, and redeeming manner.
Billy Graham
Copyright 1995 by Elaine C. Stedman. All Rights Reserved. This data file may not be copied in part, edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of Discovery House Publishers, Box 3566, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
