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The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time | 
 enlarge | Author: Tom Sine
Creator: Shane Claiborne
Publisher: IVP Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $10.20
You Save: $4.80 (32%)
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 69731
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 0830833846
Dewey Decimal Number: 269.09051
EAN: 9780830833849
ASIN: 0830833846
Publication Date: March 30, 2008
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Product Description
"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed," Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, "nothing will be impossible for you." That sounds good, but does it work in a world where seeds are genetically altered by an impatient few and hard to come by for countless others? In a world where the gulf between the very rich and the profoundly poor is constantly growing, can a mustard-seed faith make any difference? And can such a little bit of faith be sustained in a world whose future is so uncertain on so many fronts? Tom Sine says yes, and he has the audacity to try to prove it in his latest book. In The New Conspirators Tom surveys the landscape of creative Christianity, where streams of renewal are flowing freely from diverse sources: The emerging church Contemporary monastic movements The missional church The mosaic movement Individuals and communities of faith are coalescing in, and drawing energy from, these four streams to retrofit the church as it leads, serves and gives witness to the kingdom of God in the turbulent times facing us. Read the book and youll want to-and be prepared to-join Gods conspiracy to create a better future.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Challenged by an imaginative view of what the Church can be November 19, 2008
When I asked to review The New Conspirators by Tom Sine I thought I was getting a critique of the emergent church and its related expressions. I had just finished a book that was extremely critical of reimagining the church, and I thought that I was getting another that might validate or modify the concerns raised in the first book.
I quickly discovered that Tom Sine is not only sympathetic to a new kind of church life but is a key player. This book is like a primer for the emerging, missional, mosaic and monastic movements. He introduces the dominant thoughts of each group and some of the most influential people. Those already immersed in this worldview may not find a lot that is new, but the material is so comprehensive that it is a valuable resource for those on either side of these issues.
This book is well-written, but it is not formulated as a defense of these movements. It does not delve deeply into doctrinal concerns and does not provide an in-depth Biblical basis for what is taking shape.
The focus is on encouraging people to adopt a lifestyle that is consistent with the manifestation of God's reign here on earth. Sine sees his book as an invitation to a simple but radical lifestyle when he writes, "This book is an invitation to a part of something `really, really small,' a quiet community that is destined to change our lives and God's world. We will particularly focus on what God is doing through the emergent, missional, mosaic and monastic streams of the church. But we are all invited to the join the creative edge by more fully discovering how God might use our mustard seeds to be a part of this conspiracy of compassion and hope."
In many ways this is a challenging read. Anyone reading this with an open mind will have to think hard about the repeated call to examine whether our way of doing church and living the Christian life has been shaped more by our consumer culture than we may have realized. It's ironic that in some areas these new forms of Christian expression seem to be more aware than their critics of how the church and the lives of Christians have been shaped by the world.
There is much here that is praiseworthy. The book is particularly strong in advocating a discipleship that encompasses our entire life rather than just segments of it. The author shows how believers can develop statements of calling to help them live more intentionally. The idea is to live in the reality that God's new order is here now and breaking into our world.
The author frequently touches on issues of global concern, and it's amazing how relevant it all is to our current situation. It's as if he was peeking into the present when he wrote this book. He accurately portrays some of the discouraging challenges that the church and the world face today. It's probably the most sobering part of the book.
Whether you view these new expressions of the church with suspicion or are an enthusiastic participant, this book is worth reading for the ideas and realities that are presented. Christians must grapple with these concepts and decide which way to go.
Hopefully, those leading these movements will be willing to engage their critics rather than just dismiss them. It's understandable that they have no desire to go about doing church as usual. But for the sake of truth, being accountable to other members of the body of Christ, and for the sake of those they lead, they should carefully weigh criticisms and be open to dialogue with their opponents.
On the other hand, it would be a mistake for critics to say these new expressions are all wrong. How many of us, and how many of our churches, are all right or all wrong? We might like to think we are right all or most of the time, but pride deceives us when that is our attitude.
Whether these movements are faithful in doctrine and practice to the standards of Scripture will remain a source of debate. How much better it would be if both sides could respectfully speak the truth in love. It shuts down communication when people resort to derogatory comments.
