David Instone-Brewer. Divorce and Remarriage in the Church: Biblical Solutions for Pastoral Realities. IVP, 2006. 212 pp.
“Most of society thinks that the Bible has nothing sensible to say about divorce and remarriage, and even many Christians think that they can ignore the Scriptures on this particular subject. The laws of Western nations, which are based largely on biblical principles, have deliberately avoided the issue of grounds for divorce by allowing no-fault divorce. This has resulted in a huge increase in divorces, as well as a feeling that marriage can be ended for just about any reason, and this in turn has resulted in disillusionment with the whole institution of marriage.”
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Mark Labberton. The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God’s Call to Justice. IVP, 2007. 198 pp.
What’s at stake in our worship? Everything.
Worship is the dangerous act of waking up to God and God’s purposes in the world. But something has gone wrong with our worship. Too often worship has become a place of safety and complacency, a narrowly private experience in which solitary individuals only express their personal adoration. Even when we gather corporately, we often close our eyes to those around us, focusing on God but ignoring our neighbor. But true biblical worship does not merely point us upward—it should turn us outward as well.
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David F. Wells. Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World. Eerdmans, 2005. 339 pp.
In our postmodern world, every view has a place at the table but none has the final say. How should the church confess Christ in today’s cultural context?
Above All Earthly Pow’rs, the fourth and final volume of the series that began in 1993 with No Place for Truth, portrays the West in all its complexity, brilliance, and emptiness. As David F. Wells masterfully depicts it, the postmodern ethos of the West is relativistic, individualistic, therapeutic, and yet remarkably spiritual. Wells shows how this postmodern ethos has incorporated into itself the new religious and cultural relativism, the fear and confusion, that began with the last century’s waves of immigration and have continued apace in recent decades.
Wells’s book culminates in a critique of contemporary evangelicalism aimed at both unsettling and reinvigorating readers. Churches that market themselves as relevant and palatable to consumption-oriented postmoderns are indeed swelling in size. But they are doing so, Wells contends, at the expense of the truth of the gospel. By placing a premium on marketing rather than truth, the evangelical church is in danger of trading authentic engagement with culture for worldly success.
Welding extensive cultural analysis with serious theology, Above All Earthly Pow’rs issues a prophetic call that the evangelical church cannot afford to ignore.
Author: Eerdmans Bio | Gordon-Conwell Bio | Theopedia
Overview: Amazon | CBD | Eerdmans | Google Books
Excerpts: TOC | Intro | Browse in Amazon | Browse in Google Books
Reviews: Amazon | Eerdmans | CBD | LibraryThing
Professors
- Douglas Groothuis at Denver Seminary (06/06) Review
Pastors/Church Leaders
- Ron Gleason at The Chalcedon Foundation (03/06) Review
- Richard Kew at The Kew Continuum (02/07) Review
- Guy Davies at Exiled Preacher (01/07) Review
Seminary/Ministerial Students
- Darren Larson at The Darren Larson Blog (06/07) Review
Laymen/Unknown
- Randy Newman at CLM’s Academic Imperative (ND) Review
- Walt Mueller at CPYU (ND) Review
- Will at Neither Here Nor There (06/07) Review
- Berny at The Inn Dwelling (12/06) Review
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Tim Conder. The Church in Transition: The Journey of Existing Churches into the Emerging Culture. Zondervan, 2006. 224 pp.
Through transparent personal stories and incisive insight, author and pastor Tim Conder encourages church leaders to embrace the changes necessary to transition their congregations toward effectiveness and authenticity in the emerging culture.
In our fast-growing, post-Christian, postmodern culture, the church often finds itself marginalized and ineffective in mission. The new emerging church is both hopeful and frightening compared to more traditional forms of Christianity. However, these “two churches” need each other. The Church in Transition presents honest stories of the failures and successes of a variety of transitioning fellowships.
