Coming to the Resource Center - Late August 2013

Love into Light (2013) Peter Hubbard

ISBN 9781620202227

The church has often been afraid to talk about homosexuality. Many Christians feel confused and divided between the call to love and the call for truth. And many who struggle with unwanted same-sex attraction feel alone and alienated by the church. The time is ripe for God's people to think and speak about same-sex attraction in a way that is both biblical and beneficial, seeing ourselves together in need of the grace of Jesus. Love Into Light is designed to move the church toward that end.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (2012) Dr. Megan Best

ISBN 9781921896613

“At last - a single volume examining beginning-of-life issues that is equally competent in biology, theology, philosophy and pastoral care. This is now the ‘must read’ book in the field, a necessary resource not only for pastors, ethicists, and laypersons who share her Christian convictions, but also for anyone who wants to participate knowledgeably in current bioethical debates.” - D.A. Carson

Science & Faith: Friends or Foes? (2003) C. John Collins

ISBN 9781581344301

Many believers worry that science undermines the Christian faith. Instead of fearing scientific discovery, Jack Collins believes that Christians should delight in the natural world and study it. God’s truth will stand against any challenge and will enrich the very scientific studies that we fear. 

Collins first defines faith and science, shows their relation, and explains what claims each has concerning truth. Then he applies the biblical teaching on creation to the topics of “conflict” between faith and science, including the age of the earth, evolution, and miracles. He considers what it means to live in a created world. This book is for anyone looking for a Christian engagement with science without technical jargon. 

Coming Soon to the Resource Center - Mid-August 2013 Edition

Name Above All Names (2013) Alistair Begg & Sinclair B. Ferguson

ISBN 9781433537752

Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, the highest seat of honor, the right to reign and rule. Yet the busyness of our lives and the diversions of this world often distract us from knowing the most important person we could ever know. Perhaps we need some help to see Jesus afresh.

In this thoughtful study and worshipful reflection, two influential pastors draw on decades of pastoral experience in order to guide us through the whole sweep of Scripture and examine seven key qualities of Jesus's identity and ministry: Jesus as the True Prophet Jesus as the Great High Priest Jesus as the Conquering King Jesus as the Seed of the Woman Jesus as the Son of Man Jesus as the Suffering Servant Jesus as the Lamb on the Throne

Name above All Names helps us to see and meditate on the incomparable character of Christ--a spiritual exercise that enables us to readily respond to the exhortations of Scripture, to focus our gaze upon the King of kings, and to better understand just how great Jesus really is.

The Essential Jesus: Read the Gospel of Jesus for Yourself (2008) Tony J. Payne

ISBN 9781921441271

“We wanted to produce a give-away Gospel of Luke back in the late 90s for evangelistic use... In translation philosophy, it sits somewhere between the ESV and NIV, in terms of the trade-offs between formal and functional equivalence. We obviously wanted the text to be fresh and readable for a non-Christian person coming to it cold, without necessarily any church background. And yet we were determined to be faithful to what was actually there in the Greek text, and not to smooth out all the ambiguities, or to insert additional ideas/interpretations.... We have distributed more than a million copies of The Essential Jesus here in Australia since 2009, and the translation has been extremely well received as a fresh, readable and yet very faithful rendition of what Luke originally wrote.” - Tony J. Payne

Sex & Money: Pleasures That Leave You Empty and Grace That Satisfies (2013) Paul David Tripp

ISBN 9781433536496

Pleasure. We live in a world obsessed with finding it, passionate about enjoying it, and desperate about maintaining it. Chief among such objects of affection are sex and money--two pleasures unequaled in their power to captivate our attention and demand our worship. In what is sure to become an instant classic, popular author Paul David Tripp pulls back the curtain on the lies of our flesh and the ways we distort God's good gifts, examining the insanity of our culture and exposing our tendency to fall prey to the hollow promises of this world. In exploring how God's grace frees us from futile pursuits, Tripp directs readers to the wisdom of God in Scripture and the liberating power of the gospel, offering practical guidance on finding true joy and enduring satisfaction.

After Shock: Searching for Honest Faith When Your World is Shaken (2011) Kent Annan

ISBN 9780830836178

In the wake of a historic earthquake in the fragile country of Haiti, Kent Annan considers suffering--from the epic to the everyday--as a problem for faith. Less than two weeks after the release of Kent's book about his work with Haiti Partners, he heard the news. Friends trapped under the rubble of buildings. Friends sprinting across the city looking for family. Churches--including one Kent often attended--turned to rubble. Suddenly Kent and his friends were part of an uncomfortable fellowship: people whose faith is shaken by crisis. Taking courage from the psalmists of old and the company of his grieving neighbors, Kent has found that there is solidarity in suffering. Others have followed life to the edge of meaning and have heard God even there, calling for honest faith. Are there questions or realities your faith can't handle? Kent wrote After Shock to help you find out.

