"To speak the Holy No is to refuses to be complicit in the oppression and violence of the ruling power. It is the courageous critique of the present and its claims of immutability. ... The Holy No is also a courageous YES to the future that God has promised."
Thus Hearlson introduces the idea of worship in many forms - explored in various chapters - is the change agent of the Church and culture by the weak and disempowered. I was particularly interested in his exploration of the preaching and lack of liturgical expectations that fueled early Pentecostalism.
While I disagree with the positive voice given to some of the subversive acts, this is a thought-provoking book. (For example, I do not applaud closing a YMCA for a LBGT prom to provide a safe space for alternate genders to celebrate.)
Yet, only within Christianity and its influenced cultures is there such freedom to examine so closely what we believe and to question every part of it without repercussion. Because God is creative and gives free will to humans made in his image, we respectfully can explore - and allow others to explore - possibilities of how God may be at work among us.
An interesting read for philosophy and history grad students who want an alternative look at the role - and shaping of history - of believers and those in Christian culture.
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