I picked up another new book this week – to add to my stack. This book Evolution and the Fall contains a collection of essays by a number of authors including Biologist Darrel Falk, philosopher James K.A. Smith, theologian Joel Green and Old Testament scholar J. Richard Middleton. It looks well worth dipping into over the coming months. This book is the result of a collaboration facilitated by the Colossian Forum where these Christian scholars met together regularly over several... Read more

One of the newer theories on the market today hails from some in the missional crowd and is called APEST: apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd/pastor, teacher. Many seem not to know that this was a very big discussion back in the late 60s and early 70s when Ray Stedman put it on the market with this justly acclaimed book Body Life. So when I began to see the APEST stuff (originally often called APE), I noticed both some similarities (often without knowledge... Read more

Rod Dreher’s proposal is nothing less than a different kind of politics, but it is politics. His book is called: Benedict Option. The first point to make about Dreher’s theory is that we have lost the culture war. As recently as the 1960s, with the notable exception of civil rights, moral and cultural concerns weren’t make-or-break issues in U.S. politics. Americans voted largely on economics, as they had since the Great Depression. … The sexual revolution changed all that. Today... Read more

The forces at work in Greg Boyd’s new book, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God, include passages about God in the Old Testament — warrior God images — and how those relate to the revelation of God in Christ of the cross — the supreme revelation of God’s nature — as well as how to read the Bible in light of that full revelation in Christ. Those are the issues. Let this be emphasized: this is a book about hermeneutics.... Read more

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Read more

Go Cubs, Go! Chicago Cubs fans continue to prove they can’t get enough championship gear — even the most expensive type. Jostens started selling World Series champion jewelry, including rings, on April 12, and in the first full week of sales, it sold two times more title jewelry than it had for any other championship team, said Chris Poitras, who heads Jostens’ college and sports division. “The Cubs’ championship story was a story that was like nothing else we’ve ever... Read more

Date: 4/27/17 Time: 10am CST Description: Have you ever wanted to improve your writing, but wasn’t sure where to start? Scot McKnight has written or edited almost 60 books.  He knows first hand that writing is no small endeavor, but also the power of the written word.  The good news is that there are ways to improve on this difficult yet important task. In this Webinar you will:  Learn about why writing is so important for the Church. Tips on... Read more

This post is from Arise, a publication of Christians for Biblical Equality, and in the comment box please write out what you have heard. For a book on this topic, check out Blue Parakeet. By Rachel Elizabeth Asproth On April 19, 2017 Last night, Sarah Bessey (we’re fans!) began a conversation about the strange, sexist, abusive, and toxic things Christian women are told on a regular basis. We’ve been leaning into the conversation and doing our best to keep a record... Read more

By John Frye Officiating funeral services comes with the calling to the pastoral vocation. I was just out of seminary in the summer of 1975 and called to a church in Racine, WI. One of my first duties as associate pastor (a euphemism for student pastor) was to conduct the memorial service for a dear, elderly saint. All I had to go on was some sketchy seminary notes from a church polity class. The funeral home room felt like an... Read more

If you teach college students who tell you what they think, you will hear about this problem. My first semester at North Park many years ago meant teaching Joshua and Judges, to name but two of the locations. It means confronting the God of war in the Old Testament, and students who are honest are troubled — at least troubled, and some are flat out scandalized — by what they read. I have read a number of treatments in the... Read more