Practicing the Way of Jesus: Life Together in the Kingdom of Love (2011) Mark Scandrette

ISBN 9780830836345

Take a casual survey of how people practice their faith, and you might reasonably conclude that Jesus spent his life going door to door offering private lessons, complete with chalkboard and pop quizzes. We think about God in the comfort of our own minds, in isolation from one another; meanwhile the world waits for a people to practice the way of Jesus together. Mark Scandrette contends that Jesus has in mind something more lively for us: not a classroom so much as a kingdom, where our formation takes place not only in our heads but in our hearts and our bodies, and in the company of one another, in a way that blesses the world we've been entrusted with.

Coming to the Resource Center in Mid-August

We're only eleven days into August and already it's turning into a great month at the Resource Center. We've got so many books, audiobooks and DVDs coming in, I'm not sure where John's going to put them all. (But I'm sure he'll find a way.)

Here are some of the books that should be arriving soon:

The Big Story: How the Bible Makes Sense Out of Life (2013) Justin Buzzard

ISBN 9780802408570

When strangers meet today they often ask not, "What do you do?," but "What is your story?" Everybody has a story. And everybody on the planet believes some larger story in order to make sense of the smaller story of their life. We want our lives to fit within a larger plot-complete with a sense of history, conflict resolution, forward movement, and future.

So, the better question to ask is, "What sort of story are you in?"

Most people believe false stories that leave them disillusioned, enslaved, and hopeless. Secular stories of chasing success and religious stories of doing good works can both leave us feeling exhausted and empty. Only Christianity, only the old and ongoing story of the Bible, offers a story that's big enough to make sense of both the beauty and brokenness in our lives and in our world. At the center of this story is a God who disturbs our life in order to set us free.

God’s Good Design: What the Bible Really Says about Men and Women (2012) Claire Smith

ISBN 9781921896392

Although Claire Smith was a young adult when she came to know Jesus, it wasn't until she went to theological college that she noticed parts of the Bible that challenged her feminist views. Studying these passages led to radical changes in her life. 

Too often we put these same passages in the 'too hard basket', or we make up our minds without taking a close look at them for ourselves. But we must let God's word determine these issues, and not the culture in which we live.

Claire takes us through the same process she went through herself, looking closely at seven key Bible passages about men and women and how they should relate together in God's purposes. Along the way she deals with many common objections, and applies the teaching of the Bible simply and practically to our relationships at home and in church. 

The warmth and simplicity of the book means it will benefit every Christian—whether you have looked at these passages a thousand times, or you've never thought about them in your life.

Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole (2013) Eric Mason

ISBN 9781433679940

The earthly crisis within manhood will be there until Jesus returns, but in Christ men are pointed toward the gospel as the vision for renewal.Manhood Restored by exciting new pastoral voice Eric Mason combines theological depth with practical insights, putting men in step with a gospel-centered manhood that will enrich every facet of their lives.

The Family Worship Book: A Resource Book for Family Devotions (1998/2012) Terry L. Johnson

ISBN 9781857924015

Do you struggle to provide enjoyable, meaningful and spiritual times of family devotions? Do you avoid the whole subject but have the nagging thought that you should be doing something? Let Terry & Family Worship equip you for leading your family in worship with the help of some key questions: What is family worship? What have other people done? Why Should I do it? How can I start? A Valuable resource which you will not exhaust in years.

God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist? (2011) David T. Lamb

ISBN 9780830838264

God has a bad reputation. Many think of God as wrathful and angry, smiting people right and left for no apparent reason. The Old Testament in particular seems at times to portray God as capricious and malevolent, wiping out armies and nations, punishing enemies with extreme prejudice. But wait. The story is more complicated than that. Alongside troubling passages of God's punishment and judgment are pictures of God's love, forgiveness, goodness and slowness to anger. How do we make sense of the seeming contradiction? Can God be trusted or not? David Lamb unpacks the complexity of the Old Testament to explore the character of God. He provides historical and cultural background to shed light on problematic passages and to bring underlying themes to the fore. Without minimizing the sometimes harsh realities of the biblical record, Lamb assembles an overall portrait that gives coherence to our understanding of God in both the Old and New Testaments.

Why I Watch Breaking Bad

This blog normally discusses news and reviews of books available in the church Resource Center, but I want to depart from that today. One of the reasons I started this blog was to get Christians to look beyond the doors of the church to the culture around us. Movies and television are an important part of that culture and Breaking Bad is one of the most talked about television shows in years, important enough that I felt I should discuss it here. The show may not be for you, and that's okay. But as I've mentioned before to many Christians, people in the arts (and I'm focusing mainly on television and film) who may not necessarily share the Christian worldview are asking some good questions, questions about morality, right and wrong, actions and consequences, and "Is there an order to the universe? To my life?" While Breaking Bad may contain some offensive elements to many Christians, I believe at the very least, it offers great opportunities for discussions among Christians and non-Christians on ideas, concepts and worldviews that really matter.

