Synopsis:How do we live distinctively in communities embedded in the world around us? The Not-Very-Persecuted Church provides church leaders, pastors, and Christians interested in community development with principles for evaluating culture in light of mission. Since we are called to live in community, the processes that build group identity can help us understand how to live together well. Paul addressed some of the problems that can occur in not-very-persecuted groups in the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians, and he shows us the way suffering forms identity in that context. With discussion questions and stories from personal interviews, this book offers both fascinating glimpses into the world of the first century and practical applications for Christians today. Endorsements:"Laura Hunt's book, The Not-Very-Persecuted Church, is a great overview of the theological and societal issues facing the Corinthian church. Not only does she identify the challenges that threaten the unity of the Corinthian church, she compares and contrasts those challenges to the contemporary church in America. If you want an excellent analysis of the cultural and societal factors that can shape a church, this is the book for you."-Eric W. MooreAssistant ProfessorMoody Theological Seminary-Michigan"In this fascinating study, Laura Hunt reads 1 Corinthians mindful of how people and groups form their sense of individual and group identity, and demonstrates the common default settings for groups whose social and cultural contexts offer little or no resistance. In so doing, she offers a reading of 1 Corinthians that can speak powerfully to our own twenty-first-century, not-very-persecuted churches."-David W. KendallBishop, Free Methodist ChurchAuthor Biography:Laura J. Hunt is Adjunct Instructor in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Spring Arbor University. She is the author of more than thirty pieces in both academic and nonacademic publications.