Who's Minding the Story? examines the trajectory of the United Church of Canada since its heyday in the mid-1960s. Jeff Seaton argues that the denomination accepted the criticisms leveled at it by proponents of secular theology in the 1960s and made sweeping changes to its practices, its presentation of the Christian story, and its engagement with the world. Seaton argues that these "adjustments," which continue to exert strong influence in the denomination today--as witnessed in the appro...

Hope Church--its clergy and its people--are quite a congregation, an unforgettable cast of saints and sinners. While serving a heavenly realm, they also have their feet plainly planted in the muck and mire of the real world. Here is an Easter story of ordinary folk caught in the gracious grasp of an extraordinary God. In this rollicking, hilarious, sometimes pathetic, fast-paced, and always entertaining journey through a month of Sundays at Hope Church, we meet a wild cast of characters in...

For about the last fifteen years of his life, Thomas A. Langford pondered how grace is central to Christian theology. This book records his reflections and provides numerous gems of mature Christian insight. From beginning to end, the book is christologically focused. Grace is not something that God gives us; rather, it is the way God gives us himself. Grace is a person--God present to human beings. Grace is not a gift but rather a giver. Grace is Jesus Christ. The central contribution of ...

With I'm Not from Here, popular writer Will Willimon returns to fiction with a story of spiritual discovery set in a Southern town. Will takes us on a Don Quixote-like journey during which young Felix Goforth Luckie learns a great deal about the world, about other people, and about a God who shows up in the oddest places, in the strangest times, and among the unlikeliest people. On a quest to discover himself, Felix is discovered by the grace of God. In homage to Dostoevsky, Cervantes, and...

As the western church faces challenges in declining membership and effectiveness due to religious disaffiliation and general discontent with organized religion, innovation must be a central focus within all aspects of ministry in the Christian church. With the focus that the local church must put on innovation, one aspect that will continually be an important factor is how the church understands, interprets, and utilizes failure. Yes, the church must fail! However, the church must not simp...

Contemporary culture frequently defines freedom the way the Bible describes sin: complete autonomy. A Quid without Any Quo explores how the gospel sets us free for glad and joyful service. Not only is Paul's Letter to the Galatians perhaps the most consequential book of the New Testament for the Protestant Reformation, its radical and unyielding proclamation of grace apart from the law is once again timely in a culture that is often without mercy. In these reflections on Paul's explosive e...

Building on a string of Haberer family harrowing encounters, Swimming with the Sharks presents a framework for addressing the sharks among us: those on the other side of the divide in American church life. What is characterized as the separation between blue progressives and red conservatives is shown to be a sellout to a political model and a false witness about the facts and faith on the ground. Believers do see things differently but not in simplistic, binary parties--rather in an overl...

The Sermon on the Mount contains some of Jesus's most powerful and penetrating words in the Gospels. The words Jesus spoke within the Sermon confront us in numerous ways and challenge the status quo we often settle for in our faith. Jesus leaves no stone unturned, challenging all who claim to follow him to evaluate what it means to live in faithful obedience. As you read, you will find yourself challenged and encouraged to live as a citizen of Christ's kingdom. Each page within this book i...

Secularism, the Church, and the Way Forward is a succinct yet descriptive dialogue between a nonagenarian church leader and a young pastor who are struggling with the reality of the rapidly morphing Western Protestant church. At times debatable, at others provocative, and with insights that induce conviction, the authors challenge, confuse, and enlighten the reader. Combining proven, multidisciplinary models with innovative approaches, the authors inspire a deeper understanding of the comp...

"Let me say to President Botha: apartheid is doomed! It has been condemned in the councils of God, rejected by every nation on the planet and is no longer believed in by the people who gave it birth. Apartheid is the god that has failed . . . let not one more sacred life be offered on its blood-stained altar." This is what Bishop Peter Storey preached in 1986 in the darkest hours of black suffering in a South Africa torn apart by racial oppression. Join him as a youthful chaplain to Nelson...

Incorporating children in worship is a powerful and overlooked mark of God's kingdom. This book argues that children's full participation in worship signifies not only a vibrant, faithful communion but also offers a critical window into the Spirit's work of linking the church to Christ. Children have a vocation in worship. They embody the theological virtues in distinct ways that enrich the worship of the whole church. Moreover, incorporating children reflects the difference in unity that ...

Combining thematic analysis and stimulating close readings, The Collar is a wide-ranging study of the many ways--heroic or comic, shrewd or dastardly--Christian ministers have been represented in literature and film. Since all Christians are expected to be involved in ministry of some type, the assumptions of secular culture about ministers affect more than just clergy. Ranging across several nations (particularly the U. S., Britain, and Canada), denominations, and centuries, The Collar ai...