Religion journalist Pinsky offers a thoughtful and genuinely entertaining review of faith and morality as reflected through the irreverently sweet comedy of The Simpsons, drawing on a wide if not encyclopedic knowledge of key episodes and interviews with the series’ creators. The animated series is unique in many ways, including its longevity and creative freshness, […]
Over the past several years, churches have engaged in an ongoing debate between two different styles of worship — ‘traditional’ and ‘contemporary.’ Here, Ronald Byars argues that many of the differences between the two styles are superficial. Authentic worship, being wholly theocentric, can and must be both responsive to contemporary culture and grounded in history […]
What is the central purpose of the church today? How can churches experience renewal through worship? In Gathered before God, Jane Rogers Vann answers these important questions by studying ten vibrant small, medium, and large churches. Her findings, she argues, show that worship is the most important thing churches do and is vital to the renewal […]
Widely known theological educator and sociologist Carol Lytch presents this well-researched study of what attracts teenagers to the church and what keeps them there. The cogent research includes interviews of a number of teenagers and their parents from mainline Protestant, evangelical, and Roman Catholic congregations. Groundbreaking and fascinating, Choosing Church ulitmately serves as a highly […]
‘There are few books in which a solid biblical vision and a practical, hands-on approach are so well integrated. When you have read and lived this book, you have been in touch with the best that Christian spirituality has to offer’. —-From the Foreword by Henri J. Nouwen Thousands of people each year accept Marjorie […]
Mike Graves begins this book with the question “If preaching is intended to enliven the church, why is it killing so many ministers?” His answer? Because it has become divorced from the vitality and diversity of the preacher’s daily life. He invites preachers to discover how preaching can be renewing rather than draining. Graves includes […]
In this new volume in the popular For Today series, Ron Allen provides an exciting introduction to the life of Jesus and an engaging discussion of what Jesus life means for modern-day believers. Setting Jesus in his ancient context, Allen examines many stories about Jesus life, including those that present Jesus as a teacher, a […]
The inspirational writings of Henri Nouwen have touched millions of readers all over the world. With his death in September 1996 there was a tremendous outpouring of tribute to him and clear recognition of the importance of his writings. Much beloved as a lecturer, author, and spiritual guide–he brought a message of hope and healing […]
In northern California, there is fog in the morning. Slowly, it clears. We know that the mountains, the trees, the sky are there, behind the fog, but we cannot see them with our eyes. Instead, we know them in our bodies, we know them for having seen them, felt them, watched the fog lift again […]
In today’s world, with its relentless emphasis on success and productivity, we have lost the necessary rhythm of life, the balance between work and rest. Constantly striving, we feel exhausted and deprived in the midst of great abundance. We long for time with friends and family, we long for a moment to ourselves. Millennia ago, […]