| Search | About | Preferences | Interact | Help | |
| 150 million books. 1 search engine. | ||
› Find signed collectible books: 'Adventures in Missing the Point'
How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel If you're brave enough to take an honest look at the issues facing the culture--controlled church---and the issues in your own life---read on. Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the new millennium and wonder if we're not doing what we're supposed to be doing? That we still haven't quite 'gotten it'? That we've missed the point regarding many important issues? It's understandable if we've relied on what we've been told to believe or what's widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we truly turned a constructive, critical eye toward our beliefs and vigorously questioned them and their origins, where would we find ourselves? Best-selling authors Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo invite you to do just that. Join them on an adventure---one that's about uncovering and naming faulty conclusions, suppositions, and assumptions about the Christian faith. In Adventures in Missing the Point, the authors take turns addressing how we've missed the point on crucial topics such as: salvation, the Bible, being postmodern, worship, homosexuality, truth, and many more. [via]
More editions of Adventures in Missing the Point:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel'
If you're brave enough to take an honest look at the issues facing the culture--controlled church--and the issues in your own life--read on. Do you ever look at how the Christian faith is being lived out in the new millennium and wonder if we're not doing what we're supposed to be doing? That we still haven't quite 'gotten it'? That we've missed the point regarding many important issues? It's understandable if we've relied on what we've been told to believe or what's widely accepted by the Christian community. But if we truly turned a constructive, critical eye toward our beliefs and vigorously questioned them and their origins, where would we find ourselves? Best-selling authors Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo invite you to do just that. Join them on an adventure--one that's about uncovering and naming faulty conclusions, suppositions, and assumptions about the Christian faith. In Adventures in Missing the Point, the authors take turns addressing how we've missed the point on crucial topics such as: Salvation, The Bible, Being Postmodern, Worship, Homosexuality, Truth, and many more... [via]
More editions of Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community'
Following his well-received Ancient-Future Faith, Robert Webber presents a new model for evangelism and discipleship, the first in a series of four books applying his theoretical ideas to practical situations.
Part 1 of Ancient-Future Evangelism surveys evangelism and Christian formation throughout the church and then translates the process for twenty-first-century Christians. Webber presents evangelism as four distinct stages and suggests three accompanying rites of passage that can be easily adapted to any church tradition.
Part 2 underscores how the four-fold process of faith formation is interwoven with three theological principles: Christ as victor over evil, the church as witness to God's salvation, and worship as a witness to God's mission accomplished in Jesus.
Ancient-Future Evangelism will appeal to both emerging evangelicals as well as traditional church leaders. It relates faith to Christian practice by drawing wisdom from the past and translating those insights into the present and future life of the church. [via]
More editions of Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World'
Paints a picture of the evangelical faith's future by showing how early church tradition provides the resources for answering today's postmodern generation. [via]
More editions of Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Ancient-future Time: Forming Spirituality Through The Christian Year'
Millions of Christians worldwide follow the liturgical Christian calendar in their worship services and in their own personal devotions. The seasons of the Christian year connect believers of diverse backgrounds and offer the sense of unity Jesus desired.
Robert Webber believes that we can get even more out of the Christian calendar. He contends that through its rich theological meanings the Christian year can become a cycle for evangelism and spiritual formation. He offers pastors, church leaders, and those of the "younger evangelical" mind-set practical steps to help achieve this end, including preaching texts and worship themes for Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Advent, and Christmas. [via]
More editions of Ancient-future Time: Forming Spirituality Through The Christian Year:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Aquachurch'
More editions of Aquachurch:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church'
A careful and informed assessment of the 'emerging church' by a respected author and scholar The 'emerging church' movement has generated a lot of excitement and exerts an astonishingly broad influence. Is it the wave of the future or a passing fancy? Who are the leaders and what are they saying? The time has come for a mature assessment. D. A. Carson not only gives those who may be unfamiliar with it a perceptive introduction to the emerging church movement, but also includes a skillful assessment of its theological views. Carson addresses some troubling weaknesses of the movement frankly and thoughtfully, while at the same time recognizing that it has important things to say to the rest of Christianity. The author strives to provide a perspective that is both honest and fair. Anyone interested in the future of the church in a rapidly changing world will find this an informative and stimulating read. D. A. Carson (Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of over 45 books, including the Gold Medallion Award-winning book The Gagging of God, and is general editor of Telling the Truth and Worship by the Book. He has served as a pastor and is an active guest lecturer in church and academic settings around the world. [via]
More editions of Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality'
I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve...I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened.In Donald Miller's early years, he was vaguely familiar with a distant God. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he pursued the Christian life with great zeal. Within a few years he had a successful ministry that ultimately left him feeling empty, burned out, and, once again, far away from God. In this intimate, soul-searching account, Miller describes his remarkable journey back to a culturally relevant, infinitely loving God. [via]
More editions of Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Breaking the Missional Code: When Church Can Become Missionary in Your Community'
Across North America, many pastors are excited to see churches growing as they achieve their mission to connect the message of the gospel with the community at large. Still others are equally frustrated, following the exact same model for outreach but with lesser results. Indeed, just because a "missional breakthrough" occurs in one place doesnt mean it will happen the same way elsewhere.
One size does not fit all, but there are cultural codes that must be broken for all churches to grow and remain effective in their specific mission context. Breaking the Missional Code provides expert insight on church culture and church vision casting, plus case studies of successful missional churches impacting their communities.
