Prophetic Untimeliness


Book Description

Why, when relevance is at the very heart of the gospel, are Christians today so irrelevant? And why do we compromise in the face of modern pressures? The culprit, says Os Guinness, is our starry-eyed pursuit of relevance in a highly modern form. In this short but penetrating book, Guinness uncovers the influence and pressures of the modern clock culture, which we take as natural and self-evident even though it's not. And he outlines strategies for a wise handling of time -- today's ultimate currency. To become "untimely people" -- those who are faithful despite the mesmerizing lure of the present age -- we need fresh and creative thinking coupled with a life of integrity. For our true timeliness lies finally in the untimeliness of rejecting modern timeliness. Then, and only then, will we make sense to the world around us while remaining faithful to God. Book jacket.




God, Caesar, and Idols: The Church and the Struggle for America’s Soul


Book Description

Once “one nation under God,” America today is desperately sick. And the Church seems to have no answers. How can a nation so “churched” be so untouched by the Gospel? Why has “the Glory departed,” leaving a nation racked by political hatred, drug addiction, and shattered families? God, Caesar, and Idols asks these questions and calls the Church to seek God’s Word for answers. Too many Christians no longer make political choices on the basis of eternal truth, but instead make them on the basis of purely financial considerations. It’s time for the Church to break its addiction to humanistic, government schooling and instead “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” This book challenges the Church to reject “cheap grace” and the easy temptation to be “tolerant” of society’s rebellion. We must again honor the authority of God’s Word and embrace the life-altering power available when we reject our cultural idols and proclaim “the whole counsel of God” without compromise. Armed with careful scriptural exegesis and supported by the words of great Christians from church history, God, Caesar, and Idols encourages the American Church to again “contend for the faith” in today’s culture—whatever the cost.




Prophetically Incorrect


Book Description

The Bible includes prophetic speech and at times the church and its representatives are called to speak prophetically. But in our media-saturated age when many claim to speak for God, how can we evaluate the avalanche of supposedly prophetic speech? What does it mean to truly be prophetic? And when Christians should speak prophetically, how can they do so in a biblical and effective way? Using vivid examples, this book offers clear guidelines for creating, critiquing, and consuming popular media, as well as practical suggestions for faithful communication. It also helps readers think critically about communication technology. The book includes a foreword by Quentin Schultze and a preface by Clifford Christians.




God's Judgments


Book Description

What do God's judgments have to do with history? Using historical events, Steven J. Keillor pursues the thesis that divine judgment can be a fruitful category for historical investigation, and that Christianity is an interpretation of history more than a worldview or philosophy.




Carpe Diem Redeemed


Book Description

How do we make the most of the time we have? In our harried modern world, Os Guinness calls us to consequential living, restructuring our notion of history as linear and purposeful, not as cyclical or meaningless. We can seek to serve God's intentions for our generation and discern our call for this moment in history.




Intended for Good


Book Description

The Puritans used to say that "providence is the last refuge of the saints." Melvin Tinker's personal experience and work as a pastor have led him to believe that the doctrine of God's providence should be amongst the first refuges for the Christian seeking strength and comfort. From the early church right through into the nineteenth century, belief in providence was part of the staple diet of professing Christians. For various reasons, the doctrine was eclipsed in the nineteenth century, and yet it still lies on the edges of much Christian thought and practice today. However, rightly understood, the providence of God shines as a glorious jewel in the crown of the Christian faith. Melvin Tinker's exposition of the wonderful facets of that jewel is both pastoral and practical.




Developing a Biblical Worldview


Book Description

Developing a Biblical Worldview equips readers to think biblically about the world in which we live. Four questions that everyone asks, at least implicitly, about life and reality are used as a rubric for analyzing worldviews: Who are we? Where are we? What is wrong? What is the answer? Professor C. Fred Smith answers these questions from a biblical perspective, enabling readers to discern how they have been influenced by false worldviews and where they need to grow in their biblical understanding. As readers consider what it means to be human beings made in the image of God, to live in the world God created, to experience sin and its consequences, and to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, they will be encouraged to immerse themselves intentionally in the totality of Scripture and see the world God’s way.




Ice On Fire


Book Description




Preaching with Accuracy


Book Description

A resource to help pastors correctly identify the big idea of a passage and apply it well Preaching with Accuracy provides preachers with a method for finding the “big idea” in each passage of the Bible, since correctly identifying the main point is key to accurately conveying the essential theology of the passage. Pelton lays out a reliable, well-informed method for identifying the main point of a preaching passage and understanding that passage well in its context. Numerous examples are given at each step of the way to show how meaning develops throughout the process of interpretation. Pelton then guides the preacher through applying a Christ-centered hermeneutic that will result in biblical sermons that benefit and equip believers.




A Stone in My Shoe


Book Description

What's more miserable than trying to walk with a stone in your shoe? Many American evangelicals are experiencing pain and discomfort in their relationship to the church. "Stones" in their shoes make the faith journey uncomfortable and increasingly untenable. They either leave the church altogether, become "church shoppers," or live on the margins of the church as outliers. This book presents the vantage point of a lifelong evangelical pastor and religious educator who sees himself as an outlier. Walters draws on decades of pastoral life and classroom experience to engage the church in a conversation aimed at clarifying the concerns and discomforts of evangelical outliers. While this is one person's story it intersects with the stories of many others in American evangelicalism, especially clergy. In identifying the stones which trouble and discomfort so many like him, Walters continually calls the church, his church, back to its biblical and theological foundations.