Study Guide for Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition

by Christine D. Pohl

Christine D. Pohl's book Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition has helped foster renewal of the central but long-neglected practice of Christian hospitality. This new study guide for Making Room provides a variety of ways in which people can learn more about the practice. Designed for use by small groups - though individuals will also profit from it - the study guide is divided into nine lessons corresponding to the chapters of Making Room. Each lesson begins with an introduction briefly highlighting the main points of the book, followed by sections on group building, Scripture, discussion, reflection, and personal application. Each lesson also provides aids for group leaders and suggested activities to help participants begin to make the practice of hospitality part of their daily life.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian Living, Christianity, Religion

79 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 1999

About the author

Christine D. Pohl is Associate Provost and Professor of Church and Society/Christian Ethics at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky, where she has taught since 1989. She received a B.S. in Special Education at Syracuse University, 1972; a M.A. in Theological Studies, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 1986; and a Ph.D. in Ethics and Society at Emory University, 1993. She is best known as the author of Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition.

Reviews

[Jared Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very challenging and convicting survey of the theology, practice, and culture of hospitality throughout church history, including plenty of evaluation of the modern church's approach. We read this as part of our Pastoral Training Center's focus on the biblical qualifications for eldership, and I think I will make it a staple of the curriculum going forward. Some readers may not appreciate the ecumenism of Pohl's survey -- lots of stuff from the patristics, as well as the mystics and contemplatives, but also, to be fair, lots of stuff from Luther, Calvin, the Wesleys, et.al. too -- and some of her contemporary resources have not aged well (Jean Vanier). But for what it is, I found it insightful and helpful.

[Savannah Knepp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A top read for 2022.


"By definition, hospitality involves some space into which people are welcomed, a place where unless the invitation is given, the stranger would not feel free to enter."

We are called to create spaces of welcome in our hearts and homes because we were given a welcome invitation into the heart and eternal home of our Host, Jesus Christ.

Beautiful, well researched, and inspiring.

[Julia Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated this! It was SO not prescriptive. I wanted her to tell me exactly what to do and how, but probably for the best, she didn’t. It was kind of a vast overview of the history of the tradition of hospitality, how it’s changed over time, and what this might look like now.

A favorite quote to wet your appetite:

“As a way of life, an act of love, an expression of faith, our hospitality reflects and anticipates God’s welcome. Simultaneously costly and wonderfully rewarding, hospitality often involves small deaths and little resurrections. By God’s grace we can grow more willing, more eager, to open the door to a needy neighbor, a weary sister or brother, a stranger in distress. Perhaps as we open that door more regularly, we will grow increasingly sensitive to the quiet knock of angels. In the midst of a life-giving practice, we too might catch glimpses of Jesus who asks for our welcome and welcomes us home.”

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved, loved this book. Not about making cookies and having a clean home (nothing wrong with cookies, btw) but about making room in your life for the marginalized and stranger. Doesn't offer too many practical solutions but by reviewing the historical precedents of hospitality in the church, challenges our current notions of private space, etc.

[Donna Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Making Room is about the Christian practice of hospitality (welcoming and caring for those in need, as opposed to entertaining). My husband and I were intrigued by the topic and chose this book for our Bible study.
We learned a good bit from the book, were challenged on our thinking, and enjoyed discussing the chapters. The book was, however, dense and sometimes a bit laborious to slog through. It brought to mind many of our college textbooks.
In the end, I would recommend the book only if you are interested in exploring the subject. I don’t think it would arouse the interest in you. However, I was challenged by the book and am actually keeping it for my bookshelf. I usually pass books along after reading them.

[Rebekah Barkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the language of this book is a bit pedantic and made it difficult at times to wade through; the message is powerful and needed. The book itself was well researched and included many quotes from seasoned hosts through the centuries. It’s 4 stars for me instead of 5 since it felt slightly less accessible than it possibly could have been.

