Leitourgia

Religious Affections Ministries, 2017 "Why another hymnal?" ask the editors of Hymns to the Living God,  a new hymnal published by Religious Affections Ministries. Is another hymnal necessary or relevant, given the large numbers of print hymnals published and the advent of digital resources? According to the hymnal editors, there is no greater time of need for a hymnal to return to one of its most basic functions: a compact library of the church's canon in a given time. Hymns to the Living God  does not seek to be the new, flashy hymnal with the latest songs. Instead, it is a thoughtful compilation of the church's greatest songs through its heritage. The editors have deemed these 294 hymns to be the best of congregational singing and span across the centuries and continents. With a total of 350 items, this hymnal is thin and, to some, too light. But Religious Affections intentionally chose this smaller number due to the number of songs a congregation is able to ...

IVP, 2017. 180 pp. Summary We live in a world that has lost its wonder. Or so argues Mike Cosper in his celebrated book Recapturing the Wonder: Transcendent Faith in a Disenchanted World   (IVP Press, 2017). This book has a two-fold purpose: 1) to identify the deficiencies and symptoms of a disenchanted spirituality, and 2) to provide remedies for re-enchanting our worlds. In essence, this book packs a double punch, serving as a spiritual disciplines handbook and a devotional text. He addresses disciplines such as prayer, Scripture meditation, solitude, secrecy, and fasting. By reaching to the Church's historic practices, Cosper maintains, we can restore an enchanted spiritual life. My ordinary life felt strangely irreligious. Evaluation Cosper's book is a fantastic text for Christians who feel skeptical toward acts of wonder in the world. His writing is candid, free, and humorous—yet perceptive and insightful. He draws on an array of relevant examples of our dis...

IVP Formatio, 2018. 224 pp. Today’s worship leaders are, to use one of their favorite words, reckless. Many crave the culture and all its flash—from high-tech productions to laser shows to Nashville-quality music. Yet that is not the core of worship; if the extravagance is stripped away from a Sunday morning service, then what is left? Worship leader Manuel Luz, in his new book Honest Worship: From False Self to True Praise (IVP Formatio, 2018), pushes us toward a vision of worship that detaches itself from performance and personal praise, instead seeking a God-honoring experience. At its core, this is a spiritual formation resource targeted especially (although not exclusively) toward worship pastors. Luz lays some of the foundational concepts for a theology of worship, and then applies it to the identity of the worship leader. Instead of becoming absorbed in a postmodern culture, Luz argues, the worship leader must submit to the grand vision of worship—a reenactment of the Sto...

Kregel Academic, 2018. 366 pp. For many Christians, the issue of reconciling God’s sovereignty and human responsibility is in tension. In other words, how do Christians justify the biblical evidence that God controls the entire world, yet he has given humans free will? Various theological models have arisen, including Calvinism, Arminianism, Process Theism, and Open Theism, with each tipping the scale heavier toward either sovereignty or responsibility. Instead, theologian John Laing, in his new book Middle Knowledge: Human Freedom in Divine Sovereignty (Kregel Academic, 2018), suggests that the sixteenth-century doctrine of middle knowledge ( scientia media ) best explains this dichotomy. Laing provides an introduction to the doctrine of middle knowledge, also referred to as Molinism (after its pioneer, Luis de Molina). He first surveys the prevailing theories of providence and argues for the superiority of Molinism and its centrism. Laing then addresses common objections to Mo...

Kregel Ministry, 2018. The realities of mental illness are not excluded from the life of the Church, and, unfortunately, discussion of mental illness is often a taboo subject in many churches. Moreover, many ministers are unsure of how to minister to the mentally ill within their own congregation, with such education taking little priority in seminary curriculum. Thus, Steve Bloem's The Pastoral Handbook of Mental Illness  (Kregel Ministry, 2018) is a fantastic resource for the basics on mental illness and its implications for the Church. There are not many books quite like this one. Designed for pastors and other church leaders, The Pastoral Handbook of Mental Illness  first makes a biblical case for mental illness, dispelling its common myths and arguing for its placement within the canon of pastoral care. Bloem then surveys the major mental illnesses and suicide. Each illness is given a psychological/scientific background, treatment options, tips for the pastor, and r...

Abingdon Press, 2017. "There is nothing new about contemporary worship." I've heard this phrase repeatedly by worship scholars and professors, and so it follows that something with an established history deserves a written record. Thus, liturgical historians Swee Hong Lim and Lester Ruth have written Lovin' on Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship   (Abingdon Press, 2017). It seems somewhat oxymoronic that there is a history of contemporary worship, yet Lim and Ruth (a dynamic duo of worship musician and worship historian) offer a well-needed filling to the history of the church's praise. Following the lead of worship historian James White, Lim and Ruth follow the model outlined in White's celebrated A Brief History of Christian Worship,  suggesting its ability to be read either supplementally or independently of this classic text. After summarizing the origins of contemporary worship which, perhaps surprisingly, date back as early as the nine...

Os Guinness' spiritual classic The Call (Thomas Nelson, 2018) has been reprinted in a new edition which features expanded chapters and a personal study guide. The book answers one of the most pressing and central questions to human existence: What is my life calling? Guinness approaches the subject from a Christian perspective and asserts that God has made each individual for a specific purpose. As we seek to know God's will and call for our lives, we submit to follow him in faith and obedience. This book is 30 chapters which are designed to read as individual devotionals each day. They are short, warm, and insightful. Guinness is a master with words, clearly making his point with resounding truth. He draws on the wisdom of philosophers like Kierkegaard, Lewis, Kuyper, Luther, and Einstein and also interacts with his personal experiences and biblical accounts to craft a robust theology of calling. Guinness writes for both seekers and believers, realizing that everyone in li...