Following on from the New York Times bestselling God's Politics, Jim Wallis's Seven Ways to Change the World speaks to a people hungry for a politics of solutions and hope. It offers a plan for solving some of the biggest issues of our time: poverty and economic justice, global warming, HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, genocide and the ethics of war. Rather than reciting a laundry list of doom and dread, Wallis identifies seven basic commitments for political involvement that could make the ultimate difference in resolving the great challenges we face. For too long, he says, ideological religion has been part of the problem, but now an engaged spirituality could be a part of the solutions. Writing out of the US context, his message has universal resonance, reminding us of the 'common good' that lies at the heart of social reform. Seven Ways to Change the World will help us to rediscover our moral centre and infuse us with the inspiration and passion necessary to build the kinds of movement that transform politics from the outside in. Show Less

American Evangelicalism is ablaze. This is an inevitable result of divisions along ethnic and cultural lines, which have long tarnished the movement's witness. Doctrinal identity unites black and white evangelicals, but rifts afflict the camp, so the movement is waning. In A Burning House, Brandon Washington contends that deliberate and sacrificial integration is the sole solution to bolster evangelicalism's foundation. In the 1950s and '60s, with desegregation on the horizon, Martin Luther King Jr. said, "I've come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house." As with the country, if we hope to move toward integrating the American Evangelical church, we must do so as firefighters. Washington is not calling American Evangelicalism to become something new. Rather, he challenges the movement to realize what it has always been in Christ. The selfless integration of Evangelicalism will result in a holy witness to humanity and a greater understanding of Shalom--peace, justice, wholeness--in the world. These are the inevitable fruits of espousing and preaching a comprehensive gospel message.

Publishers Weekly starred review "A top-notch Christian look at immigration, humane and full of heart."--Publishers Weekly Many American Christians have good intentions, working hard to welcome immigrants with hospitality and solidarity. But how can we do that in a way that empowers our immigrant neighbors rather than pushing them to the fringes of white-dominant culture and keeping them as outsiders? That's exactly the question Karen Gonzalez explores in Beyond Welcome. A Guatemalan immigrant, Gonzalez draws from the Bible and her own experiences to examine why the traditional approach to immigration ministries and activism is at best incomplete and at worst harmful. By advocating for putting immigrants in the center of the conversation, Gonzalez helps readers grow in discipleship and recognize themselves in their immigrant neighbors. Accessible to any Christian who is called to serve immigrants, this book equips readers to take action to dismantle white supremacy and xenophobia in the church. They will emerge with new insight into our shared humanity and need for belonging and liberation.

In a day when denominations are searching for identity, Created for Mission explores the purpose and mission of a district in the context of the global church.Bob Broadbooks and Gustavo Crocker challenge the assumptions and operational mind-set of every denominational leader who wants to move from the status quo to an outwardly focused organization.With practical advice and a clear model for healthy leadership, transform your district from purely administrative to an effective missional agency.

Shortlisted for the 2016 Michael Ramsey Prize Smokey Mountain, the vast garbage dump in Manila has served for many years as an emblem of third world squalor - a metaphor for a planet slowly choking on garbage and waste. But for Fr Beltran, who served for three decades as a chaplain to the scavengers who survive off this reeking heap, it is also a metaphor of hope - an emblem of the will to survive, the ability to create joy and find meaning even in the midst of abject poverty. Faith and Struggle on Smokey Mountain describes the spiritual resilience of the scavengers of Smokey Mountain, and how they taught Beltran to read the Gospel with new eyes. The lessons he learned bear a message for all who struggle for a better world.

Foreword INDIES 2021 Finalist for Religion Religious faith reduces the risk of suicide for virtually every American demographic except one: LGBTQ people. Generations of LGBTQ people have been alienated or condemned by Christian communities. It's past time that Christians confronted the ongoing and devastating effects of this legacy. Many LGBTQ people face overwhelming challenges in navigating faith, gender, and sexuality. Christian communities that uphold the traditional sexual ethic often unwittingly make the path more difficult through unexamined attitudes and practices. Drawing on her sociological training and her leadership in the Side B/Revoice conversation, Bridget Eileen Rivera, who founded the popular website Meditations of a Traveling Nun, speaks to the pain of LGBTQ Christians and helps churches develop a better pastoral approach. Rivera calls to mind Jesus's woe to religious leaders: "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them" (Matt. 23:4). Heavy Burdens provides an honest account of seven ways LGBTQ people experience discrimination in the church, helping Christians grapple with hard realities and empowering churches across the theological spectrum to navigate better paths forward.

David Ireland, pastor of a multiracial megachurch in New Jersey and diversity consultant to the NBA, equips Christians to usher in a new era of racial reconciliation in One in Christ. Racial disharmony is tearing communities apart, both inside and outside the church. But Jesus Christ is, and was, a great reconciler. Warmth, regard, and respect emanated from His person toward others---all others. Part of this allure was the fact Jesus was comfortable in His skin. This made others who approached Him comfortable in their skin. This quality fuels the deconstruction of walls---the tearing down of barriers that keep us apart. In One in Christ, Ireland shows us that this quality can be learned. In fact, at the cellular structure of Christianity is the ability to be cross-cultural. The Great Commission proclaims it. Jesus said, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). The word nation is the Greek word ethnos, where we derive the English word ethnic. In essence, the last charge Jesus gave was for His followers to become cross-cultural ambassadors. This is not optional, Ireland says: We must each become racially accommodating.