"We have to recognize there are cultural barriers (in addition to spiritual ones) that blind people from understanding the gospel," the authors write. "Our task is to find the right way to break through those cultural barriers without removing the spiritual and theological ones."
More editions of Breaking the Missional Code: When Church Can Become Missionary in Your Community:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Carpe Manana: Is Your Church Ready to Seize Tomorrow?'
More editions of Carpe Manana: Is Your Church Ready to Seize Tomorrow?:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology'
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places reunites spirituality and theology in a cultural context where these two vital facets of Christian faith have been rent asunder. Lamenting the vacuous, often pagan nature of contemporary American spirituality, Eugene Peterson here firmly grounds spirituality once more in Trinitarian theology and offers a clear, practical statement of what it means to actually live out the Christian life.
Writing in the conversational style that he is well known for, Peterson boldly sweeps out the misunderstandings that clutter conversations on spiritual theology and refurnishes the subject only with what is essential. As Peterson shows, spiritual theology, in order to be at once biblical and meaningful, must remain sensitive to ordinary life, present the Christian gospel, follow the narrative of Scripture, and be rooted in the "fear of the Lord" -- in short, spiritual theology must be about God and not about us.
The foundational book in a five-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson's pen, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today. [via]
More editions of Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives'
More editions of The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix'
Tested strategies for pastors and churches that want to be somewhere else in the postmodern world and need reliable and practical help to get there. Now revised and expanded. Formerly titled Reinventing Your Church. [via]
More editions of The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Church Re-Imagined: The Spiritual Formation of People in Communities of Faith'
The Spiritual Formation of People in Communities of Faith. This book isn't about quick-fix methods or bulleted, how-to lists. And it's certainly not a dry lecture about a heady theological topic. Instead this book is about striving, about trying, about experimenting with the idea that the old ways of approaching spiritual formation may not be the only avenues toward living lives in harmony with God in our day. Inside these pages you'll spend a full week with Solomon's Porch---a holistic, missional, Christian community in Minneapolis---and get a front row seat at their gatherings, meetings, and meals. Along the way, you'll also discover what spiritual formation looks like in a church community that moves beyond education based practices by including worship, physicality, dialogue, hospitality, belief, creativity, and service as means toward spiritual formation rather than mere appendices to it. Specifically, you'll get a glimpse into the lives of six people from Solomon's Porch and track their growth through their journals as they wrestle with various approaches to spiritual development. Church Re-Imagined is ideal for thinkers, pastors, church leaders, and anyone else seeking fresh ways of experiencing life with God. [via]
More editions of Church Re-Imagined: The Spiritual Formation of People in Communities of Faith:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Churchnext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry'
More editions of Churchnext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Coming of the Son of Man: New Testament Eschatology for an Emerging Church'
More editions of The Coming of the Son of Man: New Testament Eschatology for an Emerging Church:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church'
More editions of Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church:
› Find signed collectible books: 'An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches'
If the emerging church movement is looking for a theology, Ray Anderson offers clear and relevant theological guidance for it in this timely book. Reaching back through time, Anderson roots an emergent theology in what happened at Antioch, where Saul (Paul) and Barnabas were set apart for a mission to establish churches outside of Jerusalem--among Gentiles who had to be reached in their own cultures. He shows how the Lord Holy Spirit himself revolutionized and inspired how the message of salvation was offered to others, and provided a model to follow. Explaining that an emergent theology is messianic, revelational, kingdom-coming and eschatological, this book adresses many of the concerns of those looking for a church that is contemporary, yet true to the gospel. If you wrestle with the challenges that face the church in these "postmodern" days, you will benefit from this book. [via]
More editions of An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations'
Includes -Samples and photos of emerging church worship gatherings -Recommended resources for the emerging church The seeker-sensitive movement revolutionized the way we did church and introduced countless baby boomers to Jesus. Yet trends show that today's post-Christian generations are not responding like the generations before them. As we enter a new cultural era, what do worship services look like that are connecting with the hearts of emerging generations? How do preaching, leadership, evangelism, spiritual formation, and, most of all, how we even think of 'church' need to change? The Emerging Church goes beyond just theory and gets into very practical ways of assisting you in your local church circumstances. There is no one right way, no model for us all to emulate. But there is something better. Dan Kimball calls it 'Vintage Christianity': a refreshing return to an unapologetically sacred, raw, historical, and Jesus-focused missional ministry. Vintage Christianity connects with emerging post-seeker generations who are very open spiritually but are not interested in church. For pastors, leaders, and every concerned Christian, Kimball offers a riveting and easy-to-grasp exploration of today's changing culture and gives insight into the new kind of churches that are emerging in its midst. Included is running commentary by Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, Howard Hendricks, and others. [via]
More editions of The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures'
The "emerging church" movement is perhaps the most significant church trend of our day. The emerging church offers and encourages a new way of doing and being the church. While it largely resonates with an eighteen-to-thirty-four-year-old audience--the first fully postmodern generation--it is also gaining popularity with older Christians and encompasses a broad array of traditional and contemporary churches. Emerging Churches explores this movement and provides insight into its success.
