A pastor who is also a politics professor examines current issues pertaining to sexuality and society and asks, What kind of world are we creating? And is it the world we want to live in? With no finger-pointing, and a cordial openness to responses from all points of view, Dale Kuehne contrasts the "tWorld," in which traditional morality reigned and recent innovations would have been inconceivable, with the post-Enlightenment "iWorld," in which these innovations are promoted because the perceived immediate needs of the individual are paramount. Both, he finds, fall short of the "rWorld," the larger web of healthy and nourishing social relationships that provides the context for a biblical understanding of individual sexuality. This book will transform the conversation on sexuality among college students, campus ministers, church and ministry leaders, and all readers with an eye on culture and public policy.
EXCERPT
Even as the broader culture has deviated from the traditional understanding of sexual ethics and marriage, so have Christians. . . . Given the rapid shift in the sexual behavior of Christians, it should come as no surprise that when the church attempts to respond to the questions posed by the Sexual Revolution, it does so with mixed messages, a muted voice, and little impact. . . . The answer for the church is not to withdraw permanently from the public debate about sexual morality. Instead we need to step back, think deeply about what we believe, and rearticulate it in a better way. Most of all, we need to practice what we profess and in doing so, reengage the culture in a dialogue about the meaning of sexuality.

This volume helps ministerial leadership students engage the tools of discernment while introducing the various roles that seminarians may pursue, including pastors, varieties of chaplaincy, clinical pastoral educators, academics, and nonprofit leaders. It is an ideal resource for seminarians, particularly during theological field education.

This volume helps ministerial leadership students engage the tools of discernment while introducing the various roles that seminarians may pursue, including pastors, varieties of chaplaincy, clinical pastoral educators, academics, and nonprofit leaders. It is an ideal resource for seminarians, particularly during theological field education.

Volatile social dissonance in America's urban landscape is the backdrop as Valerie A. Miles-Tribble examines tensions in ecclesiology and public theology, focusing on theoethical dilemmas that complicate churches' public justice witness as prophetic change agents. She attributes churches' reticence to confront unjust disparities to conflicting views, for example, of Black Lives Matter protests as "mere politics," and disparities in leader and congregant preparation for public justice roles. As a practical theologian with experience in organizational leadership, Miles-Tribble applies adaptive change theory, public justice theory, and a womanist communitarian perspective, engaging Emilie Townes's construct of cultural evil as she presents a model of social reform activism re-envisioned as public discipleship. She contends that urban churches are urgently needed to embrace active prophetic roles and thus increase public justice witness. "Black Lives Matter times" compel churches to connect faith with public roles as spiritual catalysts of change.

"Our God is a God of surprises... Am I open to the God of surprises?"-Pope Francis, 2014 Responding to this challenge, Surprised by God explores what it means to reflect on life and how we reflect theologically about our journey of faith.Theological reflection has been primarily used in academic training for ministry preparation, but it is a tool that is critical for any person pondering Pope Francis' questions. Christina Zaker provides an in depth look at the foundational elements of theological reflection including definitions and guidance through various methods. Offering a lens for reflection based on the unique way Jesus' parables surprise and invite listeners to collaborate in the kingdom of God, the book foregrounds the importance of honest spiritual reflection. Reveling in the many ways God surprises us, we learn how to respond to the invitation of faith with open minds and hearts.

How can the church be a healing force in the world? In this longtime bestseller, now revised and updated, authors Jerry Cook and Stanley C. Baldwin suggest that it is only when believers admit their own brokenness that they can love, accept, and forgive those who are hurting around them and put out the welcome mat to their community. They offer clear teaching about the church in a hurting world. As veteran leaders who practice these principles, they speak from experience, not theory. Through touching true stories and practical guidelines for connecting with fallen, sinful people, Cook and Baldwin announce the good news. The church is not broken, and it is the broken people who can change the world.

Author and pastor David Kim shares his experiences with loneliness as a Korean American immigrant and delivers compelling research about belonging that includes the revolutionary five anchors for developing meaningful relationships. Even though we are connected more than ever--through social media, video calls and texts, and advanced travel opportunities--we're also drowning in loneliness and isolation. As discipleship pastor of WestGate Church in Silicon Valley, David Kim decided to research the reasons why--and uncovered surprising answers. When Kim moved to America from South Korea as a child, he experienced isolation during his school years. Differences in language, food, and culture spiked an immense desire for an accepting, supportive community. As an adult, he read widely about belonging, and in his survey of more than 1,300 Christians, he discovered that the number-one struggle shared by them is loneliness. Left to ourselves, Kim says, we naturally drift away from God and others, and we begin to believe the lies of the enemy: You are all alone. No one else feels this way. No one cares about you. How could they? God has abandoned you. You were just imagining things before. In Made to Belong, Kim combats those lies with the incredible hope found in the revolutionary Five Practices for Meaningful Connection: Priority: People first, no regrets. Chemistry: What, you too? Vulnerability: Dangerously safe. Empathy: I hear and see you. Accountability: I can't carry it, but I can carry you. True belonging takes intentional effort, but Kim reminds us that we are made to belong--to each other and to Jesus. Through sound wisdom from the Bible, proven research from the social sciences and his own data, and examples from his pastoral ministry and moving personal anecdotes, Kim shows us that we are uniquely designed by God to belong to one another for our flourishing.

For four years, John Bell has been a contributor to Radio 4's "Thought for the Day", attempting - as the project demands - to offer a religious perspective on matters of current social and international importance. Sometimes affirming, sometimes controversial but always contemporary, these short reflections represent the prickly interface between faith and politics from the perspective of a Christian believer.

It has all the hallmarks of a best-selling fictional thriller:

Biblical Perspectives on Leadership and Organizations links biblically-based principles to the study of organizational practices by examining topics including motives, meaningful work, and spiritual leadership from a biblical perspective integrated with findings from contemporary research.