Philip Clayton is Ingraham Professor of Theology at Claremont School of Theology and has written or edited some 15 books in theology, philosophy, and the religion-science debate. He directs the Transforming Theology project, which works to identify the best practices in Christian thought and practice that have the potential to transform church and society.

Brian McLaren, in his books A Generous Orthodoxy and Everything Must Change, and John Cobb, in Reclaiming the Church: Where the Mainline Church Went Wrong and What To Do About It, have issued a challenge to academic theologians and seminary professors to make Christian thought relevant to the world in which we now live. Clayton in collaboration with Tripp Fuller has written this book in order to "rekindle theological imagination" by opening up new ways of believing and talking.

What is the context for this renaissance? A multifaith society where lay people now have access to all the religions of the world and can pick up information, practices, and anything else they need via the Internet. Clayton and Fuller note that in this transitional milieu, the church has to be lighter on its feet and adaptable to change. To survive, it has to deal with postmodernity and "focus on practice, the turn to a more pragmatic idealism, and the stress on deep, life-changing convictions in a world of rampant religious plurality."

Clayton and Fuller are convinced that church leaders must be willing to accept changes in the structure of congregations and denominations; they must drop the war between evangelicals and progressives and adopt a "Big Tent" Christianity; they must address the seven core Christian questions; and they must, in the spirit of Martin Luther, build church programs that address the hopes, dreams, and yearnings of the people. The authors affirm theologies which incorporate storytelling, are mutually complementary, and embody a spirit of self-emptying.

Clayton and Fuller end with a robust theological vision that can transform the church in the 21st century with new partnerships and a progressive theology for Christian activism. They conclude this manifesto with some questions and guidelines called "Conversations Worth Having."