Filled with the latest research and interesting, anecdotal testimonies from those on the cutting edge of ministry, this book provides pastors, church leaders, and interested readers with an insightful glimpse into the thriving churches of today--and tomorrow. [via]
More editions of Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Emerging Worship: Creating Worship Gatherings for New Generations'
Churches are aging. Even among megachurches with their modern technology and huge number of members, whole generations are now missing. In order to reach the 18-35 year olds, churches need to incorporate alternative worship services into their ministries that meet the unique needs of the emerging generations. In a conversational, narrative style, author Dan Kimball guides church leaders on how to create alternative services from start to finish. Using anecdotes from his own experience at Graceland, Kimball presents six creative models, providing real-life examples of each type. Emerging Worship covers key topics including * Developing a prayer team * Evaluating the local mission field and context * Determining leaders and a vision-based team * Understanding why youth pastors are usually the ideal staff to start a new service * Recognizing the difference in values between emerging worship and the rest of the church * Asking critical questions beforehand [via]
More editions of Emerging Worship: Creating Worship Gatherings for New Generations:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture'
"Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture" presents a biblical, Christian worldview for the emergent church - people who are not at home in the traditional church or in the secular world. As exiles of both, they must create their own worldview that integrates their Christian beliefs with the contemporary world. "Exiles" seeks to integrate all aspects of life and decision-making and to develop the characteristics of a Christian life lived intentionally within emerging (postmodern) culture. It presents a plea for a dynamic, life-affirming, robust Christian faith that can be lived successfully in the post-Christian world of twenty-first century Western society. This book will present a Christian lifestyle that can be lived in non-religious categories and be attractive to not-yet Christians. Such a worldview takes ecology and politics seriously. It offers a positive response to the workplace, the arts, feminism, mystery and worship. "Exiles" seeks to develop a framework that will allow Christians to live boldly and courageously in a world that no longer values the culture of the church, but does greatly value many of the things the Bible speaks positively about. This book suggests that there us more to being a Christian than meets the eye. It explores the secret, unseen nooks and crannies in the life of a Christian and suggests that faith is about more than church attendance and belief in God. Written in a conversational, easy-to-read style, "Exiles" is aimed at church leaders, pastors and laypersons and seeks to address complex issues in a simple manner. It includes helpful photographs and diagrams. [via]
More editions of Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Experiential Storytelling: (Re)Discovery Narrative to Communicate God's Message'
The 'Been there, done that' culture is starving for reality. Hardly satisfied with the modern conventions of citing facts and figures and pushing propositions, emerging churches are jumping into the narrative form of communication with both feet. But not all emerging church leaders have an inherent handle on the craft and skill of using narrative as a sermon form. Experiential Storytelling zeros in on the hows and whys of narrative, as well as the importance of sharing personal experience to double your storytelling ammunition. In addition, author Mark Miller goes several steps further, giving examples of real-time, hands-on experiences for church members as innovative extensions of traditional teaching and preaching that offer them greater scriptural understanding and ownership of the gospel story. Chapters include: * The Dawning of the Age of Experience * Once Upon a Story * Awakening the Sleeping Giant in the Church---C*R*E*A*T*I*V*T*Y * Reimagining the 'Sermon' * Elements of Experiential Storytelling * Killer Apps [via]
More editions of Experiential Storytelling: (Re)Discovery Narrative to Communicate God's Message:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Finding Faith'
More editions of Finding Faith:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church'
More editions of The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Future Church: Ministry In A Post-seeker Age'
More editions of Future Church: Ministry In A Post-seeker Age:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Generating Hope: A Strategy for Reaching the Postmodern Generation'
More editions of Generating Hope: A Strategy for Reaching the Postmodern Generation:
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Generous Orthodoxy'
cover wear only [via]
More editions of A Generous Orthodoxy:
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvini'
A confession and manifesto from a senior leader in the emerging church movement---A Generous Orthodoxy calls for a radical, Christ-centered orthodoxy of faith and practice in a missional, generous spirit. Brian McLaren argues for a post-liberal, post-conservative, post-protestant convergence, which will stimulate lively interest and global conversation among thoughtful Christians from all traditions. In a sweeping exploration of belief, author Brian McLaren takes us across the landscape of faith, envisioning an orthodoxy that aims for Jesus, is driven by love, and is defined by missional intent. A Generous Orthodoxy rediscovers the mysterious and compelling ways that Jesus can be embraced across the entire Christian horizon. Rather than establishing what is and is not 'orthodox,' McLaren walks through the many traditions of faith, bringing to the center a way of life that draws us closer to Christ and to each other. Whether you find yourself inside, outside, or somewhere on the fringe of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy draws you toward a way of living that looks beyond the 'us/them' paradigm to the blessed and ancient paradox of 'we.' [via]
More editions of A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvini:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living With a Grande Passion'
More editions of The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living With a Grande Passion:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Gospel in a Pluralist Society'
More editions of The Gospel in a Pluralist Society:

› Find signed collectible books: 'A Heretic's Guide to Eternity'
More editions of A Heretic's Guide to Eternity:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, And Church'
More editions of The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, And Church:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Houses That Change the World: The Return of the House Churches'
More editions of Houses That Change the World: The Return of the House Churches:
› Find signed collectible books: 'How (Not) to Speak of God'
More editions of How (Not) to Speak of God:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Irresistible Revolution: Living As an Ordinary Radical'
More editions of The Irresistible Revolution: Living As an Ordinary Radical:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor And a Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism & Christianity'