The premise of the book is that hospitality isn’t just a choice for Christians, it’s a command—and it involves hosting strangers at its core. As Jesus said, “as you did it to the least of my brothers, you did it to me.” The book explores how historically the Christian tradition distinctively hosted the poor and neediest, without advantage to the host. Yet over the years households became small and insulated and left the care of strangers to emerging institutions such as hospitals and large charities.
The heart of this book is a call to host those who are least likely to reciprocate it, but are worthy of respect because of the work of God in them and because they are created in His image. We explore how this looks and how it involves things like hosting in community, intentional effort to encounter the stranger, hosting with boundaries, etc.

“Practicing hospitality always involves risk and the possibility of failure, but there is greater risk and loss in neglecting hospitality.”

“Jesus challenges narrow definitions and dimensions of hospitality and presses them outward to include those with whom one least desires to have connections. The poor and infirm come with their inconvenient needs and condition, with their incapacity to reciprocate. But in welcoming them one anticipates and reflects the welcome of God.”

[Becky Pliego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really good. I appreciate how well researched this book is (the author often quotes Luther, Calvin, Chrysostom, and Benedict), which makes it interesting.


Note: Rosaria Butterfield quotes Making Room, by C.D. Pohl in her own book, so I ordered it and read it.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both informative and practical - a book I will keep handy on my bookshelf. I have several more books to read now that I’ve read this one.

[Rachel Kopec Barkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A challenging look at true hospitality. It covers what the Scriptures and Jesus teach us about hospitality, how social and economic changes have changed what hospitality has meant over the centuries, and practical challenges that we encounter today.

[Jessica Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making Room by Christine Pohl is a deep dive into the history of hospitality and how it plays out—or should—in Christian communities today. At times it felt a bit repetitive, but given the density of the material, the repetition helped reinforce her key points.

There was much that was encouraging and thought-provoking throughout the book (I took SO many notes in the margins!). However, there wasn’t much practical application for individuals wanting to practice hospitality in their homes. The emphasis is primarily on the church and Christian communities extending hospitality to marginalized groups.

That said, this was the most intellectually stimulating book I’ve read on the subject. Having read many books on hospitality, this is one of the few I think would genuinely appeal to men as well.

[Ryan]

The topic kind of throws you off. If you’re thinking this is an easy read on an incredibly practical subject, you have the wrong impression. Pohl’s book is an in-depth, theological and sociological analysis of the role of hospitality in the Scriptures, early church period, and modern missional practice. You will not finish reading with some “how to” steps but with a more profound appreciation of this lost (and sometimes resurrected) practice. You will be inspired, but you will also need to reread some paragraphs 😂

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource on hospitality, both academic and convicting. If you read only one book on hospitality, let it be this one.

Note: This was published in 1999, about 20 years before Jean Vanier’s death and subsequent revelation of his abuses. Helpful Christianity Today article from 2023: https://www.christianitytoday.com/202...

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I read this book last year, I thought that "hospitality" meant treating people nice when they came over to visit. Pohl opened my mind to the history of true Christian hospitality and its centrality in both Scripture and the early Christian church. She also details why the practice and even the definition of the word have gotten confused over church history. In the process of examining what historical and current Christian movements have done to recover the practice of hospitality, she begins to tackle the theological and practical questions of how we are to best live out this form of radical love for our friends, neighbors, and strangers passing on their way.

It is a very well-written book. More than that, if you want it to be, it will be a life-changing book. Pohl doesn't provide concrete answers to every difficulty in practicing concrete Christian hospitality in our world (that would require several additional books, and I recommend Pohl and Heuertz's "Friendship at the Margins" for starters), but she does give us a look into the relevant questions and challenges us to explore further. If you take this book seriously and try to live out this kind of hospitality in your life, I believe you will grow closer to the Kingdom of God.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like a doctoral dissertation. While I learned some things from it, it is repetitive, overly scholarly, & barely inspirational - what challenges the subject matter does pose are undermined by the intellectual scrutiny the author uses to over-examine such challenges.

[Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Killing me slowly. This book could have been about a chapter long.

