James Stewart says:

The urban sprawl that blights the USian landscape has had more impact than merely the growth of ugly landscapes. It has broken apart communities, led to less healthy lifestyles, and increased ghettoization. Jacobsen’s book sets out to introduce Christian groups into the new urbanist agenda, calling for walkable neighborhoods, more community-focussed building practices, and support of local business where real relationships can be borne. While this may well be a good primer, anyone who has read any other new urbanist material or who is looking for a thorough theological account may be disappointed. Jacobsen sets up false dichotomies (community-building is apparently not a part of evangelism for him) and doesn’t dig into the environmental arguments which should be so central for Christians (and indeed, for anyone who cares about the future of the planet and its people). He also talks of how he believes he’s the only Christian member of the Congress for New Urbanism, but without recognising that perhaps he’s the only one who goes out of his way to advertise himself as such. It’s good to see Christians publicly engaging with the vital issues of urban planning, but it would be good to see more serious engagement with urban theology.
Rating: 3 / 5

James V. Dougans says:

Pastor Jacobsen calls America to account for worshipping three false idols: individualism, freedom and independence. Individualism without constraint results in monotonous suburbs. Freedom to travel for some becomes isolation for others (youth and elderly). And a neglect of interdependence actually restricts an individuals ability to achieve their maximum potential.

Jacobsen believes that to be a Christian means to be a city person. The author defines a city simply as something you know when you see it. All cities possess six identifiers, including public spaces.

In public spaces Christians can walk amongst and greet their fellow citizens. This is incarnational ministry. Without public spaces it is hard to build relationships.

In heaven we will be citi-zens or denizens of the city. Jerusalem is a city on earth that God is using for good.

So why do some people see cities as corrupting? Jacobsen points to three cities in the Bible that were troubled: Enoch, Babel and Ramses. Because of these examples some people seek an eden-like existence in the suburbs.

Jacobsen distinguished between Private Christians and Public Christians. Private Christians focus on the Great Commission and the state of the individual. Public Christians concentrate on caring for the needy through institutions. Neither group has really taken the physical forms of their cities very seriously over the past century. Albert Borgmann, author of Crossing the Postmodern Divide, provides that vision.

Jacobsen notes “We’ve given very little thought to the physical structure of our cities and how that provides a framework for the human relationships that go on in these places.” The author provides a theology that seeks to rectify this situation: (1) learn to live out our discipleship to Christ in cities and (2) stewardship of the environment includes our built environment.

Jacobsen advocates for mixed use zoning which allows for some commercial uses and different types of residential uses to coexist. The result is incidental contact, community cohesion, less time in the car, more walking and more attractive neighborhoods.

In the eyes of the author the suburbs are not welcoming to strangers. It is in the city where strangers meet other strangers. Cities experience problems when civility is in short supply, neighborliness is not practiced and some segments of society are not recognized for their inherent worth. We need 24 hour cities and metro areas that share the LULUs, (Locally Undesirable Land Uses).

Finally, Jacobsen notes over 400 developments in the U.S. have followed the New Urbanist Guidelines for Traditional Neighborhood Design. (See Congress for the New Urbanism [...]). We should enjoy these new developments and our older cities which already embody them. This not revolutionary activity but a return to how cities used to be built, such as Geneva. The church, writes Jacobsen, has an important role to play in the new urbanist movement.
Rating: 5 / 5

Stephen M. Anderson says:

God instructed Jeremiah, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will have welfare” (29:7). Imagine creating an approach to church life, church growth, and evangelism based on seeking the welfare of the city–the city (or neighborhood) that your church represents? Imagine. Eric O. Jacobsen in Sidewalks in the Kingdom gives us a blueprint for considering the welfare of the city. Jacobsen builds a case for Christian communities to take an interest in the urban centers where many churches are located. He points out that we have been relying on the false gods of individualism, independence, and freedom, worshipping at the feet of gods that come in the name of American values. Granted not everyone lives in an large urban setting–even Jacobsen writes on urbanism as a pastor, not in NY City or Detroit, but of the First Presbyterian Church in Missoula, Montana. Nonetheless, Sidewalks is worth the reading, if only to help you develop your own theology of the city or town you live in or near. Sidewalks shifts the discussion from “how do we grow our church?” to a more biblical mandate, “are we looking out for the welfare of the city?”
Rating: 5 / 5