LONGWOOD, FL-What if, after spending more than 30 years in the church your grandfather built and your father led, you one day looked around and thought, Do I really want to be a part of this anymore? Would you repress such doubts in the hopes they would simply go away, or explore their origin on the chance the source was good? J.A. Tamel's Reluctant Horses, Broken Bridges, Magic Feathers, and a Tossed Salad: A Postmod's Struggles with Religion (paperback, 978-1-60266-790-7) highlights one such journey and examines the struggle of many 20-somethings to deconstruct what the church in today's culture has become.
"This book is worth reading because it represents a mindset that is steadily growing, but is largely ignored in the local church," says Tamel. "It voices the suppressed feelings and thoughts of an entire generation of young adults who grew up inside and outside the church. We have something to say."
Tamel embarks on a quest to understand the church within the context of the current culture. "Instead of bringing people closer to Christ, the church has become a closed institution that engages in so much religious practice it makes Christ less appealing," he says. Recognizing this need for change, he seeks to imbue readers with a greater understanding of the postmodern generation and what makes them tick.
J.A. Tamel has a B.A. in English and education, as well as an M.S. in administrative leadership. He is attending seminary while teaching and leading at Parkway Church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
Xulon Press, a part of Salem Communications Corporation, is the world's largest Christian publisher, with more than 3,900 titles published to date. Retailers may order Reluctant Horses, Broken Bridges, Magic Feathers, and a Tossed Salad through Ingram Book Company and/or Spring Arbor Book Distributors. Salem Communications is the country's leading Christian communications company with interests in radio, Internet, and magazine publishing.
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2007