Hartford Seminary presents
Book Signing and Conversation
Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul
with G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Hartford Seminary, 77 Sherman Street, Hartford
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In 1955, only four percent of Americans had switched religious affiliations in their lifetimes. By 2008, it was 44 percent and rising. In his new book, Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul, G. Jeffrey MacDonald argues that this sea change in religious mobility has fueled a market-driven church, where “customers” increasingly demand what’s entertaining and therapeutic, but seldom get challenged in meaningful ways to elevate personal priorities. MacDonald has witnessed the tragic consequences of this shift from a unique perspective as both a national religion reporter and a pastor of a small New England congregation. He sees the church evolving from a character-shaping institution into a pandering, customer-driven business. His lecture – based on his recently published book -- will examine this crisis and explore how religious consumerism might offer solutions.
G. Jeffrey MacDonald is an award-winning journalist, author and ordained 
minister in the United Church of Christ. His reporting has appeared in five books as well as Time magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, USA Today and the Washington Post, among other national publications. He has received six awards from the Religion Newswriters Association and the American Academy of Religion for in-depth coverage of religion. A graduate of Yale Divinity School, he was pastor at Union Congregational Church in Amesbury, MA., for four years. MacDonald is a correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor and the Religion News Service. His new book, Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul, will be published by Basic Books in April 2010. MacDonald lives in Massachusetts.
Cost: Free
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For more information, contact Yvette Law at (860) 509-9555 or events@hartsem.edu.