Greg Graffin is frontman, singer and songwriter for the punk band . He also happens to have a Ph.D. in zoology and wrote his dissertation on evolution, atheism and naturalism. Preston Jones is a history professor at a Christian college and a fan of Bad Religion's music. One day, on a whim, Preston sent Greg an appreciative e-mail. That was the start of an extraordinary correspondence. For several months, Preston and Greg sent e-mails back and forth on big topics like God, religion, knowledge, evil, evolution, biology, destiny and the nature of reality. Preston believes in God; Greg sees insufficient evidence for God's existence. Over the course of their friendly debate, they tackle such cosmic questions as: Is religion rational or irrational? Does morality require belief in God? Do people only believe in God because they are genetically predisposed toward religion? How do you make sense of suffering in the world? Is this universe all there is? And what does it all matter? In this engaging book, Preston and Greg's actual e-mail correspondence is reproduced, along with bonus materials that provide additional background and context. Each makes his case for why he thinks his worldview is more compelling and explanatory. While they find some places to agree, neither one convinces the other. They can't both be right. So which worldview is more plausible? You decide. [via]
More editions of Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor And a Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism & Christianity:
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Is for Abductive: The Language of the Emerging Church'
A Is for Abductive B is for Body C is for Carpe Manana D is for Double-Ring E is for EPICtivities F is for Fractals G is for Grace H is for Holarchy I is for Icon J is for the J-Factor K is for Kaleidoscopic Change L is for Loopy M is for Metanarrative N is for Neurological Pre-Rewirings O is for Open-Endedness P is for Prayer Q is for Quest-ions R is for Radical Orthodoxy S is for Systems Theology T is for Tribal U is for Unknown V is for Voice W is for Wonder X is for Xenophilia Y is for Yes! Z is for Zending Do You Know the Postmodern Alphabet? The letters are all the same, but the things they stand for are as different as the future is from the past. A Is for Abductive helps you get a handle today on the vocabulary of tomorrow, and on concepts indispensable for living out the old-fashioned gospel in these newfangled times. 'You caused this book,' writes one of the authors. 'People like you were insisting on a beginner's guide to the pathway of postmodern ministry.' Here it is. There is no right or wrong place to begin---just pick a letter and start reading. You'll acquire new words for a new world that will change how you think about church, about ministry, and about what it means to follow in Jesus' footsteps---entering today's culture in order to love it, serve it, and lead it home to God. [via]
More editions of A Is for Abductive: The Language of the Emerging Church:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Last Word And The Word After That: A Tale Of Faith, Doubt, And A New Kind Of Christianity'
For all those seeking more authentic ways to hold and practice Christian faith, Brian McLaren has been an inspiring, compassionateand provocativevoice. Starting with the award-winning A New Kind of Christian, McLaren offered a lively, wide-ranging fictional conversation between Pastor Dan Poole and his friend Neil Oliver as they reflected about faith, doubt, reason, mission, leadership, and spiritual practice in the emerging postmodern world. That conversation widened to include several intriguing new characters in the sequel, The Story We Find Ourselves In, as Dan and friends continued to explore faith-stretching themes from evolution to evangelism, from death to the meaning of life. Now, in this third installment of their adventures, Dan and his widening circle of friends grapple with conventional Christian teachings about hell and judgment and what they mean for our relationship with God and each other. Is there an alternative to the usual polar views of a just God short on mercy or a merciful God short on justice? Could our conflicted views of hell be symptoms of a deeper set of problems misunderstandings about what Gods justice and mercy are about, misconceptions about Gods purpose in creating the world, deep misgivings about what kind of character God is and what the Christian gospel is for?
More editions of The Last Word And The Word After That: A Tale Of Faith, Doubt, And A New Kind Of Christianity:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Learn to Dance the Soul Salsa: 17 Surprising Steps for Godly Living in the 21st Century'
More editions of Learn to Dance the Soul Salsa: 17 Surprising Steps for Godly Living in the 21st Century:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Life After God'
In a dazzlingly original collection of stories, Doug Coupland envisions a new kind of spiritualism for a culture fast-forwarding into the future. Coupland is the international bestselling author of Generation X and Shampoo Planet. [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches: Five Perspectives'
What are the beliefs of the new movement known as the emerging church? In thought-provoking debate, prominent emerging leaders John Burke, Mark Driscoll, Dan Kimball, Doug Pagitt, and Karen Ward discuss their sometimes controversial views under the editorship of author and educator Robert Webber. Hear what they say about their views of Scripture, Christ, the atonement, other world religions, and other important doctrines, so you can come to your own conclusions about the emerging church. [via]
More editions of Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches: Five Perspectives:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Making Sense of Church: Eavesdropping on Emerging Conversations About God, Community, and Culture'
Samplings of online discussions about God, truth, and church---from theOoze.com Our culture is rapidly changing and people are searching for new models and paradigms to find meaning in their lives. As in all transitional periods, this search takes place in grass-roots conversations where the 'new' is taking form. No other place so uniquely captures this struggle more than the message boards at theOoze.com, the premier melting pot of emerging spiritual conversation. Making Sense of Church is a snapshot of this 'community conversation' as it tries to make sense of God in the emerging worldview. It represents a gathering of individuals with different points of view, theologies, life contexts, and feelings. Author Spencer Burke, creator of theOoze.com, provides the framework writing for each chapter and acts as a 'guide' to the accompanying e-mail postings that supplement the chapters. Subjects discussed include: * Authentic Community * Experiential Worship * The Internet and God * Art as a Vehicle for Communicating Truth * Spirituality and Sexuality * What Is the Church? * What Is Postmodernism? [via]
More editions of Making Sense of Church: Eavesdropping on Emerging Conversations About God, Community, and Culture:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America'
What would a theology of the Church look like that took seriously the fact that North America is now itself a mission field? This question lies at the foundation of this volume written by an ecumenical team of six noted missiologistsLois Barrett, Inagrace T. Dietterich, Darrell L. Guder, George R. Hunsberger, Alan J. Roxburgh, and Craig Van Gelder.