It might help if we look for what's good and right in each other's words. I wasn't looking to find fault, and I discovered truth worth considering.
One of the best books I've read all year September 9, 2008
I abolutely love it (and I believe God does as well) when believers who have been around for a while embrace, not criticize, what God is doing through a younger and emerging generation. Tom Sine, by his own admition, an aging author who is more modern than postmodern in style (pg. 28), is learning from a new generation, because he's not convinced that many older evangelical Christians got all the answers right. The questions he asks on pages 27 and 28 are right on - did we get our eschatology wrong? Did we get what it means to be a disciple wrong? Did we get what it means to be a steward wrong? Did we get what it means to be the church wrong? Did we get what it means to do mission wrong? His hope is "to provoke a serious conversation about what it means to follow Jesus in a changing world and a changing church" (pg. 28), and I think he succeeded in doing exactly that. Perhaps a bit redundant in just a few places, this is a well researched book that will make you think long and hard about what it means to be an effective follower of Christ in today's changing world.
A Great Overview of Today's Church August 5, 2008
In The New Conspirators Tom Sine, author of The Mustard Seed Conspiracy, discusses 4 movements occurring in today's Church; the monastic, mosaic, missional, and emerging. Sine does an excellent job describing the nuances and passions of each expression and it's an excellent book for people wondering what these new expressions of church are like.
He also does a great job of exploring some of the issues the Church and Christians need to think about in our changing world. As a futurist, much of Sine's job is to think and plan for what is ahead and he does a good job of exploring both challenges and opportunities.
I was very impressed with this book and Sine's humility in describing what faces our church and world. He is obviously a man of passion and loves to help prepare us for what lies ahead.
Conversations on fresh expressions in the global church May 16, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"In spite the fact that our world is changing at blinding speed and the church is going through some very tough times, God is still at work in ways that aren't always immediately apparent. For some reason, God seems to delight in conspiring through the small, insignificant and ordinary to renew the church and transform the world." - Tom Sine
This book was long due. Tom Sine spent 3+ years collecting stories, interviewing people, bugging friends and collecting the data that end up in this fantastic book.
You might have heard authors talk about books taking a life of their own, and that is true of this one. As a friend of Tom I was fortunate enough to be around while the book was taking shape. Originally it was meant to be a reincarnation of a his book The Mustard Seed Conspiracy, published in the mid-80's. But that would not hold up to the amazing stories of creativity and faith that Tom was listening. Tom later decided that this was meant to be an entire different book about the God's new conspirators in the here and now.
While many of the current books in the Christian circles cover one topic - Tom have ventured to explore what he calls in the book the 4 streams of renewal for the church and the world:
The Emerging Church
The Missional Church
New Monasticism
The Mosaic (Multi-Cultural) Church
Lots had and is written about the Emerging Church and Missional church. New Monasticism is a hot topic these days. So I am glad Tom included what the multi-cultural church is doing as a fresh and challenging expression in contemporary Christianity.
In this book Tom engage us in five conversations:
Taking the New Conspirators Seriously
Taking the Culture Seriously
Taking the Future of God Seriously
Taking the Turbulent Times Seriously
Taking our Imaginations Seriously
I think it is very important to point out that this is a book on a global expression of the new conspirators. The stories and examples does not come from the western hemisphere alone. This is not an American book. Though the book you'll read stories of ordinary people confronting the powers and living out God's Kingdom values in Africa, UK, Latin America, Australia, USA and all over the world.
encouragement for conspirators! April 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
tom sine is one of the best, encouraging, honest voices to those who are committed to living out their faith in Jesus in new, creative ways. this material highlights that change is coming whether we like it or not and we need to consider our response as Christ-followers. what i like about "the new conspirators" is that it values a diversity of backgrounds/streams/callings and really asks the question "how are we willing to participate in advancing the kingdom of God in and for this next generation?" tom has been around a long time and continues to challenge all of us to keep listening for God, work toward reconciliation & restoration, be present in our neighborhoods, our communities, and be willing to go into uncharted territory for the sake of others. as a pastor & consummate dreamer, i felt less alone in our ministry and challenged & encouraged to keep re-imagining the future.
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