Book reviews
Reviews of the books shaping mission thinking and practice. Page 5 of 40 · 954 in all.
Clarifying Mission’s Purpose
Despite abundant mission teaching and scholarship today, is it possible that the term “mission” has become fuzzy? What does “on mission” actually mean?
Effective Witnesses of Christ
“Have you been born again, again?” This is the question Darrell Whiteman has asked students of missions over the years. The first experience of being born again is obviously one’s conversion, as described in John 3:1–15.
Breaking Language Barriers
Jonathan Downie brings his experience as a professional interpreter and published researcher in interpretation studies to the service of multiethnic churches and communities.
Mission-Driven Church Planting
Church planting among every people group is at the center of God’s mission. Ken Davis’ book, Foundations for Fruitful Church Planting, connects church planting with global mission.
Understanding Dechurching
In The Great Dechurching, authors Jim Davis, Michael Graham, and Ryan Burge present a thorough examination of dechurching in the United States, investigating the departure of approximately 40 million adults from regular church attendance over the past 25 years.
Solving Problems of Distrust
Our church-planting team attempted to help financially struggling new believers in our emerging church. Our results mirrored so many other stories when we first started a home construction company and later started a grocery co-op: Both times, we failed.
De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What’s Next
Big churches are not the problem. Bigness is the problem. Bigness is an obsessive mindset” (page 12).
The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will it Take to Bring Them Back
This book presents the results of a quantitative national U.S. study on the dechurching phenomenon (i.e., regular Christian worshipers nationwide have decided to no longer attend church at all).
Downward Discipleship: How Amy Carmichael Gave Me Courage to Serve in a Slum
This book defines downward discipleship as a life of surrender and embodies it through the author’s weaving of her stories of service in an Indonesian slum with the quotes and stories from Amy Carmichael’s life and ministry.
The Age of Global Giving: A Practical Guide for Donors
This book is a 10th anniversary edition that continues to focus on the emerging trends in donor giving and behavior.
Contextual Theology Among Evangelicals
Recently at a conference, I heard a speaker remark that when the Western world writes it is called theology but when the majority world writes it is often referred to as contextual theology. This hegemony is addressed by Stephen Pardue in his book, Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church, where he cogently…
Devoted to the Call
Rachel Wightman serves as the associate director for instruction and outreach at Concordia University, St. Paul, with experience and training in library and information sciences.
Truth vs. Misinformation
Rachel Wightman serves as the associate director for instruction and outreach at Concordia University, St. Paul, with experience and training in library and information sciences.
A Diverse World of Faith
How can anyone cover “world religions in seven sentences?” This book is one of several in the series, “Introductions in Seven Sentences,” which offer insightful overviews of philosophy, Christian history, the Old and New Testaments, and world religions.
What Made the Early Church Share the Gospel?
This book by Matt Burden may be a shock to those who perceive that the Great Commission has been the church’s driving force for missions since Jesus uttered those words before his ascension!
In-Depth Answers for Training Cross-Cultural Workers
Many books have been written about mission and missionaries, but what does the life of a missionary look like? On Being a Missionary provides an in-depth answer to this question.
Experiencing God
Harold Netland has written a careful and readable analysis of what kind of weight (and how much weight) we should lend to religious experience when considering claims about God.
Does Hebrews Address Missions?
What does the book of Hebrews have to do with mission? “Reading Hebrews Missiologically” aims “to tease out the theology of mission in the book of Hebrews”
Forming an Anti-fragile Faith
Missionary activity is dangerous and risky work. The risks of kidnapping, uprisings, crime, government interference, and terrorism build a stressful environment. Missionaries must find ways to thrive despite the dangers.
A Primer on Cultivating Prayer
This slim prayer guide includes a modest number of notes at the end (149–152), illustrative anecdotes scattered throughout, and, most notably, it is saturated with Scripture. To receive the full value of the thoughtful presentation, readers should move slowly through this book.
Sharing the Good News Through the Ages
In February 2019, England’s Church Times noted online that “with the death of Canon Michael Green on 6 February comes the passing of a generation of remarkable evangelists whose mark on the Church of England is ineradicable.
The Legacy of Todd M. Johnson in Global Christianity
The study of global Christianity has become increasingly popular among Christian scholars and sociologists in the last few decades.
Karmic Christianity: Finding Peace by Faith Alone
This book is not about “karma” as used in the traditional Buddhist sense, but in the popular, worldly spirituality that tries to attach spiritual meaning or spiritual causes to good and bad experiences, blessings and hardships.
Crossing Cultures with the Gospel: Anthropological Wisdom for Effective Christian Witness
This book distills the author’s 45 years of training students, pastors, and missionaries in order to help them understand basic anthropological tools and perspectives that can enable them to overcome cross-cultural barriers through the gospel.