The result of a three-year research project undertaken by The Gospel and Our Culture Network, this book issues a firm challenge for the church to recover its missional call right here in North America, while also offering the tools to help it do so.
The authors examine North Americas secular culture and the churchs loss of dominance in todays society. They then present a biblically based theology that takes seriously the churchs missional vocation and draw out the consequences of this theology for the structure and institutions of the church.
[via]
More editions of Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America:
› Find signed collectible books: 'More Ready Than You Realize: Evangelism As Dance in the Postmodern Matrix'
WARNING: This is not just another book on evangelism. It's a simple idea of evangelism through friendship first, and the opportunities to share your faith that follow. It will bring friendships you already have to a new levels, and create opportunities for new, authentic friendships with those you will eventually meet. OUT: Evangelism as sales pitch, as conquest, as warfare, as ultimatum, as threat, as proof, as argument, as entertainment, as show, as monologue, as something you have to do. IN: Disciple-making as conversation, as friendship, as influence, as invitation, as companionship, as challenge, as opportunity, as conversation, as dance, as something you get to do. You're more ready for this than you realize, and so are your friends! [via]
More editions of More Ready Than You Realize: Evangelism As Dance in the Postmodern Matrix:
› Find signed collectible books: 'A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey'
A Leadership Network Publication
A New Kind of Christian's conversation between a pastor and his daughter's high school science teacher reveals that wisdom for life's most pressing spiritual questions can come from the most unlikely sources. This stirring fable captures a new spirit of Christianity--where personal, daily interaction with God is more important than institutional church structures, where faith is more about a way of life than a system of belief, where being authentically good is more important than being doctrinally "right," and where one's direction is more important than one's present location. Brian McLaren's delightful account offers a wise and wondrous approach for revitalizing Christian spiritual life and Christian congregations.
If you are interested in joining a discussion group devoted to a A New Kind of Christian please visit groups.yahoo.com/group/NKOC. [via]
More editions of A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The New Testament and the People of God'
Part of a five-volume project on the theological questions surrounding the origins of Christianity, this book offers a reappraisal of literary, historical and theological readings of the New Testament, arguing for a form of "critical realism" that facilitates different readings of the text. [via]
More editions of The New Testament and the People of God:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens'
More editions of Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Out Of Bounds Church?: Learning To Create A Community Of Faith In A Culture Of Change'
More editions of The Out Of Bounds Church?: Learning To Create A Community Of Faith In A Culture Of Change:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Out of the Question... into the Mystery: Getting Lost in the GodLife Relationship'
More editions of Out of the Question... into the Mystery: Getting Lost in the GodLife Relationship:
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Peculiar People: The Church As Culture in a Post-Christian Society'
Voted one of 1997 Books of the Year! Christians feel increasingly useless, argues Rodney Clapp, not because we have nothing to offer a post-Christian society, but because we are trying to serve as "sponsoring chaplains" to a civilization that no longer sees Christianity as necessary to its existence. In our individualistic, technologically oriented, consumer-based culture, Christianity has become largely irrelevant. The solution is not to sentimentally capitulate to the way things are. Nor is it to retrench in an effort to regain power and influence as the sponsor of Western civilization. What is needed is for Christians to reclaim our heritage as a peculiar people, as unapologetic followers of the Way. Within the larger pluralistic world, we need to become a sanctified, subversive culture that develops Christian community as a truly alternative way of life. Christians must learn to live the story and not just to restate it. Writing inclusively with considerable verve, Clapp offers a keen analysis of the church and its ministry as we face a new millennium. [via]
More editions of A Peculiar People: The Church As Culture in a Post-Christian Society:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Perimeters of Light: Biblical Boundaries for the Emerging Church'
More editions of Perimeters of Light: Biblical Boundaries for the Emerging Church:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Post-Evangelical'
More editions of The Post-Evangelical:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Post-Modern Pilgrims: First Century Passion for the 21st Century World'
More editions of Post-Modern Pilgrims: First Century Passion for the 21st Century World:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Post-rapture Radio: Lost Writings From The Failed Revolution'
In Post-Rapture Radio, our faithful narrator finds a mysterious box containing the sermons and journal entries of a genuine, unvarnished American character the Reverend Richard Lamblove. The little-known Lamblovetried and failedto revolutionize contemporary Christian culture. As his journal entries, cereal box scribblings, and random notes written on paper scraps reveal, Lamblove sees contemporary culture as shallow, overly individualistic, and consumed with the kind of status measured by money, power, and celebrity. And American Evangelicalismwhich has been integrated into the culture as a wholehas similar failings. Reverend Lamblove vanished without a trace, but Russell Rathbun has compiled his papers into a compelling critique of contemporary faith an antidote to faith-as-usual and a wakeup call for Christians to genuinely respond to the gospel. [via]
More editions of Post-rapture Radio: Lost Writings From The Failed Revolution:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Practitioners'
More editions of Practitioners:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Preaching Re-imagined: The Role of the Sermon in Communities of Faith'
Are we preaching too much, engaging too little? What is the role of preaching in the postmodern Church? Author and pastor Doug Pagitt looks at the kind of preaching that 'creates followers of God who serve the world well and live the invitation to the rhythm of God.' He introduces you to an approach to engaging with the Bible with a focus on three questions: -What kind of communities are we forming? (Sociology) -What story are we telling? (Theology) -How can we tell it more effectively? (Communications) These questions are asked through the introduction of Progressional Implicatory Preaching---an innovative way of catalyzing an open dialogue with active participants. Envision Preaching Re-Imagined as an agent in the creation of Christian communities, and take a hopeful look toward new approaches to encouraging the spiritual formation of your church body. [via]
More editions of Preaching Re-imagined: The Role of the Sermon in Communities of Faith:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Presence-centered Youth Ministry: Guiding Students into Spiritual Formation'
