Who’s Minding the Story?

Who’s Minding the Story? examines the trajectory of the United Church of Canada since its heyday in the mid-1960s. Jeff Seaton argues that the denomination accepted the criticisms leveled at it by proponents of secular theology in the 1960s and made sweeping changes to its practices, its presentation of the Christian story, and its engagement with the world. Seaton argues that these ''adjustments,'' which continue to exert strong influence in the denomination today--as witnessed in the approaches of influential contemporary United Church leaders John Pentland and Gretta Vosper--have seriously weakened the United Church’s Christian identity and contributed to its decline. Engaging the work of Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor in his magisterial volume A Secular Age, Seaton questions the assumptions that undergird secular theology. The book concludes with an invitation to the United Church to make a course correction by reengaging with the Christian tradition while maintaining its commitment to social justice, in a formulation Seaton names ''progressive orthodoxy.''''In his first book, Seaton utilizes Charles Taylor’s magisterial insights to analyze the United Church of Canada’s turn toward ’secular theology’ in the late 1960s. Tracing its lineage from early advocates to well-known contemporary leaders, he shows how, desperate for relevance, we traded away our most potent resource: odd Jesus and his ever-relevant gospel. As you can trust a real friend to tell you the truth, Seaton diagnoses our malaise with both clarity and sympathy.''--Ryan Slifka, Lead Minister, St. George’s United Church, Courtenay, British Columbia''Jeff Seaton demonstrates how the oddness and peculiarity of the Christian story does not easily translate into the stories that the world tells itself. Little about the gospel is innate or available to modern people without the substance and agency of Christ. . . . Reading Jeff’s book gave me hope for the future and a provided a way of recommitting myself to the distinctive, odd, wonderful story of Jesus Christ, reconciling God’s world to God.''--Will Willimon, Duke Divinity School''Something new is brewing north of the border. Pastors and theologians like Jeff Seaton are leading the way with a renewed desire for theology that is Trinitarian, christological, and dedicated to the blessing of the world. I learned a great deal from this winsome and erudite book and recommend it highly to those committed to seeking the renewal of the church.''--Jason Byassee, Vancouver School of TheologyJeff Seaton is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. Jeff earned a Master of Divinity from the Vancouver School of Theology in 2007, and was ordained to the ministry in May 2007. Following ordination, he was settled to the Kimberley pastoral charge in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. From 2011 to 2018, Jeff served as Lead Minster of Trinity United Church in Vernon, British Columbia. He has served as chair of the British Columbia Conference Pastoral Relations Committee and as a member of the Conference Executive. Jeff earned a Doctor of Ministry from Duke University in 2016.