The Gospel Coalition Book Award What does the good news of Jesus mean for economics? Too often, Christian teaching and ministry have focused only on the gospel's spiritual significance and ignored its physical, real-world ramifications. But loving our neighbor well has direct economic implications, and in our diverse and stratified society we need to grapple with them now more than ever. In The Economics of Neighborly Love pastor Tom Nelson sets out to address this problem. Marrying biblical study, economic theory, and practical advice, he presents a vision for church ministry that works toward the flourishing of the local community, beginning with its poorest and most marginalized members. Nelson resists oversimplification and pushes us toward more complex and nuanced understandings of wealth and poverty. If we confess the gospel of Jesus, he insists, we must contend anew with its implications for the well-being of our local communities. Together we can grow in both compassion and capacity.

A compellingly honest look at what the Bible really says about environmental stewardship

Did God instruct the human race to be His caretakers over nature? If so, is environmental exploitation disobedience to God? Is it true, as many critics claim, that Christianity is the root cause of today's environmental problems--or are all religions and cultures responsible? How should the church respond?

"Should Christians Be Environmentalists?" systematically tackles these tough questions and more by exploring what the Bible says about the environment and our stewardship of creation. Looking at three dimensions of environmentalism as a movement, a Bible-based theology of nature, and the role the church has in environmental ethics, Dan Story examines each through a theological, apologetic, and practical lens.

Writing with easy-to-understand, nontechnical language, the author provides a powerful rebuttal to critics who claim Christianity is anti-environmental. He urges Christians--especially high school and college students--to embrace the tremendous evangelistic opportunities that exist in the environment debate.

In a time when Christians are becoming increasingly aware of the seriousness of today's environmental and ecological problems and want the church to become more informed and engaged in confronting these issues, this book is the perfect introduction to this timely topic.

We know the bedrock themes upon which the Christian faith stands: creation, fall, redemption, restoration. As Christians, we live within these great moments of God's plan for humanity and all of his creation. In other words, our lives are part of Christian theology-every part of our lives, even surgery.As a part of Zondervan's Ordinary Theology series, The Scalpel and the Cross recounts New Testament professor Gene Green's encounter with open-heart surgery and carefully examines the many ways in which Christian doctrine spoke into the experience. The result is a short book that avoids shallow explanations and glib promises, instead guiding readers to deeper understanding and enduring hope in the face of one of modern life's necessary traumas.

Mission is constantly innovating. As contexts change, so too does the work of the church. Today, in the face of a rapidly changing world and a growing global church, the task of mission must continue to innovate in unexpected ways. The State of Missiology Today explores the developments and transformations in the study and practice of mission. Looking both backwards-especially over the first half-century of Fuller Theological Seminary's School of Intercultural Studies-and forwards, the contributors to this volume chart the current shape of mission studies and its prospects in the twenty-first century. This Missiological Engagements volume features contributions by J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu John Azumah Pascal Bazzell Stephen Bevans Jayakumar Christian Pablo A. Deiros Sarita D. Gallagher Anne-Marie Kool Moonjang Lee Wonsuk Ma Gary L. McIntosh Mary Motte, FMM Terry Muck Shawn B. Redford Scott W. Sunquist Missiological Engagements charts interdisciplinary and innovative trajectories in the history, theology, and practice of Christian mission, featuring contributions by leading thinkers from both the Euro-American West and the majority world whose missiological scholarship bridges church, academy, and society.

Archbishop Sheen shows you how to win a lasting victory over vice.

Fulton Sheen claims that since all seven deadly sins led Christ's enemies to nail Him to the Cross, you and I can find in the example of His suffering and death on the cross sure means to overcome each one of those sins, plus the key to understanding - and to nurturing in our own souls each correspond virtue.

Each day, the world's urban population swells by almost 200,000. With every passing week, more than a million people new to cities face unexpected realities and challenges of urban life. Just like the sheer volume of people in the city, these challenges can be staggering. As with the height and breadth of our metropolises, the wonders of urban life can be breathtaking. Like the city itself, the questions and challenges of urban life are both sprawling and pulsing with vitality. As part of Zondervan's Ordinary Theology series, this volume offers a series of Christian reflections on some of the most basic and universal challenges of 21st century urban life. It takes one important dimension of what it means to be human-that human beings are made to be for God, for others, and for creation-and asks, "What are the implications of who God made us to be for how we ought to live in our cities?" This book is intended for Christians facing the riddle of urban creation care, discerning the shape of community life, struggling with the challenges of wealth and poverty, and wondering at the global influence of cities. It is meant for those whose lives and livelihoods are inextricably bound up in the flourishing of their neighborhood and also for those who live in the shadow of cities. Most of all, it is meant for those grappling with the relationship between the cities of tomorrow and the glorious city to come.

