Becoming God's Family

Does the church still matter in our modern world?

After waves of disillusionment, #churchtoo movements, and political divides, it's easy to question the value of investing in the church. Yet Carmen Joy Imes offers a profound answer that resonates through the pages of Becoming God's Family. Exploring the familial and communal identity of the church, Imes traces the thread of God's presence in the gathered community of faith across the entire Bible. She invites readers into a vision of the church that is rooted deeply in Scripture and speaks directly to the challenges we face today. Imes reminds us of a powerful truth—God delights in the global, intergenerational family He has created.

Through this book, you'll discover that God keeps His promises. When God's people gather together, God shows up. Whether you're struggling to reconnect with the church, seeking a constructive vision for its role in our world, or longing to better understand its biblical foundations, this book offers clarity, hope, and encouragement.

What you'll find in Becoming God's Family:



- A biblical foundation: Trace the theme of God's presence through the entire biblical text, gaining new understanding of His communal and familial design for the church.

- Modern relevance: Imes addresses the disheartening realities of scandals, political polarization, and deconstruction with a constructive and hopeful perspective.

- Engaging and accessible content: Written by Imes, a respected Old Testament scholar, the book offers rich insights while staying accessible to a wide audience.

- Encouragement for community: Discover the global and intergenerational nature of God's family and the joy of his presence among his people.Becoming God's Family is perfect for students and scholars of the Bible, church members looking for renewed purpose, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the church's biblical foundation. Step into God's enduring promise—when we gather as his people, he is always present. Order your copy today and rediscover why the church still matters!



Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. She is the author of Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and the editor of Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends.

Introduction


1. The Family of Abraham


2. Growing Pains


3. Family Dysfunction


4. Divided Family


5. Kicked Out of the House


6. Processing Family Trauma


7. Family Drama


8. Family Reunion


9. The Family Business


10. A New Temple


Acknowledgements


Discussion Questions


Bibliography

"In a world seemingly convinced that our fragmented, lonely, isolated existences are not only inevitable but good, Becoming God's Family offers a refreshing and hopeful description of the meaning and significance of the family of God. Carmen Joy Imes has given the church the gift of a rousing call to take seriously our belonging to one another. Even those skeptical of the church will find in these pages a compelling vision of Christian faith that not only teaches us right doctrine but envelops us into a family."



"Carmen Joy Imes' Becoming God's Family is a breath of clean and hopeful air! She shows us why God, in his sheer brilliance, would do much of his work in our life through a broken, slow, imperfect, cumbersome, and at times frustrating community of people called the church. Indeed, as the author shows, the church still matters—perhaps more than ever before. This book will bring waves of healing to God's people."



"This is a stirring book, beautifully written and rich on every page. Bringing the Scriptures and our lives together, this book has been needed for a long time. Many of us have longed for a book that explores the family inside the biblical tradition. This book is a gift to ministers, practical theologians, and biblical scholars."



"In this volume, all the obvious passion Carmen Joy Imes has for the church is wrapped up together with all her academic rigor to produce a stunningly good study of our roots. By helping us better understand how we began, Carmen shows us what we can become and how we can best belong. This book is for everyone who loves the church . . . or wants to."



"One of the longest studies ever conducted on human life—the Harvard Study of Adult Development—found the top factor in living a long, happy life is deep relationships in a healthy community. As believers we know this is near to the heart of God, who gave us the church as a spiritual family. Carmen Joy Imes gives a strong and needed call to this community in our land marked today by individualism and division."



"Becoming God's Family weaves together God's design for the redeemed community. This biblical tapestry holds together beautifully, even if a thread or two may be a bit stretched. This well-informed and practical book issues a compelling and challenging call to embrace God's love for the church."



"Carmen Joy Imes masterfully communicates the contours of the Creator's grand narrative to fashion a family of humans who live out their vocation as God's image to a world that desperately needs the author of life. Becoming God's Family does not shy away from hard-to-swallow stories within the Scriptures while simultaneously pointing towards the promised future of a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural family of God. Imes offers graceful reminders and truthful challenges, emphasizing that while God's family awaits the renewal of all things, we testify to what God has already accomplished."



"When first starting our church, I was told that learning to be the church would be our biggest challenge. More than gathering unchurched people, starting ministries, or leading Sunday worship, growing into our identity as God's people had to be our priority. I needed this book back then! Expertly working her way through the Old Testament into the Gospels and Epistles, Carmen Joy Imes reveals that it has always been God's desire to form disparate and diverse people into a family who reflect his glory. Accessible and inspiring, Becoming God's Family is a beautiful vision for being the church."



"I loved her first two books, but this one is my favorite by far. For a culture infected with a nigh pathological commitment to polarization, Becoming God's Family offers the antidote. The church is still the most beautiful thing out there. Thank you, Carmen Joy Imes, for reminding us of this."



"In Becoming God's Family, Carmen Joy Imes holds out hope for the church, a vision for a safe and healthy church, and a reason to stay. As an expert scholar, Imes skillfully walks us through the Old Testament, combining analysis of the biblical text with compelling personal stories. She shows us that churches are not predestined to repeat the harm that they have done. Rather, together, we can embody the diversity, justice, and healing of the kingdom of God. A must-read!" weniger anzeigen expand_less