How many programs does it take to change a youth group? That question has bothered youth workers for decades, and the cracks in its logic are beginning to show. In place of the contrived, artificial mechanisms employed so widely in modern youth outreach and discipleship, Mike King proposes a ministry centered in the presence of God. Young people encounter Christ not in the flash and pop of arena ministry, but in the sacred shadow of his presence. They learn what it is to love and follow Christ by observing others loving and following Christ--letting Christ shape their worldviews, their habits, their virtues. gives shape to such ministry through the classic disciplines and potent symbols and practices that have sustained the church over the centuries. The sound and fury that has characterized youth ministry for so long has left too many youth workers tired and too many young people disillusioned. Come explore the deeper terrain; your students are sure to follow. [via]
More editions of Presence-centered Youth Ministry: Guiding Students into Spiritual Formation:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church'
In this provocative book, author, consultant, and church leadership developer Reggie McNeal debunks these and other old assumptions and provides an overall strategy to help church leaders move forward in an entirely different and much more effective way. In The Present Future, McNeal identifies the six most important realities that church leaders must address including: recapturing the spirit of Christianity and replacing "church growth" with a wider vision of kingdom growth; developing disciples instead of church members; fostering the rise of a new apostolic leadership; focusing on spiritual formation rather than church programs; and shifting from prediction and planning to preparation for the challenges of an uncertain world. McNeal contends that by changing the questions church leaders ask themselves about their congregations and their plans, they can frame the core issues and approach the future with new eyes, new purpose, and new ideas.
Also available: The Present Future DVD Collection (978-0-7879-8673-5), Reggie McNeal's DVD presentation of the ideas and insights featured in his best-selling book. [via]
More editions of The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out'
Reformation is the continual reforming of the mission of the church to enhance God's command to reach out to others in a way that acknowledges the unique times and locations of daily life. This engaging book blends the integrity of respected theoreticians with the witty and practical insights of a pastor. It calls for a movement of missionaries to seek the lost across the street as well as across the globe. This basic primer on the interface between gospel and culture highlights the contrast between presentation evangelism and participation evangelism. It helps Christians navigate between the twin pitfalls of syncretism (being so culturally irrelevant that you lose your message) and sectarianism (being so culturally irrelevant that you lose your mission). Included are interviews with those who have crossed cultural barriers, such as a television producer, exotic dancer, tattoo studio owner, and band manager. The appendix represents eight portals into the future: population, family, health/medicine, creating, learning, sexuality, and religion. Mark Driscoll was recently featured on the ABC special The Changing of Worship. [via]
More editions of Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Reimagining Spiritual Formation: A Week in the Life of an Experimental Church'
More editions of Reimagining Spiritual Formation: A Week in the Life of an Experimental Church:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Relevant Church: A New Vision For Communities Of Faith'
Studies show twentysomethings are the least likely to attend church. So where do God-hungry twentysomethings go to worship? New communities of faith are popping up around the country and are challenging the traditional church model. The Relevant Church shares individual ideas and stories of churches that are engaging a new generation with passionate worship and a life-changing message, all while they impact their communities and change their world. [via]
More editions of The Relevant Church: A New Vision For Communities Of Faith:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Resurrection of the Son of God'
More editions of The Resurrection of the Son of God:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Rethinking the Wineskin: The Practice of the New Testament Church'
More editions of Rethinking the Wineskin: The Practice of the New Testament Church:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Revolution'
World-renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate a revolution is already taking place within the Church--one that will impact every believer in America. Committed, born-again Christians are exiting the established church in massive numbers. Why are they leaving? Where are they going? And what does this mean for the future of the Church? Using years' worth of research data, and adhering to an unwavering biblical perspective, Barna predicts how this revolution will impact the organized church, how Christ's body of believers should react, and how individuals who are considering leaving (or those who have already left) can respond. For leaders working for positive change in the church and for believers struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready? [via]
More editions of Revolution:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life'
Broaden your spiritual horizons. How has spirituality changed in the last 500, 1,000, or even 2,000 years? How can ancient approaches to faith help my relationship with God today? In The Sacred Way, popular author and speaker Tony Jones mines the rich history of 16 spiritual disciplines that have flourished throughout the ages and offers practical tips for implementing them in your daily life. Find encouragement and challenge through time-tested disciplines such as: *Silence and solitude *The Jesus prayer *Meditation *Pilgrimage Explore these proven approaches to deepening your faith. As you do, your way of living your spiritual life will never be the same. [via]
More editions of The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups'
A practical guide for those struggling to build a community of believers in a culture that wants to experience belonging over believing Who is my neighbor? Who belongs to me? To whom do I belong? These are timeless questions that guide the church to its fundamental calling. Today terms like neighbor, family, and congregation are being redefined. People are searching to belong in new places and experiences. The church needs to adapt its interpretations, definitions, and language to make sense in the changing culture. This book equips congregations and church leaders with tools to: * Discern the key ingredients people look for in community * Understand the use of space as a key element for experiencing belonging and community * Develop the 'chemical compound' that produces an environment for community to spontaneously emerge * Discover how language promotes specific spatial belonging and then use this knowledge to build an effective vocabulary for community development * Create an assessment tool for evaluating organizational and personal community health [via]
More editions of The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Searching for God Knows What'
More editions of Searching for God Knows What:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth That Could Change Everything'
When Brian McLaren began offering an alternative vision of Christian faith and life in books such as A New Kind of Christian and A Generous Orthodoxy, he ignited a firestorm of praise and condemnation that continues to spread across the religious landscape. To some religious conservatives, McLaren is a dangerous rebel without a doctrinally-correct cause. Some fundamentalist websites have even claimed he's in league with the devil and have consigned him to flames.
