Domesticated JesusHarry Kraus Jr.
P&R Publishing, June 2010
It's incredible, but the modern church has largely succeeded in domesticating Jesus . We have swapped a God-glorifying gospel for a lesser gospel where I is the central character. This is appalling (but so commonplace, it rarely warrants comment). Harry's honest, fresh, and involving journey of self-discovery helps you understand how his, and your, compromises have led to a down-grading of Jesus role in our lives. Do you want Jesus to be more alive to you than ever before? Don't domesticate him, set him free to live in the center of your life.
Mere ChurchianityMichael Spencer
WaterBrook Press, June 2010
Studies show that one in four young adults claim no formal religious affiliation, and church leaders have long known that this generation is largely missing on Sunday morning. Hundreds of thousands of “church leavers” have had a mentor and pastor, however, in Michael Spencer, known to blog readers as the Internet Monk. Spencer guided a vast online congregation in its search for a more honest and more immediate practice of Christian faith. Spencer discovered the truth that church officials often miss, which is that many who leave the church do so in an attempt to find Jesus. For years on his blog Spencer showed de-churched readers how to practice their faith without the distractions of religious institutions. Sadly, he died in 2010. But now that his last message is available in Mere Churchianity, you can benefit from the biblical wisdom and compassionate teaching that always have been hallmarks of his ministry. With Mere Churchianity, Spencer’s writing will continue to point the disenchanted and dispossessed to a Jesus-shaped spirituality. And along the way, his teachings show how you can find others who will go with you on the journey.
23 Questions About HellBill Wiese
Charisma House, June 2010
23 Questions About Hell contains to-the-point answers to the questions that Bill Wiese has most been asked about hell since his best-selling 23 Minutes in Hell first released. Each answer is based on the Word of God, and the combined answers provide a fresh understanding about some of life's Whys as they relate to hell and eternity. This book will clear up misconceptions and presuppositions about God s character, and about who goes to heaven, and who doesn't. It clearly demonstrates that we are held accountable for our decisions in life. The book includes a DVD -- with Bill's amazing story and the lessons he's learned from his visit to HELL.
Has Christianity Failed You?Ravi Zacharias
Zondervan, June 2010
In 2006, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) held an open forum at the Fox Theater in Atlanta to address the subject: 'Has Christianity Failed You?' Tickets were sold for the event and---to the complete surprise of everyone---the event was sold out with a capacity crowd of over 5,000. People lined up offering to buy tickets from folks in line for higher prices. Before the event, an RZIM cameraman walked the streets and asked people if they had rejected the faith they held at one time. One answered that, because of a Christian's rejection of his gay lifestyle he had done just that. Another answered that she had left her faith because she had fallen into adultery and could never live it down in the church. Others had their own reasons. Some said it was just intellectually untenable in an age of reason. They chose to come to the event to judge if there were adequate answers. It is estimated that for every one person who writes a letter or attends an event, there are one thousand who agree. If the Atlanta crowd was any indication, the question is real and troubling. Why is it that many live with silent doubt, many leaving the 'evangelical fold' for something else? Is there something wrong with the message, the communicator, the hearer...or is it all three? It's time to ask the hard questions of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and why it seems as though God has made it so hard to continue believing. In fact, the son of a prominent U.S. Senator phoned me with that very question. 'Why has God made it so hard to believe in Him?' Such skepticism is not just representative of the hostile; it also represents many honest questioners. This book attempts to lay out the response to those within as well as those outside the Christian faith so as to understand what it is we believe and why it is so hard to do so. More to the point: Why it is actually so hard to deny God and still make sense out of life? In the end the answers should be both felt and real, with the added truth that God is nearer than you think. He desires that we sense Him very near to us and not distant. But closeness comes at a cost just as any relationship of love and commitment does.
The Rage Against GodPeter Hitchens
Zondervan, January 2010
Here, for the first time, in his new book The Rage Against God, Peter Hitchens, brother of prominent atheist Christopher Hitchens, chronicles his personal journey through disbelief into a committed Christian faith. With unflinching openness and intellectual honesty, Hitchens describes the personal loss and philosophical curiosity that led him to burn his Bible at prep school and embrace atheism in its place. From there, he traces his experience as a journalist in Soviet Moscow, and the critical observations that left him with more questions than answers, and more despair than hope for how to live a meaningful life. With first-hand insight into the blurring of the line between politics and the Church, Hitchens reveals the reasons why an honest assessment of Atheism cannot sustain disbelief in God. In the process, he provides hope for all believers who, in the words of T. S. Eliot, may discover 'the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.'
