Over the last year and a half (roughly 75 weeks), I have posted my reflections on 75 recently published books. I encourage you to browse the list as you think of your reading list for 2011. Each title is linked to my review. Author Title Year Allison, Jay and Gediman, Dan, eds. This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable American Men and Women 2006 Allison, Jay and Gediman, Dan, eds. This I Believe II: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable American Men Read More …
Top 10 Books Published in 2010 (#0220)
There have been many insightful books published this year. Today, I offer my list of the "Top 10 Books Published in 2010" Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Prophet, Spy – A Righteous Gentile Vs. The Third Reich Eric Metaxas Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites . . . and Other Lies You’ve Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media Bradley R. E. Wright God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World – and Why Their Differences Matter Read More …
Review of One.Life (#0219)
Scot McKnight. One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow. Zondervan, 2010. ISBN: 9780310277668. Meet the Author Scot McKnight is professor of religious studies at Northpark University. He is a leading authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight has written over 20 books including The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others (read how this book has influenced me), Fasting (read my review), The Real Mary: Why Read More …
The Nativity: A 21st Century Tale (#0218)
As we begin Christmas week, I invite you to watch a short video: The Digital Story of the Nativity. My thanks to the folks at ExCentric for creating the video and Andy Sahl, who blogs at Unpackthis.com, for bringing it to my attention. It was posted one week ago and already has been viewed over 2 million times. So What? How do you leverage the power of new media to help you tell biblical stories in fresh ways that allow people to hear something familiar as if for the first time? Read More …
Review of All That Jesus Asks (#0217)
Stan Guthrie. All That Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us. Baker Books: 2010. ISBN: 9780801071546. Meet the Author Stan Guthrie is an author, editor, and literary agent who earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Florida and a graduate degree in missions from Columbia International University. He has written two books: Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century (2001) and All That Read More …
Rethinking Spiritual Formation (#0216)
Ben Witherington is the Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Considered by many to be a leading New Testament scholar, Witherington has written over thirty books and six commentaries. For more information, view his faculty profile page or read his blog. Recently he listed his concerns with contemporary views of spiritual formation: Monastic models of piety frankly don't Read More …
How Does Your Web Ministry Measure Up? (#0215)
United Methodist Communications provides the following list of the "Top 10 Practices for Web Ministry" Develop a Web ministry team Know your target audience groups and develop ways to reach them Design seeker-specific experiences through your church’s Web presence, and enlist church members to meet seekers when the online experience leads to offline participation Use a consistent brand image for your church’s online and offline presence Employ the user-centered design process for your Read More …
The Limits of Social Media for Ministry (#0214)
Maurilio Amorim is CEO of The A Group, a media, technology and branding firm in Brentwood, TN that consults with some of the country’s largest ministries, leading churches, and Christian publishers. Founded in 2001, The A Group has transitioned from a traditional marketing agency into a marketing technology and branding firm, leveraging social media and mobile technologies. To connect with Amorim, friend him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or read his blog. Amorim recently Read More …
The Church of 2010 (#0213)
The Barna Group just released a list of six megathemes that characterize the American church in 2010. The list was created by "analyzing insights drawn from more than 5,000 non-proprietary interviews conducted over the past 11 months." The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate. Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for Read More …
The End of the Christmas War (#0212)
James Martin is a Jesuit priest, the culture editor of America magazine, and author of numerous books, including The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life (2010). In his recent article, "The War on Christmas is Over . . . and Christmas Lost," Martin suggests that "in public discourse the holiday has been distanced from the holy day." He argues that Christians have been losing for a long time and that this is the year he is willing to declare that Read More …