This book accompanies a six-part streamed video series available only on MennoMedia.org.Racism feeds on denial. Lament moves us to tell the truth. And the truth can set us free.Stories of racial injustice fill our news feeds. Yet for too long many in the church have been hesitant to speak up about racism in its many forms. We fear offending others...

This book accompanies a six-part streamed video series available only on MennoMedia.org.Racism feeds on denial. Lament moves us to tell the truth. And the truth can set us free.Stories of racial injustice fill our news feeds. Yet for too long many in the church have been hesitant to speak up about racism in its many forms. We fear offending others...

Written with poetic rhythm, a prophetic voice, and a deeply biblical foundation, this loving yet fearless “must read”(Glennon Doyle, New York Times bestselling author) urges today’s church to move beyond man-made restrictions and fully welcome women’s diverse voices and experiences.A freedom song for the church.Sarah Bessey didn’t ask for Jesus to come in and mess up all her ideas about a woman’s place in the world and in the church...

Over 150,000 Copies Sold Worldwide!Understand Scripture on Its Own TermsWhat was clear to the original readers of Scripture is not always clear to us. Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our contemporary setting, we often bring modern Western biases to the text. For example:When Western readers hear Paul exhorting women to "dress modestly," we automatically think in terms of sexual modesty. But most...

Each topic raised by Kervin in this collection of discussion starters for worship planners is a catalyst for a new kind of thinking around how we frame our worship. Creeds, intercultural worship, architecture, language, song, new technology...whatever the subject, Kervin combines an enlightening appreciation for liturgical traditions with the conviction that everyone in the church has experience and opinions and this grassroots input can enrich our common experience.Concise and accessible,...

Does your church make you uncomfortable?It's easy to dream about the "perfect" church—a church that sings just the right songs set to just the right music before the pastor preaches just the right sermon to a room filled with just the right mix of people who happen to agree with you on just about everything.Chances are your church doesn't quite look like that. But what if instead of searching for a church that makes us comfortable, we learned to love our ch...

Meet Jesus and Sam.Evangelist and teacher Brenda Salter McNeil thinks evangelism that only introduces people to Jesus is incomplete. The picture is much larger than that, she claims: Christ's death and resurrection reconcile us to God andto each other across gender, race and social lines.Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman, introduced here as Brenda's friend Sam, gives you the full picture of gospel reconciliation--reconciliation to God and to each other. In her powerful, pr...

"My name is Courtney. I'm an accidental feminist."Although many Christians wouldn't identify themselves as feminists, the reality is that the feminist movement has influenced us all in profound ways. We unconsciously reflect our culture's ideas related to womanhood rather than what's found in the Bible.In this book, Courtney Reissig—a wife, mom, and successful writer—recounts her journey out of "accidental feminism," offering wise counsel for Christian wome...

Outreach Resource of the YearThe American church is at a critical crossroads. Our witness has been compromised, our numbers are down, and our reputation has been sullied, due largely to our own faults and fears. The church's ethnocentrism, consumerism, and syncretism have blurred the lines between discipleship and partisanship.Pastor Eric Costanzo, missiologist Daniel Yang, and nonprofit leader Matthew Soerens find that for the church to re...

What’s the view from where you worship—racially diverse or racially monochrome?On the Last Day every tongue and tribe will be represented in the glorious chorus praising God with one voice. Yet today our churches remain segregated. Can we reflect the beauty of the last day this day?United will inspire, challenge, and encourage readers to pursue the joys of diversity through stories of the author's own journey and a theology of diversity lived out.

This book fundamentally changes the game for the Church of the Nazarene.A growing number of people are calling for fresh conversations about sexuality and gender. And many want fundamental change. This book gives voice to those people.There are strong reasons the Church of the Nazarene should become fully LGBTQ+ affirming. The writers of these essays - whether queer or straight - lay out those reasons, share their experiences, and explain why change is needed.Love r...

Moving the conversation beyond transgender inclusion to demonstrate the unique and vital theological insights transgender Christians can provide the church.Father Shannon Kearns is familiar with liminal spaces. He's lived in them his whole life. And while his experience as a transgender man has often made it difficult for him to fit in—especially in the context of Christianity—it has also shaped his perspective in important ways on complicated, gender-transgressing...