Sociologist Jeffrey Guhin spent a year and a half embedded in four high schools in the New York City area - two of them Sunni Muslim and two Evangelical Christian. At first pass, these communities do not seem to have much in common. But under closer inspection Guhin finds several common threads: each school community holds to a conservative approach to gender and sexuality, a hostility towards the theory of evolution, and a deep suspicion of secularism. All possess a double-sided image of America, on the one hand as a place where their children can excel and prosper, and on the other hand as a land of temptations that could lead their children astray. He shows how these school communities use boundaries of politics, gender, and sexuality to distinguish themselves from the secular world, both in school and online. Guhin develops his study of boundaries in the book's first half to show how the school communities teach their children who they are not; the book's second half shows how the communities use "external authorities" to teach their children who they are. These "external authorities" - such as Science, Scripture, and Prayer - are experienced by community members as real powers with the ability to issue commands and coerce action. By offloading agency to these external authorities, leaders in these schools are able to maintain a commitment to religious freedom while simultaneously reproducing their moral commitments in their students. Drawing on extensive classroom observation, community participation, and 143 formal interviews with students, teachers, and staff, this book makes an original contribution to sociology, religious studies, and education.

The Provocative Church offers a liberating understanding of evangelism as a corporate activity, in which all the gifts needed to enact the life of the Kingdom - to stir people into asking, 'What does this mean?' - are spread throughout the whole Church. It encourages the development of a theology of conversion.

These are the stories you haven't heard on the news. These are the people you will never forget. In the midst of never-ending debates, protests, riots, suicide bombings, and broken peace initiatives, one man came to make a difference. Previously known for his determination to deliver Bibles behind the Iron Curtain, Brother Andrew has spent the last thirty years on a very different quest. Traveling to Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel, Brother Andrew has sought out church leaders and urged them not to flee the violence but to stay and strengthen their congregations to become a force for change. His mission: to bring hope to the believers caught in the crossfire of the most volatile region on earth. "This is a book that invites applause and criticism. It will edify and offend, fostering healthy and much-needed discussion and debate in the Western Church."-Randy Alcorn, author, Safely Home "This man's courage is not just a case of bravado on steroids."-Charisma magazine Brother Andrew began taking Bibles to Christians behind closed borders in 1955. That work has since developed into Open Doors International. He is the author and coauthor of numerous books, including God's Smuggler and The Narrow Road. Al Janssen has cowritten or authored more than twenty-five books. He is chairman of the board for Open Doors (USA) and is director of communications for Open Doors International.

Most people focus on pastoral ministry--the activities, programs, and outreach connected with the life of the church--when considering the work of a pastor. But one of the most important parts of a minister's job is pastoral care--activities such as compassion, healing, sustaining, guiding, and reconciling people to one another and to God. People today earnestly seek a minister who knows their names and cares about their hurts. Foundations of Pastoral Care introduces both clergy and laity to the ministry skills and personal qualities needed to provide effective care for people inside and outside the church. With thorough examination, Professor Bruce Petersen traces the historical development of soul care from the primitive church and on through the centuries to the church of today. In unit one, he introduces the place of pastoral care in the local church. He emphasizes the unique responsibility of church leaders and pastors to provide spiritual guidance while caring for the physical and emotional needs of their people. In unit two, he examines the pastoral care roles clergy are asked to fill--shepherd, counselor, collaborator, and spiritual leader. In unit three, he addresses the need for a pastoral presence in the life of the church, and in unit four, he concludes with a discussion about the pastor's personal life and the importance of personal spiritual formation. Foundations of Pastoral Care provides the fundamental elements pastors and church leaders need to care for people in meaningful, personal ways with the love, compassion, and grace Christ showed during His ministry on earth.