First British edition of a modern classic, completely redesigned and reset for a new generation of readers

Named One of Fifteen Important Theology Books of 2022, Englewood Review of Books This book demonstrates how two overlooked ministry models--base ecclesial communities of the Global South in the late twentieth century and hush harbors of the US antebellum South--offer proven strategies for the twenty-first-century church and contemporary social movements. These ministry models provide insight into the creation and sustenance of vital Christian community, particularly for those seeking indigenous culturally-rooted models, and show how to integrate vibrant Christ-centered faith and mission with world-changing social justice and political action. The book includes on-the-ground stories from multiethnic communities, a foreword by Robert Chao Romero, and an afterword by Willie James Jennings.

Embracing your Christian identity does not make you "soft." Embracing your Black identity does not make you less Christian. Throughout American history, Black people were not given the freedom to acknowledge their suffering. A. D. Thomason believes that the Holy Spirit brings freedom and liberation as we're able to name our pain, recognize its roots in history and society, and seek healing. While many saw a confident, six-foot-five Black man, A. D. "Lumkile" Thomason lived most of his life in fear and anguish, deeply wounded by encounters with violence, abandonment, and family tragedy. Hiding behind a tough exterior, Adam earned his "Black card" but felt joyless inside. Even traveling around the globe to play professional basketball could not resolve his despair. But in the art of Jay-Z, A. D. discovered stirring honesty that gave voice to his own expressions of longing. And in the gospel of Jesus, he experienced the healing and salvation that had long evaded him. Now through what he calls "kingdom therapy," he's figuring out how to redefine the Jay-Z and Jesus that make up his blackness. A. D. uses his artistry as a poet and storyteller to share how he confessed his internalized pain and embraced the liberating joy of Christ. He writes for millennials, emerging adults, and anyone else who's ready to acknowledge the reality of racial trauma and our need to confront it. A. D.'s powerful story gives you permission to be Black, to be Christian, and to be the person God has made you to be.

These collected essays examine the roles of women in their churches and communities, the implication of those roles for African American culture, and the tensions and stereotypes that shape societal responses to these roles. Gilkes examines the ways black women and their experience shape the culture and consciousness of the black religious experience, and reflects on some of the crises and conflicts that attend this experience.

Antoinette Bosco's heart was crushed when Shadow Clark murdered her son John and his wife Nancy. In time her grief transformed into forgiveness. Toni felt that to want one more unnatural death would be wrong. "I could say that the 18-year -old who ended the lives of my children with an 8mm semiautomatic must be punished for life but I could not say, kill this killer". Toni chose mercy over vengeance, and again her life changed forever.

Today she is widely known as an opponent of capital punishment in this the only modern Western nation that retains executions. In telling her dramatic journey she presents compelling arguments why the death penalty does not work and is morally wrong. She also shares unforgettable true stories form parents such as Dominick Dunne who suffered through similar experiences but also learned to choose love over fear.

Choosing Mercy is timely, gut-honest, and inspiring. It may not change some people's minds but it will begin to change their hearts.

What is the place of religious belief in modern culture? Recent years have seen cataclysmic chab=nges in society, yet, far from being banished from today's world, religion is assuming a new significance. Clashing Symbols has become recognised as the most accessible and authoritative introduction to a crucial area in religious studies: the relationship between faith and culture.

We can heal our communities--one friendship at a time. Everyone wants to do something to improve race relations, but many of us don't know where to start. In Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships, lifelong friends Gary Chapman and Clarence Shuler will show you how. Through important lessons they have learned, you will learn how to begin and grow authentic friendships across racial and ethnic barriers. Each chapter will guide you toward deeper understanding of what it takes to foster cross-cultural friendships. These powerful lessons include: How to overcome the fear of developing cross-cultural friendships How to differentiate true friends from mere acquaintances How Jesus initiated cross-cultural relationships The first two steps to your own cross-cultural friendship Three ways to resolve conflict in a cross-cultural friendship How to make friendships last a lifetime Chapman and Shuler challenge every reader to join a movement, the Cross-Cultural Friendship Challenge, and begin changing the world one friendship at a time.

We live in a world of oppositional relationships and increasing in-group/out-group divisions. Christian sociologist Matthew Vos explains how the problem of the stranger lies at the root of many problems humanity faces, such as racism, sexism, and nationalism. He applies classic sociological theory on "the stranger" to matters of faith and social justice, showing that an identity in Christ frees us to love strangers as neighbors and friends. The book also includes two guest chapters, one on intersex persons and the church and one on stranger-making in the "correctional" system.

Many Christians are nervous about politics - isn't the political world murky and sleazy, a den of deceit and backstairs deals? At the same time, the image of Christians in politics isn't great either - often seen as judgemental hypocrites, intolerant and hateful control freaks... shouldn't this mean that faith and politics should be kept firmly apart? In A Mucky Business, Tim Farron, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats Party and friends, explore and defend why Christianity and politics should and must work together. If Christians are to love their neighbours, they need to engage with the issues that affect everyone. Why should Christians leave their beliefs at the door when they enter public life? No one else does! Tim Farron shares his experience as the UK's best known Christian MP and draws on case studies from across the political spectrum. Many of these case studies come from his successful A Mucky Business podcast. Demonstrating that it's possible to be both a Christian and to step into the political world with confidence. A Mucky Business will both inspired and better equip christians to care about politics, pray knowledgeably, and engage with politics effectively.

To seek and find God is everything.
In his forty-three years of seeking after God, Francis Frangipane has learned one simple (yet essential) truth...
It is in seeking God, that we actually find Him.
The deliberate movement of our hearts toward God leads us into far more than a simple answer to our need--it leads us straight to Him. We discover God to be an ally whose wisdom is all encompassing and whose power can transform all things with just one look.
In "I Will Be Found by You" he shares a collection of some of his best writings on the topic, both old and new, to reveal the key to seeking God and possessing a heart after God--the key that unlocks everything important.