To others though, Brian is a fresh voice, a welcome antidote to the staleness, superficiality, and negativity of the religious status quo. A wide array of people from Evangelical, Catholic, and Mainline Protestant backgrounds claim that through his books they have begun to rediscover the faith they'd lost or rejected. And around the world, many readers say that he has helped them find-for the first time in their lives-a faith that makes sense and rings true. For many, he articulates the promise of what is being called "emerging Christianity."
In The Secret Message of Jesus you'll find what's at the center of Brian's critique of conventional Christianity, and what's at the heart of his expanding vision. In the process, you'll meet a Jesus who may be altogether new to you, a Jesus who is.
McLaren invites you to discover afresh the transforming message of Jesus-an open invitation to radical change, an enlightening revelation that exposes sham and ignites hope, an epic story that is good news for everyone, whatever their gender, race, class, politics, or religion.
[via]More editions of The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth That Could Change Everything:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church'
More editions of The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Soul Shaper: Exploring Spirituality and Contemplative Practices in Youth Ministry'
More editions of Soul Shaper: Exploring Spirituality and Contemplative Practices in Youth Ministry:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Soulsalsa: 17 Surprising Steps for Godly Living in the 21st Century'
More editions of Soulsalsa: 17 Surprising Steps for Godly Living in the 21st Century:
› Find signed collectible books: 'SoulTsunami : Sink or Swim in New Millennium Culture'
Will the tsunami wave of change sweep Christianity away? Or will religious followers be able to ride the cresting tidal wave of cyberterrorism and social malaise that threaten Christian values in the 21st century? Rather than sink into denial or flee to safe bunkers, Sweet suggests that devout Christians "hoist the sails" just as Noah did when faced with a flood. "While the world is rethinking its entire cultural formation, it is time to find new ways of being the church that are true to our postmodern context," writes author Leonard Sweet, vice president of postmodern Christianity at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. This book is packed with suggestions (framed as "Life Rings") for keeping Christianity a thriving and vital global force. "Life Ring" chapter titles include "Get Glocal--the Global Renaissance," and "Get De-Churched-De-Everything." Although the tsunami metaphor feels overextended, devout Christians appreciate the savvy and passionate vision of this popular author. [via]
More editions of Soultsunami: Sink or Swim in New Millennium Culture:
Imagine coming to a crossroads where you're no longer sure who you are, why you do what you do, why you believe the way you do. You're not even sure you care. Where do you go? Follow the stories of people who were steeped in their beliefs--a former fundamentalist, a former Pentecostal, a former liberal, a former feminist, a former communist, and several other 'formers'--and walk with them on their journeys out of those beliefs. See what twists and turns arise before them, and find out what they learned (about faith, themselves, their beliefs, the world) as they emerged on the other side. This diverse group of Christian leaders discloses and shares in vulnerable, uncommon ways, allowing you full access into their doubts, fears, convictions, and unanswered questions. Each takes you on a path from absolute to authentic: from a place of false conviction and thin resolution, through struggles and growing pains, to a new place that's much more about process than about having 'arrived.' When it comes to journeys of faith, we often don't know what lies at the end of the road. It's difficult to take the first step when we are so unsure of the destination. As you read these stories, you'll find there is room to challenge your fears as well as your faith. [via]
More editions of Stories of Emergence: Moving from Absolute to Authentic:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Story We Find Ourselves In'
After many years as a successful pastor, Brian McLaren has found, as more and more Christians are finding, that none of the current strains of Christianity fully describes his own faith. In The Story We Find Ourselves In -- the much anticipated sequel to his award-winning book A New Kind of Christian-- McLaren captures a new spirit of a relevant Christianity, where traditional divisions and doctrinal differences give way to a focus on God and the story of God's love for this world. If you are searching for a deeper life with God-- one that moves beyond the rhetoric of denominational and theological categories-- this delightful and inspiring fictional tale will provide a picture of what it could mean to recapture a joyful spiritual life. [via]
More editions of The Story We Find Ourselves In:

› Find signed collectible books: 'They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations'
More editions of They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road'
More editions of Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Traveling Mercies'
Anne Lamott claims the two best prayers she knows are: "Help me, help me, help me" and "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She has a friend whose morning prayer each day is "Whatever," and whose evening prayer is "Oh, well." Anne thinks of Jesus as "Casper the friendly savior" and describes God as "one crafty mother."Despite--or because of--her irreverence, faith is a natural subject for Anne Lamott. Since Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird, her fans have been waiting for her to write the book that explained how she came to the big-hearted, grateful, generous faith that she so often alluded to in her two earlier nonfiction books. The people in Anne Lamott's real life are like beloved characters in a favorite series for her readers--her friend Pammy, her son, Sam, and the many funny and wise folks who attend her church are all familiar. And Traveling Mercies is a welcome return to those lives, as well as an introduction to new companions Lamott treats with the same candor, insight, and tenderness. Lamott's faith isn't about easy answers, which is part of what endears her to believers as well as nonbelievers. Against all odds, she came to believe in God and then, even more miraculously, in herself. As she puts it, "My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers." At once tough, personal, affectionate, wise, and very funny, Traveling Mercies tells in exuberant detail how Anne Lamott learned to shine the light of faith on the darkest part of ordinary life, exposing surprising pockets of meaning and hope. [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'Traveling Mercies : Some Thoughts on Faith'