Named one of the Top Ten Books of 1994 by the Academy of Parish Clergy Hundreds of books, tapes, workshops and seminars promise to answer these impossible questions. Some offer a set of practical guidelines; others suggest a system or pattern to follow. Some stress various ministry functions; others feature case studies as models of success or failure. Some are helpful. Others are not. But in The Art of Pastoring, David Hansen turns pastoral self-help programs on their heads. He tackles the perennial questions from within his own experience. From the Inside Out Hansen's fresh, bold narrative grows from nearly a decade of ministry. He draws you into his life and into the lives of Florence-Victor Parish in the mountains of Montana, including unforgettable encounters with unforgettable people--a stubborn pioneer woman who still chops her own firewood though she's blind and 90 years old, a championship rodeo cowboy who was baptized in his boots, and many more. Hansen's goal is to help you discover "that pastoral ministry is a life, not a technology . . . that] life as a pastor is far more than the sum of the tasks I carry out. It is a call from God that involves my whole life." From Calling to Living Parable Every pastor has encountered those who struggle to hear God's voice in a hospital room, who reach for Jesus in the sacraments. No systematic answers can meet their deep, eternal needs. What can touch them, Hansen contends, is a life itself, a life lived as a parable of Jesus. "As a parable of Jesus Christ," Hansen writes, "I deliver something to the parishioner that I am not, and in the process I deliver the parishioner into the hands of God." It is this knack for getting to the heart of things that makes The Art of Pastoring valuable for pastors in any setting--rural, suburban or urban. Parachurch workers, missionaries, church leaders and ministry volunteers will also find inspiration here. In this significantly revised new edition, Hansen includes new insights into his view of pastorate as parable and adds a new postlude in which he comes clean on his "constant attempts to leave the ministry."

These sermon outlines were chosen on various topics for their strong scriptural support and solid expository structure. These sermon outlines will enhance pulpit ministry and encourage those in the pew.

Unthinkable only decades ago, America is now raising up generations of people who are "radically unchurched"-those who have had little contact with a Christ-centered church and have no clear understanding of the gospel message. This state of affairs isn't likely to change unless Christians can communicate the significance of their message to a culture that regards the church as irrelevant and outmoded.

Calling for a passionate overhaul of how Christians see and interact with individuals outside the church, Alvin Reid demonstrates a clear understanding of the distinction between the changeless basics of the faith and negotiable traditions, programs, and artifacts. He examines the causes behind the loss of America's Christian identity and the resulting failure of the American church to understand and utilize the New Testament pattern of penetrating an indifferent culture with the gospel. Reid offers proven strategies for touching people who desperately need to be confronted with life-changing Christianity.

"God, Sex, and Politics" examines both sides of the church controversy over homosexuality to consider the ways in which people develop, in everyday thought and interaction, their beliefs about God and justice. Dawne Moon explores how members of Protestant congregations determine what is just and what is not, what is right and what is wrong, what is loving and what is sinful.
Through this compelling work we learn that the considerable turmoil surrounding homosexuality in churches has less to do with homosexuality than with the fear of weakening the church's spiritual, communal solidarity. We learn too how the church mirrors the secular world--the fear of division and politics leads members to avoid conflict in the congregations Moon examines. And so, the Protestants who are the subject of her study avoid debating the key issue of whether homosexuality is sinful because of its potentially polarizing effects. The religious culture Moon uncovers is ultimately critical of politics and of the intense moral and social discord that members believe it entails.
"God, Sex, and Politics" will be of enormous value to sociologists of religion and anyone interested in religious controversies over sexuality.

Along with Carl R. Trueman's Strange New World, this set features a copy of the companion study guide, which walks through each of the book's 9 chapters.

The Christian gospel compels humanity to embrace deeper ways of being human together that will overcome false divisions and exclusions in search of flourishing and graced communities. Presenting both short narratives emerging out of theological reflection on experience and analytical essays arising from engagement in scholarly conversations Theology and the Experience of Disability is a conscious attempt to develop theology by and with people with disabilities instead of theology about people with disabilities. A mixture of academic, professional, practical, and/or lived experience is brought to the topic in search of constructive multi-disciplinary proposals for church and society. The result is an interdisciplinary engagement with the constructive possibilities that emerge from a distinctly Christian understanding of disability as lived experience.

In his nearly four decades of pastoral, parachurch and nonprofit ministry leadership Steve Macchia has come to understand his own brokenness. He writes: "I've experienced great success and a few embarrassing failures. . . . In essence, as much as I like to view myself as a good or even a very good leader, I'm more truthfully a blessed and broken leader, one who is daily in need of being . . . redeemed by the Spirit of God who resides in me." In these pages Steve offers the gifts of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 as the antidote to our brokenness. He writes with personal transparency from his own experience. Each chapter concludes with a powerful spiritual assessment tool to use in reflecting on our own leadership strengths and weaknesses. By embracing and befriending our own brokenness we can find true wholeness in God's strength. In these pages you will discover a new way to live in freedom and joy.

