James Bryan Smith. An Arrow Pointing to Heaven: A Devotional Biography. B&H, 2002. 272 pp.
During his life, Rich Mullins challenged the sensibilities of what it means to follow Jesus in today’s world, and now in his death, he challenges all to build upon his legacy of joy, compassion, brokenness, unblinking honesty, and wonder of an Awesome God.
Author James Bryan Smith describes this book as a “devotional biography,” giving readers an insight into Rich’s life, but more importantly, allowing the readers to learn what was most important to Rich—urging people to draw near to God. The book focuses on the key themes of Rich’s life including Family, Creation, Suffering, Simplicity, and the Love of God.
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Mark DeVine. Bonhoeffer Speaks Today: Following Jesus at All Costs. B&H, 2005. 179 pp.
Imprisoned and eventually executed for his opposition to Hitler’s regime, the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer continues to fascinate and inspire Christians across the world. His life epitomizes authenticity, commitment, and sacrifice. Devine writes, “When a man willingly exposes himself to suffering and death for his faith and for others, we take notice and with good reason. While martyrdom neither proves nor produces a spiritual giant, the possibility does arise, and this piques a distinctive longing common to followers of Jesus Christ.”
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Mac Brunson & Ergun Caner. Why Churches Die: Diagnosing Lethal Poisons in the Body of Christ. B&H, 2005. 216 pp.
We are all too aware of the damage poisons can have on our bodies. These ailments find their way into us, invading us, infecting us, and spreading throughout us until the illness is felt all over. There are spiritual poisons that work this way as well, except these ailments invade another kind of body-the spiritual body of Christ. Like the diseases of our physical bodies, these diseases slow the body down, crippling it to function at less than capacity. They limit what the body can do and the effectiveness it can have. If not treated, these diseases can lead to death.
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Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger. Simple Church: Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples. B&H, 2006. 272 pp.
The simple revolution has begun. From the design of the iPod to the uncluttered Google home page, simple ideas are changing the world.
Simple Church clearly calls for Christians to return to the simple gospel-sharing methods of Jesus. No bells or whistles required, so to speak.
Based on case studies of four hundred American churches, authors Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger prove that the process for making disciples has quite often become too complex. Simple churches are thriving, and they are doing so by taking these four ideas to heart: Clarity. Movement. Alignment. Focus.
Each idea is examined here, simply showing why it is time to simplify.
Authors:
Overview: Amazon | B&H
Excerpts: TOC & Ch 1
Reviews: Amazon | B&H | CBD | LibraryThing
Pastors/Church Leaders
- James Grieme at SharperIron (03/07): Review
- Aaron Carpenter at ShaperIron (04/07): Review
- Frank Sansone at SharperIron (03/07): Review
- Benjamin Potter at PastorBookshelf Reviews (07/07): Review
Laymen/Unknown
Extras:
- Watch Dr. Thom Rainer discuss the concepts in Simple Church:
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Chad Owen Brand & R. Stanton Norman, eds. Perspectives on Church Government: Five Views of Church Polity. B&H, 2004. 353 pp.
Perspectives on Church Government presents in counterpoint form the basic models of church government which have developed over the course of church history with a view toward determining which is most faithful to Scripture. Each chapter will be written by a prominent person from within each tradition—with specific guidelines dealing with the biblical, historical, and theological issues within each governance tradition. In addition, each writer will have the opportunity to give a brief response to the other traditions.
Authors:
Overview: Amazon | B&H
Excerpts: TOC & Intro
Reviews: Amazon | CBD | LibraryThing
- David Roach, Baptist Press (09/04) Review (or here)
- Dennis M. Swanson, Narnia3.com (02/06) Review
- Joe Schluchter, Evangelical Presbyterian Church (03/06) Review
- Jerry Hamilton, SharperIron (08/06) Review
Extras:
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Last update 04/18/07
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Wayne McDill. 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching. 2nd ed. B&H, 2006. 305 pp.
In this newly expanded second edition of 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, Dr. Wayne McDill draws on decades of experience as a preacher and homiletics professor to inspire other preachers to live up to their God-given potential.
Here are twelve proven ways to pack more content and effectiveness into every sermon, covering all of the bases from general preparation to the end result of increasing each listener’s faith. Recent seminary graduates and seasoned pastors alike will identify skills that need personal improvement, and McDill encourages them to strengthen such areas at their own pace and in whatever order they feel is best.
Every chapter in this new edition has been revised and updated. Also included are additional worksheet helps and sermon examples.
Author: WayneMcDill.net | SEBTS Profile
Overview: Amazon | B&H | Google Books
Excerpts: TOC | Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Browse in Google Books
Reviews: Amazon | CBD | LibraryThing
Extras:
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Last update 03/28/07
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R. Stanton Norman, ed. The Mission of Today’s Church: Baptist Leaders Look at Modern Faith Issues. B&H, 2007. 210 pp.
The Mission of Today’s Church is a compelling collection of twelve essays from current Baptist leaders addressing three major questions: (1) What does it mean to be a Christian today on individual, group, and societal levels? (2) How can Southern Baptists best work together? and (3) What is next for the Southern Baptist denomination? Those addressing these key topics in-depth include Stan Norman (“Together We Grow: Congregational Polity as a Form of Corporate Sanctification”), Ed Stetzer (“The Missional Nature of the Church”), and Daniel Akin (“Ten Mandates for Southern Baptists”). Among the many other contributors are Chad Brand, Charles Kelley, and Jim Richards.
Author: NOBTS
Overview: Amazon | B&H
Excerpts: TOC | Chapter 1
Reviews: Amazon | CBD | LibraryThing
Extras: Norman’s other publications
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Last updated 03/27/07
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