For most writers, the greatest challenge of spiritual writing is to keep it grounded in concrete language. The temptation is to wander off into the clouds of ethereal epiphanies, only to lose readers with woo-woo thinking and sacred-laced clichés. Thankfully, Anne Lamott (Operating Instructions, Crooked Little Heart) knows better. In this collection of essays, Lamott offers her trademark wit and irreverence in describing her reluctant journey into faith. Every epiphany is framed in plainspoken (and, yes, occasionally crassly spoken) real-life, honest-to-God experiences. For example, after having an abortion, Lamott felt the presence of Christ sitting in her bedroom:
This experience spooked me badly, but I thought it was just an apparition born of fear and self-loathing and booze and loss of blood. But then everywhere I went I had the feeling that a little cat was following me, wanting me to reach down and pick it up, wanting me to open the door and let it in. But I knew what would happen: you let a cat in one time, give it a little milk and then it stays forever.Whether she's writing about airplane turbulence, bulimia, her "feta cheese thighs," or consulting God over how to parent her son, Lamott keeps her spirituality firmly planted in solid scenes and believable metaphors. As a result, this is a richly satisfying armchair-travel experience, highlighting the tender mercies of Lamott's life that nudged her into Christian faith. --Gail Hudson [via]
More editions of Traveling Mercies : Some Thoughts on Faith:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Truth And the New Kind of Christian: The Emerging Effect of Postmodernism in the Church'
More editions of Truth And the New Kind of Christian: The Emerging Effect of Postmodernism in the Church:

› Find signed collectible books: 'An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind'
More editions of An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul'
Warning: This book may not be for you!
This book is dangerous!
It is only for those who are ready to join an uprisinga revolution of the soul that will change an ordinary life into an extraordinary one. It is only for those who want something more out of life, who desire to tap into the divine potential that was placed in them at their creation.
You were in God's imagination before you were ever born. All the talent, gifting, and creativity you possess was placed in you by God Himself. Can you imagine the things you could do, the impact you could have on the world, if you tapped into the dreams God has for your life?
In Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul, Erwin Raphael McManus boldly invites you to join the revolution. He illuminates the desperate heart cry of every human being"I want to live!"and then serves as a guide on a quest to answer that cry.
Find your true purpose and destiny in the pursuit of the passion and character of God. Be a part of a revolution that changes a life of imitation and mediocrity into one of passion and character . . . a radical revolt that will forever change the world!
[via]More editions of Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith'
We have to test everything. I thank God for anybody anywhere who is pointing people to the mysteries of God. But those people would all tell you to think long and hard about what they are saying and doing and creating. Test it. Probe it. Do that to this book. Don't swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it. Just because I'm a Christian and I'm trying to articulate a Christian worldview doesn't mean I've got it nailed. I'm contributing to the discussion. God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right? [via]
More editions of Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?: Taking Derrida, Lyotard, And Foucault to Church'
The philosophies of French thinkers Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault form the basis for postmodern thought and are seemingly at odds with the Christian faith. However, James K. A. Smith claims that their ideas have been misinterpreted and actually have a deep affinity with central Christian claims.
Each chapter opens with an illustration from a recent movie and concludes with a case study considering recent developments in the church that have attempted to respond to the postmodern condition, such as the "emerging church" movement. These case studies provide a concrete picture of how postmodern ideas can influence the way Christians think and worship.
This significant book, winner of a Christianity Today 2007 Book Award, avoids philosophical jargon and offers fuller explanation where needed. It is the first book in the Church and Postmodern Culture series, which provides practical applications for Christians engaged in ministry in a postmodern world. [via]
More editions of Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?: Taking Derrida, Lyotard, And Foucault to Church:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Worship Evangelism : Inviting Unbelievers into the Presence of God'
Worship Evangelism offers a fresh "here's how" approach to worship that is contemporary, yet honors the best of church tradition, all to encourage churches to worship to biblically intended ends. [via]
More editions of Worship Evangelism : Inviting Unbelievers into the Presence of God:

› Find signed collectible books: 'The Younger Evangelicals: Facing the Challenges of the New World'
More editions of The Younger Evangelicals: Facing the Challenges of the New World:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Carpe Manana'
More editions of Carpe Manana:
