Theology Missions

In our quest to renew the church, Christians have walked through seeker-friendly, emergent, missional, and other movements to develop new expressions of the body of Christ. Now, in the post-Christian world in North America, we're asking the question again: Is there a way to be the church that engages the world, not by judgment nor accommodation but by becoming the good news in our culture?

"We are to love God for himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable." On Loving God is first a touching description of God's love for us as an unmistakably demonstrated in the death of his son. Second, it is a call for us to joyfully respond to God like the child who runs to and embraces her father whose love is sure. As St. Bernard writes, "They love all the more, because they know themselves to be loved so exceedingly."

This book - simple and powerful - is the result of Murray's passionate exploration of the issue of surrender: why it's seemingly impossible and yet completely necessary.

Ken Boa and Robert Bowman have provided a resource that tackles the most profound arguments from philosophy, science, sociology, psychology, and history...and presents 20 clear, concise, and compelling pieces of evidence that show that faith in God - and specifically Jesus Christ - is reasonable.

Many people today talk about justice, but are they living justly? They want to change the world, but are they being changed themselves? Eugene Cho has a confession: "I like to talk about changing the world but I don't really like to do what it takes." If this is true of the man who founded the One Day's Wages global antipoverty movement, then what must it take to act on one's ideals? Cho does not doubt the sincerity of those who want to change the world.

Reformation is the continual reforming of the mission of the church to enhance Gods command to reach out to others in a way that acknowledges the unique times and locations of daily life.

Evangelism and missions are parts of the Christian life often accompanied by fears, insecurities, and cultural pressures. In this addition to the Union series, Daniel Hames and Michael Reeves argue that an individual's relationship with God influences their evangelism and missions more than anything else. Scripture clearly shows that a believer's responsibility is to make God known in the world, but this cannot be done without first knowing and enjoying God.

Many young African Americans are disinterested in Christianity and others are leaving the church in search of what these false religious ideas appear to offer, a spirituality more indigenous to their history and ethnicity. Edited by Dr. Eric Mason and featuring a top-notch lineup of contributors, Urban Apologetics is the first book focused entirely on cults, religious groups, and ethnocentric ideologies prevalent in the black community.

Across the church, there is a rift between theology and missions. Bad theology produces bad missions, and bad missions fuel bad theology. We wrongly think that we must choose between making a global impact and thinking deeply about the things of God. But the relationship between theology and missions is symbiotic—one cannot exist without the other. They walk hand in hand.

He or she could be the neighbor who is perfectly happy without God. Or the coworker who scoffs at Christianity. Or the supervisor who uses Jesus’ name only as profanity. Or the family member who can’t understand why religion is so important. Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary is an action plan to help you relate the message of Christ to the people you work around, live with, and call your friends.

In Many Are Called, Dr. Scott Hahn, one of the most celebrated scholars and influential Catholic writers living today, enthusiastically encourages Catholics around the world to renew their focus on the sacred role of the Catholic priest. Using his unique ability to present deep spiritual and theological ideas in the language of everyday life, Dr. Hahn examines the biblical and historical roots of the priesthood to explain the centrality of the priest in the life of the church.

Michael Reeves wants you to understand that the doctrine of the Trinity has everything to do with the practice of missions. When a Christian sees the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as divine persons who are so full of love that it radiates and overflows into creation — and into the lives of human beings — our perspective on missions is radically changed. No longer are missions an obligation or a drudgery. Instead, realizing the abundance of love that goes forth from God, we who have received and delighted in such love are motivated to go forth as well.

This thoughtful book provides cultural analysis, probes some of the most important turning-points of biblical theology, describes the experiences of those who are proving fruitful in contemporary evangelism, and exposes readers to those who are thinking hard both strategically and practically about reaching the postmodern world.

Beginning with the biblical basics, Jeff Lockyer walks listeners through the underlying theology and practical application of how Southridge Community Church has approached ministry for nearly a quarter century. While providing a fresh approach to ministry, the book stimulates how to think - not what to think. It's written by a local church practitioner for local church practitioners.

Highly regarded biblical scholar and speaker Christopher Wright shows us that how we read the Bible has a profound impact on how we understand what mission is. According to Wright, "People read (and preach) the Bible in tiny bits and pieces, for its promises or rules or doctrines, and fail to take it . . . as the true story of the universe, past, present, and future, within the plan and purposes of God—a story in which we are called to participate as coworkers with God." Wright encourages us to explore the Bible's grand narrative.

Author Bruce Wilkinson shows you what Jesus said about God's plan to reward you in eternity for what you do for Him today. What you'll discover will unlock the mystery of God's power, plan and will for your life. And you'll begin to live with the unshakable certainty that what you do today matters...forever!

Trendy new missions strategies are a dime a dozen, promising missionaries monumental results in record time. These strategies report explosive movements of people turning to Christ, but their claims are often dubious and they do little to ensure the health of believers or churches that remain. How can churches and missionaries address the urgent need to reach unreached people without falling for quick fixes?

In Thom Rainer's latest book, he sets out to discover how churches that were once healthy but had stagnated in growth have broken out to become great churches impacting lives and entire communities.

Many believe Charles Colson and Ellen Vaughn¿s The Body to be the watershed book of the past decade. It impacted the Church worldwide, encouraging Christians of diverse backgrounds to see themselves as part of the universal body of Christ. It challenged many to a new sense of unity, realizing that we blunt the Gospel message every time we divide over petty issues and personal turf.

This vision of and invitation to the work of global missions challenges Christians everywhere to cultivate a holy ambition to preach Christ where he has not yet been named.