James Bryan Smith. The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows. InterVarsity Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780830835317. Meet the Author James Bryan Smith is an ordained United Methodist minister who specializes in spiritual formation. He has been associated with Friends University for over twenty years and currently serves as the Director of the APRENTIS Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation and as Assistant Professor of Read More …
Jesus
Research Suggests that Evangelical Christians are UnChristian (#0298)
"Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus" is the title of a recent Huffington Post article, which seeks to explain the findings of research conducted by the Pew Research Center. The post was written by two professors: Phil Zuckerman (associate professor of sociology at Pitzer College) and Dan Cady (assistant professor of history at California State - Fresno). They suggest the research confirms: what social scientists have known for a long time: White Evangelical Christians are the Read More …
New Testament Reading for Sunday, February 20 (#0275)
Most of us have heard hundreds of sermons, yet would have a hard time constructing a list of even a dozen sermon titles. However, if we compared lists I suspect three would rise to the top as the most frequently cited: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” – Jonathan Edwards “I Have a Dream” – Martin Luther King, Jr. “Sermon on the Mount” – Jesus More than centuries and geography separate the two American sermons from that of the Galilean sermon. The American preachers wrote Read More …
Invocation for Sunday, February 20 (#0274)
Unison Prayer of Invocation We are gathered here to join in the song of faith. In a world that offers goods and services to fulfill even the most demanding and discerning appetites, Jesus invites us to be consumed by an ultimate hunger and thirst for righteousness. Even as our instantaneous access to information and constant awareness of global events overwhelm and desensitize us, Jesus invites us to be difference makers by extending love to all. Empowered by the Spirit, may Read More …
Jesus Hates Obama Ad Canceled (#0253)
Several news sources, including the UPI, are reporting that Fox has refused to air a proposed Super Bowl commercial for Jesus Hates Obama: a conservative comedy website that sells anti-President Obama merchandise. For those who would like to view the spot and make their own decisions, the video can be seen below. For those who are not sure that they want to watch this type of material, consider this summary from the Huffington Post: The ad shows 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 …
The Top 3 Books on Leadership (#0211)
Slant33.com, a website designed to "help challenge, inspire and equip youth workers through thoughtful dialogue and varied expression from youth ministry’s leading thinkers and doers," recently asked three of its contributors to answer an important question about leadership: "What three books do you recommend on leadership development?" Danny Qwon, a youth minister for almost twenty years and a current Ph.D. student in organizational leadership, recommended one book designed with youth Read More …
Review of Transformational Church (#0132)
Stetzer, Ed and Rainer, Thom S. Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations. B&H Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 9781433669300. Meet the Authors Ed Stetzer is the President and Missiologist in Residence of LifeWay Research. Ed is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine and Catalyst Monthly, serves on the advisory council of Sermon Central and Christianity Today’s Building Church Leaders, and is Read More …
Review of Jesus Manifesto (#0131)
Sweet, Leonard and Viola, Frank. Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Thomas Nelson, 2010. ISBN: 9780849946011. Meet the Authors Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism at Drew University and visiting distinguished professor of Evangelism at George Fox University, was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America, and continues to write and speak prophetically about the church. An ordained United Read More …
My Response to Anne Rice (#0127)
Anne Rice Quits Christianity As the days pass since Anne Rice wrote of her decision to “quit being a Christian” I have returned to her words on several occasions. Her words are those of a follower of Christ who cannot fathom why the church she thought she knew and loved has become an institution more focused on being against issues rather than for Christ. Rice’s pain and frustration have led her to walk away and to distance herself from the body of Christ. Today I quit being a Read More …