Author: Zondervan Bio
Overview: Amazon | Zondervan | CBD
Excerpts: TOC, Ch. 1
Reviews: Amazon
Endorsements:
- “In The Church in Transition, Tim Conder has artfully brought clarity to an often fuzzy phenomenon. This book should be required reading for anyone even considering entering into conversation about emerging culture.” —Denise VanEck, pastor for community life, Mars Hill Bible Church, Grandville, MI
- “To all who know him, Tim Conder is a kind, generous, graceful, and extremely intelligent follower of Christ. This book is sure to come as a comfort and challenge to those many, many leaders–both clergy and laypersons–who feel caught between the ‘emerging church’ and their own traditional churches. I cannot imagine a better guide through this transformation than Tim.” —Tony Jones, national coordinator of Emergent-US; author, The Sacred Way
- “For those interested in the challenges and opportunities we face as we seek to understand the new cultural dynamics of our postmodern world and how the gospel is incarnated and articulated into this reality, Tim’s book is a great help. For those asking how to transition ministries into this new reality, they will find a reliable and invaluable guide with The Church in Transition.” —Tim Keel, pastor, Jacob’s Well Church, Kansas City, MO
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D. A. Carson. Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church: Understanding a Movement and Its Implications. Zondervan, 2005. 256 pp.
A careful and informed assessment of the “emerging church” by a respected author and scholar.
The “emerging church” movement has generated a lot of excitement and exerts an astonishingly broad influence. Is it the wave of the future or a passing fancy? Who are the leaders and what are they saying?
The time has come for a mature assessment. D. A. Carson not only gives those who may be unfamiliar with it a perceptive introduction to the emerging church movement, but also includes a skillful assessment of its theological views. Carson addresses some troubling weaknesses of the movement frankly and thoughtfully, while at the same time recognizing that it has important things to say to the rest of Christianity. The author strives to provide a perspective that is both honest and fair.
Anyone interested in the future of the church in a rapidly changing world will find this an informative and stimulating read.
Author: Zondervan Bio | Wikipedia | Theopedia
Overview: Amazon | CBD | Zondervan | Google Books
Excerpts: TOC, Preface, pp. 11-15 | Misc.
Reviews: Amazon | LibraryThing
Pastors/Church Leaders
Seminary/Ministerial Students
Laymen/Unknown
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Rick McKinley. This Beautiful Mess: Practicing the Presence of the Kingdom of God. Multnomah, 2006. 192 pp.
When Jesus announced, “the kingdom of God is at hand,” what did He mean? Uncover the reality of the kingdom of God and what it might look like if followers of Christ practiced its in-breaking presence. What happens when we view life through the lens of the kingdom? How does the beauty of Jesus’ reign break into the mess of our broken lives and world? What if we lived as though a world other than this one was here today? This Beautiful Mess launches a paradigm-shifting journey inviting us to experience the kingdom of God in the ordinary miracle of our everyday lives.
Author: Website Bio
Overview: Amazon | CBD | Multnomah | Google Books
Excerpts: TOC, Foreword, Preface, Ch. 1 | PastorBookshelf Excerpt
Reviews: Amazon | CBD
Pastors/Church Leaders
Laymen/Unknown
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Greg Sheer. The Art of Worship: A Musician’s Guide to Leading Modern Worship. Baker, 2006. 224 pp.
Is your church launching a contemporary service, trying to balance traditional and modern musical tastes, or seeking relevant worship for a secularized society? If so, here is the complete guide to making it happen. From enlisting and training an effective leadership crew to overcoming opposition from resistant church members, The Art of Worship charts a clear course through every aspect of worship. Comprehensive technical details, biblical principles, and action steps make this an invaluable resource for musicians, leaders, pastors, and students reaching for new horizons in ministry.
Author: Baker Bio | GregScheer.com | Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Overview: Amazon | Baker | GregScheer.com | Google Books | CBD
Excerpts: TOC | Partial Ch. 1 | Browse in Amazon
Reviews: Amazon
Pastors/Church Leaders
- Bob Kauflin at WorshipMatters (1/07) Review
- Matthew Starner at BeyondTheNoise (1/07) Review
Laymen/Unknown
- Byron Borger at Hearts & Minds Book Notes (1/07) Review
Extras:
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