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People in my church know that I love movies, so they frequently ask me what I’ve seen lately. They know that I like to look for biblical concepts and Christian worldviews in movies that may seem completely foreign to such concepts, films like No Country for Old Men, orThe Dark Knight, for example. When I tell them that I’ve been watching a TV show called Breaking Bad, the conversation will usually go something like this:

Them: “I keep hearing people mention that show. What’s it about?”

Me: “Well, it’s about a high school chemistry teacher who has cancer and wants to provide for his family after he’s gone. He does this by making meth (methamphetamine) and selling it through one of his former students.”

Them: (Long blank stare) “Is that supposed to be funny?”

Me: “Well, yeah, sometimes it is. But usually it’s not.”

Them: (Another long stare, furrowed brow, possibly squinting eyes) “So, you actually enjoy this show?”

Me: “Yes, I do. It has a lot to say about the nature of evil, morality, rewards and punishment, justice, atonement. All of those things.”

Them: (Longest blank stare yet) “Yeah... Listen, I’ve gotta go. See you later.” I can envision this person walking over to the church Ministry Center to pick up an excommunication form, writing my name across the top and going from there. 

Of course, I exaggerate about the excommunication part. (At least I hope so.) But otherwise the conversation is fairly accurate.

Many Christians won’t watch Breaking Bad because the premise horrifies and/or disgusts them. Well, it is a horrifying/disgusting premise. But Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) does have terminal cancer and literally doesn’t know what else to do. He has a pregnant wife (Anna Gunn) and a teenage son (RJ Mitte) to provide for. And he’s supposed to provide for their futures on a high school chemistry teacher’s salary?      

Walter meets up with a former student named Jesse (Aaron Paul), who was a slacker in Walter’s class a few years previously and walks/talks/acts and probably smells like a thug. They concoct a plan to make (Walter’s part) and distribute (Jesse’s part) meth. Now Walt really isn’t a bad guy according to the standards of most 21st century Americans. (At least not yet.) He knows what he’s planning is both morally wrong and illegal, that he and his family will suffer immeasurably if he’s caught. But to him, it’s worth the risk.

The show takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which seems something of an odd setting at first. Although a state since 1912, New Mexico remains a symbol for the new frontier, one of the last places to have a presence of law and order. Yet law and order feature prominently here; it’s even in the family, as Walt’s brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris) is a DEA agent who may uncover Walt’s entire operation at any time.  

Breaking Bad is an exceptionally well-written and produced show that’s filled with tension, suspense, action and drama. It’s also filled with graphic depictions of drug culture, violence, lying, death, deception and flat-out bad people. 

Really. Bad. People. 

I understand why some Christians would not want to watch Breaking Bad. And I’m a firm believer that Christians should not violate their own consciences. If you think it’s sinful to watch certain programs and shows, you should not watch them. But if you can watch it, Breaking Bad may turn out to be one of the most powerful shows ever on fallen human nature and the gradual descent into darkness. One thing that becomes clear early on is the idea that ultimately, no one gets away with anything. In the midst of Walt’s downward spiral of evil, it becomes easier and easier for him to rationalize the wrongness of his actions. But actions have consequences and they are beyond human control.   

Breaking Bad is also a superbly written show with fascinating characters, played to perfection by an extremely talented cast. The unsung hero in this show is Anna Gunn, whose range of emotion, thought and expression is simply stunning to behold. Yet the transformation of Walt from a pretty decent guy to a power-hungry empire builder is a monumental performance, worthy of every award Cranston has won. (If you want to get an idea of what King Saul in the Old Testament might have been like, just watch the story of Walter White.)

The final eight episodes of Breaking Bad start this Sunday night. I’ve been speculating with one of my co-workers on how the series will end. Creator Vince Gilligan has so many plot elements going on that almost anything could happen. Trying to figure them out is part of the fun, but one thing seems frighteningly clear, both in Breaking Bad and in life:

Actions have consequences. 

What? More Books???

Just a quick teaser for some of the books coming to the Resource Center very soon!

Coming in Early August to the Resource Center

Resolving Everyday Conflict (2011) Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson

ISBN 9780801013867

Everyone encounters conflict--whether it be with a coworker, family member, friend, or complete stranger. And yet we all desire harmony in our relationships. "Resolving Everyday Conflict" is a practical, biblical, concise guide to peacemaking in everyday life that can turn tumultuous relationships into peaceful ones.

Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God's Everything (2012) Anonymous

ISBN 9781433677816

Ironically, the trouble with me and you and the rest of humanity is not a lack of self-confidence but that we have far too much self-importance... As pride creeps in, we are tempted to want more: more recognition, more admiration, more influence, more, more, more. Few have ever given thought to wanting less. That’s why we need Embracing Obscurity.... When we stop imitating the world and instead choose to embrace obscurity, real life -- chock full of significance, purpose, and renewed passion -- begins.

A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home (2013) Jason Helopoulos

ISBN 9781781912034

Pastor Jason Helopoulos calls parents and church leaders to reclaim the practice of family worship. This indispensable means of grace directs our children to seek Christ daily, preparing them to go out into the world as fully functioning Christian adults, who love Christ and see all of life in relation to Him.