[Heather Lehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that I really want to like. It's thorough and thought-provoking, well-structured and precise. Honestly, though, reading this felt more like a discipline than a joy. The language is heavy and academic (I had to look up words which I want to say is a good thing, but actually just felt annoying). It is a helpful book, very different than other books I've read on hospitality in that it focuses on locating hospitality within the rich story of its history. I just wish it was a bit more personal and a little less dry. Every now and then the author inserted a personal anecdote illustrating a point and it was so refreshing. She has had some interesting experiences in hospitality herself and spent time in a number of intentional hospitality-driven communities. I wish she had shared more of those stories. Instead the majority of the book is a compilation of what other people think and have experienced. There's nothing exactly wrong with this -- it just turns out this isn't actually the kind of book I love, as much as I might want to.

[Lauren :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the biblical, historical and practical applications of hospitality, it took a really wholistic approach to really show a lot of facets of a complex issue. As Gods people we’re called to be radically loving and hospitable, but not just entertaining and welcoming to those in our community, but to those outside of any community and most need of welcome. This is hard to do is a society that farmed out hospitality and service to specific industries and disconnected serving the body with serving the spirit, we also live in a more individualistic culture which makes it hard to practice hospitality without the support of community or neutral environments to engage outsiders before entering the home. Most important for hosts is to be joyous rather than begrudging and to be vulnerable, opening up their own lives to their guests. We need to love people through sharing ourselves with them and giving them out whole attention, as we are recognizing them as children of God with dignity and eternal importance, we love because Christ loved us and through loving others we get to love Christ!! Anyways this book was wonderful, informative and highly convicting, a reminder of all we are called to be and the reality that even all the hospitality in the world could not meet the needs around us, because only Christ fulfills that need. 8/10

[Madison Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprise! i love hospitality! pohl works to reclaim a vision of hospitality as in the canonical witness and traditional witness. she best articulates it when she says that hospitality is not a task, but actually should be the Christian’s way of life, one that is simply a joy of life and one which gives flesh to the content of the gospel. twist my arm, i’m convinced christine. “simultaneously costly and wonderfully rewarding, hospitality often involves small deaths and little resurrections.”

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super challenging as well as inspiring. So much stretching to figure out how to welcome people in joyful and sustainable ways. And then to receive from them. Communities are vital to sustaining these practices and the idea of welcome is crucial to communicating value to humans.

[Joshua Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a reason this book is a modern classic on hospitality. Take and read!

[A.J. Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reading level for this book verges on a college level. Pohl does a beautifully thorough job of looking at both ancient and contemporary voices on the topic of hospitality. Quickly she redefines the western understanding of hospitality and launches into a defense for that definition and the practices and boundaries that come with being hospitable to strangers (another term she will define). In God's timing, I just so happened to be hosting a friend who was recently kicked out of his apartment. To be reading this book while interacting with this person in need was both humbling and enlightening. Not only did I get to practice what this book preaches, but I was also able to realize how difficult it is to be truly hospitable and how much I need maturation in this area. Pohl does a wonderful job of equipping her reader with models to follow and concepts to endorse. I would recommend this to any believer wanting to strengthen their Christian commitment, seeing as how hospitality is a Christian expectation.

[Becky Hintz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a historical analysis of the place and practice of hospitality in the broadly-defined Christian Church. It looks at how hospitality has changed in each era of church history, and how those changes have helped or hindered the biblical goals of hospitality. This is not a how-to book, so those looking for practical hostessing tips should look elsewhere. It is a book for those who want to think deeply about hospitality, who want to examine our cultural practice through a wider historical lens in order to identify our successes and failures. Though often focusing on serious (full-time) practitioners of hospitality, the author also addresses the average church, the average Christian household, with a realistic assessment of both our limitations and opportunities. An excellent read.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not a page-turner, but is relatively easy to digest and offers a compelling exploration of and argument for hospitality as a Christian tradition. In many ways, I was not surprised to read and learn about hospitality in terms of providing welcome and care for the stranger, and yet I so often think of hospitality as inviting friends over for dinner. Pohl makes clear that entertaining friends is not outside the realm of hospitality, but that the Christian tradition of hospitality is so much richer and so much riskier. I was challenged by this book to start thinking about how I can create more space in my life to interact with strangers (those who are poor, without a place or community of support) and invite them to share in the life of our home.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good book on the history of hospitality and its role within the Christian faith. It is a more academic read than Rosaria Butterfield's book on hospitality, and I preferred her book because it felt less repetitive and more personal than this book. A lot of the chapters said the same thing just in different ways. It was informative and gave some good advice on how to reduce risks while showing hospitality, but it didn't seem to give as a deep a theological underpinning for hospitality as Butterfield's book even though this one reads more academically than hers. I'd say it's a good companion book to read for the history of hospitality and how our understanding of the word has changed to go along with Butterfield's book The Gospel Comes With A House Key.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have always practiced hospitality but the Holy Spirit is using this book to help guide us in broadening that circle of welcome to strangers. I'm still not sure exactly how to do that, even after reading the book, but my heart is totally there. Very excited about what God has been changing in our lives and how this book will help us grow even more.

