Book Reviews

In A Church Called Tov, Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer respond to the proliferation of high-profile church scandals by examining the factors which steer church cultures toward toxicity or health. Built upon the assumption that the Church is intended to be an agent for tov, the Hebrew word for “good!”, they first consider some of the warning signs that a church is heading in the wrong direction and then outline the seven foundational elements of a tov culture.

Jerome Van Kuiken’s latest book, The Judas We Never Knew, is an insightful exegesis of the epistle of Jude. With just twenty-five verses tucked in the midst of the more popular works of John, this letter from Jesus’ half-brother has often been overlooked throughout history. Yet, Van Kuiken effectively argues that the epistle offers a framework for negotiating the boundary between godliness and sin in a modern world desperate for such a thing.

Although it has been four decades since the book was first published, Lyle Shaller’s Growing Plans: Strategies to Increase Your Church’s Membership remains a supremely practical resource for pastors and church leaders seeking to spur their churches to growth. With a chapter dedicated to each of small, middle-sized, large, and new churches, the strategies Schaller prescribes are insightful, and because he focused on timeless principles rather than the latest trend or theory, these strategies are just as relevant today as they were when the first copy came off the press.

I would warmly recommend this book to anyone interested in a robust discussion over women in ministry. Complementarians will find it challenging as Gupta’s arguments will at the very least compel them to clarify and refine their arguments. Egalitarians will find it refreshing as Gupta brings serious hermeneutical scholarship to bear on the matter.

In his book, Wrecked & Redeemed: Finding Hope, Freedom, and Acceptance in Christ, Benji Kelley uses his own story of redemption as a springboard to call the church to be and do the things that will be necessary to reach this generation with the Gospel. The major recurring theme is that churches must offer both grace and truth to people who often have no experience with church and lives which are in ruins, and much of the book is given to helping leaders find the balance between these two.

Most Christians misunderstand prayer. They know that they should pray more, but insecurity, to-do lists a mile long, and the pressures in life make praying more much easier said than done. Tyler Staton, in his book Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, aims to dismantle the excuses that prevent us from enjoying a life of vibrant prayer and experiencing a new depth of intimacy with God as a result.

In The Celtic Way of Evangelism, George Hunter, III, examines the ministry methods of Saint Patrick and his colleagues. These methods proved highly effective, leading Christianity to sweep the pagan nation of Ireland within a few generations, and Hunter convincingly asserts that modern churches should learn much from their methods in order to effectively reach increasingly secular Western cultures.

Ben Lowe’s book, Doing Good Without Giving Up, is a welcome, invigorating breath of fresh air for anyone weary from the fight to bring the light of the gospel into this sin-darkened world. Between the agonizing slowness of change to opposition from both sides of the ideological spectrum, from the difficulty of balancing social action and evangelism to the challenge of setting godly priorities and tone, persevering in Christ-centered social action is profoundly challenging. Lowe offers some fantastic, practical tips for enduring.

This past Wednesday, I received a copy of Thom Rainer’s latest book, Anatomy of a Revived Church (order your own copy from Amazon). I was looking forward to reading this book since I heard this past fall that it would be released. Simply put, I am a huge fan of Thom Rainer, and particularly of […]