Giving Wisely: Killing with Kindness or Empowering Lasting Transformation?

Pastors in attendance at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2009 in Portland were given a copy of this book by the author so I read it. The following people ought to read this book - believers in Christ who don't give of their finances; believers who give with the desire to maximize their giving for the Kingdom of God; believers who attempt to justify withholding giving for whatever excuses they can come up with; believers who give to overseas missions bypassing legitimate financial accountability. By far the strength of the book is Martin's years of experience in missions and helping us wealthy westerners see our arrogance when it comes to indiscriminately funding missions abroad. Want to know why it's perhaps not the wisest thing to go to another country and physically build a church? Read this thought provoking book. (4 of 5 stars)

Profile of a Leader

In Profile of a Leader by Jack Gustafson, published in 2008, I’ve found one of the primary books that as a pastor, I will use in mentoring the guys in my church in developing leaders and disciples. This is a thoroughly Biblical book chalk full of practical wisdom and insight. If you are studying for the ministry, this is a must read. It’s an excellent book for those of us already in the ministry, as well as anyone who wants to better exemplify Godly leadership. Gustafson, who has many years of ministry under his belt, having been a pastor and missionary, focuses intently on four areas – calling, character, capacity, and competence. This is one of the best books I’ve read on Christian leadership, its strength being its straightforward candor. (5 of 5 stars)

Simple Spirituality: Learning to See God in a Broken World

As the International Director of Word Made Flesh, an organization that serves Jesus among the poorest of the poor, in slums, sewers, refugee camps, and red light districts, Christopher Heuertz sees the logical application of holiness and the redemptive work of sanctification as compassion. Part memoir, part theological reflection, Simple Spirituality is a call to imitate the ministry of Christ through humility, community, simplicity, submission, and brokenness. Recalling great men of the faith such as John Wesley and Saint Francis of Assisi, this is a much needed book to help break North American believers out of the complacency we’ve been for quite some time. The forward by Shane Claiborne is in itself nearly worth the price of the book. This is an important book. (4 of 5 stars)

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

This is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. You have to read it tongue and cheek of course, which I think is part of the reason A.J. Jacobs embarked on his year long adventure to attempt to obey as many of the commands in the Bible as possible. And yet you can’t help but to sense that he really is searching for something meaningful in life. There’s a profound sentiment where he writes, “I’m constantly worried about my son’s ethical education. I don’t want him to swim in this muddy soup of moral relativism. I don’t trust it. I have such a worldview, and though I have yet to commit a major felony, it seems dangerous.” There are nuggets of insight interspersed with what really is a very humorous and reverently satirical look at the Bible in its most literal interpretation through the eyes of an agnostic who has become more spiritual through this project.
(4 of 5 stars)

Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love

The authors embark on the bold assertion that love is "the core notion of holiness", the sum of all theological, philosophical, historical, practical, and ultimately Biblical expressions of holiness. In his book "The Theology of John Wesley," Kenneth Collins says that the deficiency of Oord and Lodahl's position is that holiness is not on equal par with love. I do believe however that Oord and Lodahl are on track with giving us a glimpse of what a postmodern holiness theology can look like, as well as grounding holiness in the concept of love, specifically, relational love. I did feel the book was far too simplistic for what they were trying to accomplish. Realizing that the book was not intended to be scholarly by any means, it still easily could have been three times longer so as to better assist the adventurer/traveler (their motif) where the authors wanted to take us. I look forward to more from this dynamic duo.
(4 of 5 stars)

The 10 Dumbest Things Christians Do

With wit, humor, candor, and insight, Mark Atteberry has written a straightforward book that needs to be read by many “Christians.” This is an extremely readable book that touches on many of the ways Christians today sling mud on the Church, the Bride of Christ. I just so happen to see a bumper sticker today that read, “Jesus called, He wants His religion back.” And I think the message of this book will be a wake up call to those who do dumb and harmful things in the name of Christianity.