[brooke sellers · Rating 3 out of 5]

so far so good. this is is being read by our entire community as we explore how to practice hospitality to our neighbors in a way that pleases God, blesses others, and is sustainable. it's a challenging and exciting set of questions to wrestle with... even more so when put into practice!

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

“By definition, hospitality involves some space into which people are welcomed, a place where unless the invitation is given, the stranger would not feel free to enter.”

Great book of hospitality— not entertaining guests in your perfectly cleaned home that looks like no one actually lives there. Hospitality is creating a space to welcome everyone- especially the least of these: the poor, the marginalized, the refugee, and the homeless.

Caring for these kinds of people has become a privatized, compartmentalized affair. Hospitals, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters do what regular people once did for the stranger. How can we make true hospitality a practice and rhythm in a world like this one?

This book has some great stuff. The constant reminder that Jesus has said that in creating space for the least of these we are creating space for Jesus himself was excellent.

I can’t help but feel like the conclusions were a little half-baked, though. Additionally, I was hoping for a more gospel shaped theology of hospitality. I think this would be an excellent accompaniment to Rosaria Butterfield’s “The Gospel comes with a House Key.” She seems to live out what Pohl envisions here, and her book feels almost like a conclusion to Pohl’s own thoughts.

[Nathan Marone]

Christine Pohl's main claim here is that the word "hospitality" has been severely diluted over the centuries. Today it is more closely related to the idea of entertaining friends or family. Pohl reaches back into the Bible and to early Christian thinkers to overturn this shallow notion of hospitality and replace it with a vision of loving our neighbor, caring for the stranger, the poor, and basically opening up our lives to others in the name of Jesus.

There are two key strengths.

1. Pohl charts the history of hospitality well, at least as far as I can tell. She does a good job of analyzing how culture and historical movements have shaped our view of hospitality so that the reader gets a good understanding of why we are where we are today.

2. Pohl does not hesitate to recognize the challenges and tensions in true hospitality work. She gives wise guidance for practitioners and allows for a wide variety of hospitality expressions.

Highly recommended.

[Benjamin Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

{PTC} [Probably more like 3.5] This book is very helpful for thinking through the command, importance, method, and challenges surrounding hospitality. I believe that the author accomplished everything she set out to do so I’d say it’s a positive read given the right context. There are some glaring areas of awkwardness in the book: numerous Jean Vanier quotes, uncomfortable phrasing (for me and those in my “tribe”), and Eastern Orthodox and Catholic threads throughout. An informed reader can navigate these areas with discernment. From a writing standpoint, I think the author tends to be repetitive (to the extent that I thought I accidentally skipped back to previous chapters) which made reading this one feel longer than it should have been. The repetition could’ve been replaced with more content on receiving hospitality and giving hospitality in rural contexts. Overall, I learned a lot and was convicted by the book.

[Lisa Lewton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be refreshing. Hospitality is such a counter cultural idea where I live, where we go about our busy lives and keep our doors locked. There are chapters here that would be interesting conversation for a board or staff. Hospitality is not entertainment, but sharing one’s human self with other humans. Can a church truly be hospitable? We may be welcoming, but hospitality demands a much more communal focus from the entire body. This book shares wise words from many angles to deepen our understanding of the spiritual practice, or actually way of life, of hospitality.