Sarah Raymond Cunningham

Infobox Writer
name = Sarah Raymond Cunningham


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caption = Sarah Cunningham
pseudonym =
birthname = Sarah Elizabeth Cunningham
birthdate = May 30, 1978
birthplace = Pennsylvania
deathdate =
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occupation = Author, Public speaker, Teacher
nationality = American
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genre = Christian spirituality
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notableworks =
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website = http://www.sarahcunningham.org

Sarah Cunningham (born May 30, 1978) is an American author and public speaker based out of Jackson, Michigan whose "humorous observations about church life stir up long-forgotten nostalgia in those who were raised in organized religion." [" [http://www.burnsidewriterscollective.com/reviews/books/c/cunningham_sarah_dear_church_l1006.php Review of "Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation"] , "Burnside Writers Collective" (October 15, 2006).]

Biography

As the daughter of a conservative Southern Baptist pastor, Cunningham graduated from what she calls "an eighteen year course in Christian leadership" [ [http://www.sarahcunningham.org/about.html Sarah's Bio] ] into full-scale disillusionment with institution-based faith. Her first book, "Dear Church:Letters From a Disillusioned Generation" (Zondervan 2006), published 14 letters which, according to Publishers Weekly, vent "her frustrations, telling the church why she is dissatisfied and letting other disgruntled Gen-X and Gen-Y readers know they are not alone. [ [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6350783.html?q=Dear+church Review of "DEAR CHURCH: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation"] ," "Publisher's Weekly" (7/10/2006).] These letters have lead magazines like "Christianity Today" to feature Cunningham, calling her a keeper of both "faith" and "tradition". [" [http://www.ctlibrary.com/le/2007/winter/8.17.html Dissing Illusionment: What unhappy 20s want from church] ", "Christianity Today Library" (January 1, 2007).]

"Dear Church", which could be construed as anti-church, ends up on exactly the opposite note. "Publisher's Weekly" wrote, "Cunningham also highlights the aspects of church life that give her hope." [" [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6350783.html?q=Dear+church Review of "DEAR CHURCH: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation"] ," "Publisher's Weekly" (7/10/2006).] And instead, as noted by Christianity Today reviewer Kati Galli, Cunningham gives "a kick in the pants to the disillusioned, and Cunningham's warning hits home:... She encourages 20-somethings to have a little more grace and patience with the failures of the church and ends her book with a love letter to the church." [Katie Galli, " [http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2008/april/28.69.html Dear Disillusioned Generation: The 'failed experiment' called the church still looks better than the alternatives] ," "Christianity Today Library" (April 21, 2008).] The author's turnabout lead Scot McKnight, best-selling author of "Jesus Creed", to note in his review "it works through real problems — and she doesn’t sugar coat this stuff — into disillusionment and then, beyond disillusionment, into a genuinely realistic and robust embrace." [Scot McKnight, " [http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=1375 Dear Church] ," "Jesus Creed" (August 22, 2006).]

Cunningham also contributed to books such as the best-selling "unChristian" (Baker Book House 2007), "Out of the Ooze" (NavPress 2008), the Mediations: Via Christus Bible (Tyndale House 2008) and the Catalyst Groupzine. She is currently working on a faith based memoir that uses humorous first person stories to explore the topic of spiritual change which will be released by Zondervan in 2009. She is also a contributor to Ginkworld, the Ooze and Dtour, amongst other Christian magazines and online forums.

Cunningham has been grouped with many "emerging" Christian thinkers of her generation (although Cunningham respects, but distinguishes herself from the Emerging Church camp). "Sojourners Magazine" identified Cunningham as a voice of hope along with Shane Claiborne, author of the Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President. [Becky Garrison, " [http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/06/hope-in-perspective-by-becky-g.html Hope, in Perspective] ," "God's Politics" (June 06, 2008).] Cunningham has also spoken on Women and Spirituality with fellow female authors Margaret Feinberg, Jeannie Stevens and Jonalyn Fincher and belongs to the Burnside Writer's Collective, spearheaded by Donald Miller, best-selling author of Blue Like Jazz. In the Christian arena, Cunningham is a rare female humorist and speaker in a male dominated sphere of influence, where she has spoken to thousands while touring churches and conferences like Youth Specialties, Driven, and the Women's Leadership Summit.

Published works

* "Dear Church: Letters From a Disillusioned Generation" (Zondervan 2006)
* "unChristian" (Baker Book House 2007)
*"Out of the Ooze" (NavPress 2008)
*"Meditations: Via Christus Bible (Tyndale House 2008)
*"Picking Weeds (Zondervan 2009)

References

External links

* [http://www.sarahcunningham.org/ Official web site]
* [http://www.dearchurch.com/ Dear Church Resource]
* [http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Authors/Author.htm?ContributorID=CunninghamS&QueryStringSite=Zondervan/ Zondervan Author Tracker]
* [http://www.arbor.edu/contentbottom.aspx?id=11076/ Spring Arbor University Alumni Magazine]
* [http://www.ginkworld.net/articles/se7en-questions/sara-raymond-cunningham.html/ Ginkworld Interview]
* [http://www.christianbookshops.org.uk/reviews/dearchurch.htm%22%3EConrad/ Review by Conrad Gempf]