Features
The power of being with: Jesus model for ministry
Reversal: Essays by readers
A preacher’s anxiety: Between panic and pride
Ephemera: Notes from the farm
Manufactured disruption: Why we keep checking our phones
Voices
M. Craig Barnes
Where issues have faces
The mainline has long congratulated itself for being prophetic because it's good at voting for progressive agendas. But change happens at the local level.
Carol Howard Merritt
Church with a clean slate
"Co-creating is a lot of fun," says Jenn DiFrancesco. She and her Slate Project colleagues don’t show the same sort of weariness church planters often display a couple years in.
Books
The Rebirthing of God, by John Philip Newell
For nonbelievers, John Philip Newell's new book might serve as an introduction to Christianity at its mildest and least challenging.
We Know How This Ends, by Bruce H. Kramer with Cathy Wurzer
Restless Empire, by Ian Barnes
Faith in ferment
Whatever its connotations, medieval represents half the Christian story to date. Kevin Madigan provides an excellent look at these long centuries.
How (Not) to Be Secular, by James K. A. Smith
Jamie Smith has written a string of smart books that explain the significance of contemporary theory for Christian life and ministry. His new field guide to Charles Taylor may be his best.