Spiritual disciplines are often viewed primarily as a means to draw us closer to God. While these practices do deepen and enrich our "vertical" relationship with God, Kyle David Bennett argues that they were originally designed to positively impact our "horizontal" relationships--with neighbors, strangers, enemies, friends, family, animals, and even the earth. Bennett explains that this "horizontal" dimension has often been overlooked or forgotten in contemporary discussions of the spiritual disciplines. This book offers an alternative way of understanding the classic spiritual disciplines that makes them relevant, doable, and meaningful for everyday Christians. Bennett shows how the disciplines are remedial practices that correct the malformed ways we do everyday things, such as think, eat, talk, own, work, and rest. Through personal anecdotes, engagement with Scripture, and vivid cultural references, he invites us to practice the spiritual disciplines wholesale and shows how changing the way we do basic human activities can bring healing, renewal, and transformation to our day-to-day lives and the world around us.

Airports are in chaos as a terror plot is uncovered. Suicide bombers bring cities to a standstill. Schoolchildren are massacred in their classrooms. The rules of war are changing. Across the globe, terror strategies strike cold fear into the hearts of ordinary citizens, as innocent people become legitimate targets for bloodshed. George Bush and Tony Blair have launched their counter-attack, but for many the 'war on terror' throws up troubling questions: Crucially, how can God's message of love and reconciliation be heard? Nick Solly Megoran combines an acute political knowledge with a rich appreciation of the Bible and true stories of hope to demonstrate how Christians can live courageously through the war on terror.

From globalization to the digital revolution, secularization to the great recession, change has never happened so fast and wide and deep as we have seen in recent years. The nature of information and the speed with which it travels is unparalleled, and it is changing our world in seismic ways that reach into every crevice of our lives. It's as if the tectonic plates of society and culture are being torn apart and reshaped right under our feet. We are living through a cultural "GLOBEQUAKE."

How should we respond as families? In business? Through our churches?

With the hope and stability found not on this shifting ground but in the one who created the heavens and earth, says pastor and best-selling author Wallace Henley. Drawing from his experiences in politics and journalism plus his deep biblical knowledge, Henley's analysis is clear, insightful, and thought provoking. There is no alarmist agenda here. "Globequake" is a well-reasoned guide to navigating the spheres of our lives in a godly manner, even as those spheres wobble on their axes.

""Globequake" looks at current events and puts them in the context of the larger prophetic picture." ―Cal Thomas, syndicated and "USA Today" columnist, and "Fox News "contributor.

Merit Award, 2007 Christianity Today Christianity and Culture Book What is the state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches today? Are we truly united? In Reconciliation Blues journalist Edward Gilbreath gives an insightful, honest picture of both the history and the present state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches. In his thoughtful overview he looks at a wide range of figures, such as Howard O. Jones, Tom Skinner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson and John Perkins. Charting progress as well as setbacks, his words offer encouragement for black evangelicals feeling alone, clarity for white evangelicals who want to understand more deeply, and fresh vision for all who want to move forward toward Christ's prayer "that all of them may be one." Now in paper

Indecent Theology brings liberation theology up to date by introducing the radical critical approaches of gender, post-colonial and queer theory. Grounded in actual examples from Latin America Marcella Althaus-Reid's highly provocative, but immaculately researched book re-works three distinct areas of theology - sexual, political and systematic. It exposes the connections between theology, sexuality and politics, whilst initiating a dramatic sexual re-reading of systematic Theology.
Ground-breaking, intriguing and scholarly, Indecent Theology broadens the debate on sexuality and theology as never before.

The aim of the book is to contribute to the development of Christian bioethics. Particularly, it constitutes a Christian critique of the sovereign bioethics - he kind of bioethics that shapes the relevant discussions in the public arena, and unjustifiably imposes particular values, boundaries and conditions on the discussion relevant to bioethical dilemmas - with special reference to the issues surrounding euthanasia. This critique is made, firstly, on the ground of the assumption that all theories of human existence, including sovereign bioethics share a common ground - all theories serve their own needs of self-presentation through presenting their subjective principles as objective and therefore as appropriate for power claims over human life. This is exemplified through a thorough analysis of the current discussion on euthanasia. Such a procedure is an innovative way on how current bioethics should be examined and evaluated. Such a critique of the sovereign bioethics is further developed on the ground of the patristic tradition and particularly the works of John Damascene and Symeon the New Theologian. Within such a context, the fundamental elements of a Christian anthropology regarding the constitution of man, the character of pain and death as well as the importance of the free will in man are discussed. This discussion is culminated in the presentation of the character of the Christian voluntary death along with its implications from a bioethical point of view.