Leitourgia

Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. 279 pp. Hillsong Church, located in Sydney, Australia, has quickly become of one of the most well-known names in contemporary evangelicalism. The megachurch is especially known for its worship music, producing chart-topping songs such as “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” “This I Believe (The Creed),” and, most recently, “Who You Say I Am.” But behind this successful church—which inspires awe in some and anger in others—is a movement of people who are causing local and global impact. This is the assertion of the contributors to the first scholarly analysis of Hillsong, The Hillsong Movement Examined: You Call Me Out Upon the Waters. A variety of voices from around the world have contributed to this perceptive, comprehensive analysis of Hillsong’s ministry and influence, viewing the church from a sociological and religious perspective. This book arose out of a desire to provide a balanced approach to Hillsong, a departure from most opinionated works that fall...

In Bryan Chapell's classic homlietics book Christ-Centered Preaching,  Chapell, a Presbyterian scholar, claims that "Christ-centered" exposition does not necessarily mean magically finding Christ on every page but showing how every passage points to Christ. This is the goal of the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible  (Crossway, 2019). For many, it is difficult to read the story of the Bible—which many argue points to Christ—without understanding its fullness. Enter this new study Bible. This Bible includes over 375,000 study notes with the sole purpose of pointing toward Christ's work in the New Testament. Additionally, there are over 50 articles written by respected scholars on the nature of covenant and the Gospel. As is standard in most study Bibles, this also includes introductions to each book, a concordance, and cross-references. This Bible is formatted in single-column paragraphs, which makes for a pleasant reading experience; however, one wonders if the ...

Zondervan Academic, 2019 Since its publication in 2001, Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt's celebrated Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar  has enjoyed success as one of the leading introductory Hebrew grammars for colleges and seminaries. Contributing to its success is its combination of inductive and deductive approaches to learning complex nuances of Hebrew, coupled with its real examples from the Hebrew Bible (whereas other Hebrew texts often use made-up examples). Now in its third edition, BBH  remains one of the most excellent introductions to learning biblical Hebrew. New to this edition is an updated workbook with tear-out pages, three-hole punching, and frequent Hebrew reading sections to begin applying language skills to real passages of the Bible. This workbook is redesigned from previous editions in allowing more room for writing and denoting each chapter with its Hebrew number. This edition also includes a new vocabulary list with an accompanying flashc...

For over 80 years, Gallup has been the leader in organizational research and statistics. Their popular StrengthsFinder assessment (now known as CliftonStrengths ) is presupposed on the assertion that personality tests should focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. This instrument provides participants with their top 5 strengths, with a view to maximizing and improving on their best areas. For students in higher education, there is no better time to begin developing one's strengths. CliftonStrengths for Students  (Gallup, 2017) outlines each of the 34 strengths with stories of students with each strength and action items related to academic life and beyond. Each copy of the book includes the StrengthsFinder instrument. This would be a fantastic asset to any and all students who want to develop their strengths. (A complimentary review copy was given in exchange for an honest review.)

Thomas Nelson, 2019 For many seekers and growing Christians, there is the feeling of spiritual stagnancy. Why am I not growing, even if I am doing all of the right things? For this reason, Kevin Myers writes his new book, Grown-Up Faith: The Bigger Picture for a Better Life .  Myers, the lead pastor at 12Stone Church (the largest Wesleyan church in the United States), argues that faith cannot occur without spiritual maturity. For Myers, many Christians are caught in an immature spirituality, which causes them to miss the picture on a full, Christ-centered life. Myers' book is structured around 11 questions which he claims are questions that all people at all times, whether religious or not, are asking. Such questions include: Is life an accident? Are heaven and hell real? What does it mean to be forgiven? Myers walks through each question and suggests that the story of the Bible answers these questions. He presents a narrative view of Scripture that he believes holds the key ...

IVP Praxis, 2019. 216 pp. Ministry is a political activity. This is the bold claim set forth by Bob Burns, Tasha D. Chapman, and Donald C. Guthrie in their new book, The Politics of Ministry: Navigating Power Dynamics and Negotiating Interests  (IVP Praxis, 2019). In a world where politics is associated with corruption, power moves, and snaky behavior, the authors maintain that ministry involves politics because it meets its most basic definition: working with others to achieve interests. Thus, the question is not whether ministry should be political but how politics can be used in a God-honoring way. Moving beyond a guide to surviving church politics, this book stands at the intersection of corporate business and leadership theory and pastoral theology. It begins with three real-life stories that illustrate the politics of ministry. Then, the authors describe the dynamics and power of politics, types of interests, negotiation, and the ethics of ministerial politics. With pra...