Arising from the author's work among homeless alcohol and drug abusers in Birmingham, this text explores the theory that many people feel alienated from the church because they are alienated from society and through marginalization, cannot relate to the dominant middle-class culture of most churches. In confronting this issue, the author attempts to transform understanding of marginality and to draw a parallel between transcending present-day socioeconomic conditions, and the growth of Christianity through history among those rejected by their host societies - Gentiles, barbarians, outcasts.
