The Courageous Middle
Amid cultural and political polarization in our churches and communities, many say there’s no use engaging with – or even listening to – people across the divides. All we can do, we’re told, is pick a side, ignore its flaws, and follow the crowd. For believers, is that all there is?
Joining us as part of our Navigating 2024 Faithfully series, Shirley Mullen will argue that something more is possible. In her new book, Claiming the Courageous Middle: Daring to Live and Work Together for a More Hopeful Future, Shirley offers a Christian theological framework for the “middle space,” in which we listen to one another attentively rather than dismissively, and actively pursue redemptive steps together.
We held an Online Conversation with Shirley Mullen on July 26 to imagine a more hopeful, grace-filled future for our communities.
Thank you to our sponsor, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, and to our co-hosts, the National Association of Evangelicals, and Baker Academic, for their support of this event!
Discussion Questions:
What aspect of Shirley's remarks or the conversation was most compelling to you and why?
How does Shirley define or describe “the courageous middle” or “middle space”? Why does she describe it as a potentially redemptive space? What does it look like to offer middle space as either an individual or as an institution?
What are the dangers of the middle? Why is both courage and discernment needed in perceiving and inhabiting it? How have you experienced the risks of holding or hosting middle space?
Why is it so difficult to offer middle space? How, if at all, have you experienced those difficulties?
What qualities of character or formation enable one to “claim the courageous middle”?