The Ethics of Evangelism: A Philosophical Defense of Proselytizing and PersuasionAuthor: Elmer John Thiessen“Some philosophers have described a human as a social or political animal. Others have suggested that a human is a rational animal. I would describe humans as proselytizing animals…. It is in the nature of a human beings to proselytize.”
I imagine I must have looked like a pretty grouchy 10-year-old, as I slumped into the church pew on a cold winter morning. There I was, stuck listening to a boring sermon while the rest of my hockey team was pursuing glory on the rinks of southern Alberta.
I was barely into my second year of pastoral ministry when I received a phone call. A young man had tried to take his life, and he was looking to speak to a priest or a pastor.
Permission to Speak Freely: Essays and Art On Fear, Confession, and Grace
Author name: Anne Jackson
Permission to Speak Freely is born out of a single question Anne Jackson asked on her blog two years ago: “What is one thing you feel you can’t say in the church?” The responses Jackson received to this question, combined with her own reflections on a faith journey characterized by both ambivalence and love for the church, forms the heart of the subject matter of this book…Books Profiled are: Questions of Faith: A Skeptical Affirmation of Christianity; God is Great, God is Good: Why Believing in God is Reasonable; The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism; Jesus Matters: Good News for the Twenty-First Century; Mere Christianity; The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World; The Gospel in a Pluralist Society; Believe in God in an Age of Science; The God that Did Not Fail: How Religion Built and Sustains the West
Among the more pleasant discoveries during my first few weeks on the job as a pastor was a delightful café a mere stone’s throw from our church. It’s a warm and inviting space where all kinds of people – from neo-pagans to evangelical Christians to atheists and agnostics – gather for coffee and conversation.
Once upon a time, my wife and I decided that our kids would not play hockey and, more importantly, that we would never be “hockey parents.” Hockey was expensive, brought out the worst in both kids and their parents, was expensive, unnecessarily violent, expensive, involved excessive amounts of travel and early mornings at frigid rinks… and was expensive.
Mutual Treasure: Seeking Better Ways for Christians and Culture to ConverseAuthors: Harold Heie & Michael A. King, eds.How can Christians most helpfully and Christianly engage the cultural contexts in which they live? This question has been a lively one for as long as Christians have been around to ask it.
Scot McKnight
The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible
McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet is the latest addition to the growing collection of popular writings recommending a narrative approach to Scripture. For McKnight, Scripture is the story of God’s activity in history…Lord Save Us From Your Followers: Why is the Gospel of Love Dividing Society?
Author: Dan MerchantThe question of Christianity’s relationship to culture is an old one with no shortage of differing viewpoints. Are we to flee from it? Subvert it from within? Take it over for Jesus? None of the above?Jimmy stumbles out of bed just before seven, and groggy, and reaches for the first cup of conveniently perked coffee thanks to his programmable coffeemaker. Then it’s straight to the computer to begin his daily morning routine.