(4 of 5 stars)

Outward Sign and Inward Grace: The Place of Sacraments in Wesleyan Spirituality

Dr. Staples was a theology professor of mine while I was at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City in the 1990's. He is an exceptional theologian and I was always fully engaged sitting in his classes. I went back and thoroughly read this book in preparation for a couple of sermons I was preparing on baptism and the Lord's Supper. It's amazing how he brings together major theological themes in informing a Wesleyan sacramental theology. For Christians who are not concerned about the environment and dismiss ecology as irrelevant to our faith, this book should inform you. Rich in Biblical exposition and theology, and at times very preachable, every chapter is riviting.
(5 of 5 stars)

Here We Stand: Where Nazarenes Fit in the Religious Marketplace

This would be a great indepth follow up to "Articles of Faith: What Nazarenes Believe and Why." While "Here We Stand" was published nearly a decade ago, it's just as pertinent if not more so in today's kaleidoscope of religious belief. The issue addressed in the book is, "where does the Church of the Nazarene fit in the larger scope of Christendom and religious belief?" On page 16, Wes Tracy says, "Not every Christian would make a good Nazarene," and having been a Nazarene pastor for 10 years now, I concur. The Nazarene call to complete surrender to Christ followed by the entire sanctification of believers is simply not what all followers of Christ are willing to commit to. An important read that will give you a good dose of church history and theology while helping you better understand what the Church of the Nazarene is all about.
(5 of 5 stars)

Articles of Faith: What Nazarenes Believe and Why

This book is a short look at each of the sixteen Articles of Faith of the Church of the Nazarene. Written by various authors, it’s not intended as a comprehensive theology, but more of an introduction. For as concise as the book is, the depth of each short chapter is surprisingly insightful. It will certainly compel you to want to explore the doctrines of the church further. Reading through section 6 dealing with the Atonement written by Dr. Thomas Noble brought tears to my eyes.
(4 of 5 stars)

The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time

I abolutely love it (and I believe God does as well) when believers who have been around for a while embrace, not criticize, what God is doing through a younger and emerging generation. Tom Sine, by his own admition, an aging author who is more modern than postmodern in style (pg. 28), is learning from a new generation, because he's not convinced that many older evangelical Christians got all the answers right. The questions he asks on pages 27 and 28 are right on - did we get our eschatology wrong? Did we get what it means to be a disciple wrong? Did we get what it means to be a steward wrong? Did we get what it means to be the church wrong? Did we get what it means to do mission wrong? His hope is "to provoke a serious conversation about what it means to follow Jesus in a changing world and a changing church" (pg. 28), and I think he succeeded in doing exactly that. Perhaps a bit redundant in just a few places, and not fully agreeing with all his geopolitical views, this is still a well researched book that will make you think long and hard about what it means to be an effective follower of Christ in today's changing world.
(5 of 5 stars)

I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus

An absolute must read book for ministry leaders who want to better understand the process it will take for postmodern people to come to Christ. When I was a teenager, I went through Evangelism Explosion training at my church. Yet Evangelism Explosion doesn't resonate with people today, and unless we try to understand the 21st century mindset of post Christian people, our outdated evangelism efforts will continue to frustrate us. This is a very good book, a quick and very simple and easy to understand read about understanding how to relate and reach postmoderns for Christ
(5 of 5 stars)

Phineas F. Bresee: His Life in Methodism, the Holiness Movement, and the Church of the Nazarene

As I am preparing for the Centennial Celebration of the Church of the Nazarene on Sunday, October 5, 2008, I thought I'd I read this book on the founder of the church, Phineas Bresee. Good book, well researched, maybe a little too well researched. By that I mean there are many details (names, places) that are relevant to Bresee's story, but may be irrelevant to the reader. When I read a biography, I want to know more about the individual than I do circumstantial details that the author discretionarily decides to retain or omit from the book. In this case, I felt the author may have retained a bit too much information from his research. It's still a good book that I recommend for anyone who wants to know more about a great man of God in Bresee.

(4 of 5 stars)