The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity by Soong-Chan Rah, opens the door to hard conversations that we, as followers of Jesus, must no longer avoid.  Talking about race, reconciliation and idolatrous captivity of the church is uncomfortable but, if we are serious about redemption (both within and through the church), we [...]

In the introduction to his first book, What Is Church? A Story of Transition, Mike Bishop writes, “The purpose of this book is not to try to answer that question in an academic sense. Nor is it an attempt to present a model for doing church…”
Well, geez, Mike! What is left for there to tell [...]

In The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time, Tom Sine paints a picture of the Kingdom of God that is simultaneously very big and very small, in order to help us reimagine our life, faith, church and mission. Sine ties together big ideas such as economics, globalization, politics, wealth, poverty, [...]

If you are a fan of USA Today and/or Ross Perot, the massive amount of charts in The American Church in Crisis will at minimum titillate your graphic senses. In a sentence, the book is a must read for Pastors and anyone curious of the direction of the church, but not because of its [...]

My friend, Dr. Jamie Gates recently passed on to me M. Daniel Carroll R.’s book, Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible. By the title and subtitle, many know that this relates to a subject that concerns me deeply. Last night, our community discussed “calling”. What is it that we are each [...]

Michael Lodahl’s When Love Bends Down is one of those annoying books that’s so rich you end up underlining more sentences and phrases than is of any practical use, though I’m sure I’ll try. Deceptively simple, running 121 pages, it reminds us that as important as the scriptures are, the true Word of God is [...]

For a recent college graduate like myself with no job, no prospects and no defined future, any discussion on calling will get me interested. Of course, there are many varied opinions on the subject, and in Hokey Pokey Matthew Paul Turner manages to discuss the idea with a bit of maturity, balance and evenness. [...]

I started reading Pete Gall’s new book, My Beautiful Idol last night. The book is memoir and it is a good one so far. Gall reflects on God, his own identity and societal maladies. It is thoroughly engaging. The title of the book seems so far to come from a common theme throughout the pages. [...]

NOTE: While Katie doesn’t live in San Diego at the time, she and her son are a dear part of the extended EC family. We’ve cried over the challenges and laughed together, experiencing a piece of the joy her son exudes. As well, we need to hear and understand the lives of those that live [...]

I’ve had the pleasure of exchanging emails with Frank Viola on a few different occasions. Because of that I was honored to receive his most recent book in the mail and have the privilege of reading it and reviewing it here. There are a lot things that I like about Frank and his work. I [...]