Category Archives: Reviews

I am very interested in hymnals as the best conservators of a broad, deep and diverse selection of worship music for the church today. A good hymnal is a post-evangelical’s friend. The Baptist Hymnal (also called The Worship Hymnal) 2008 has been reviewed at Isaiah Six and if you are interested in worship music checkContinue reading “Isaiah Six Reviews The Baptist Hymnal 2008”

Rising From The Ashes is an unusual look at the emerging church/alternative worship, church planting and church development scene, presented entirely as short articles, emails, interviews and even instant message conversations. Becky Garrison, a writer for the Wittenberg Door magazine, and author of Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church, asks the questions andContinue reading “Review: Rising From The Ashes by Becky Garrison”

You know a book is different when it starts with the question of whether you need to buy the book at all. In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis talks about the spiritual values of simple pleasures. There are a world of things, Screwtape says, that the “enemy” doesn’t mind humans doing at all: sleeping, eating,Continue reading “Review: Simplify by Paul Borthwick”

Is there a compelling reason to read Brian Sanders’ version of “Why so many of us are leaving the traditional churches for emerging churches?” Maybe. Life After Church is a book many of my readers will appreciate. I think Sanders gets many things right. I certainly appreciated his emphasis on scripture; a gift to allContinue reading “Review: Life After Church by Brian Sanders”

This is the season of “Best of” lists, and I’m sure Pierced For Our Transgressions by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey and Andrew Sach will be on more than a few lists. In the past year, Pierced For Our Transgressions may be the best-reviewed, highest recommended book in the Reformed blogosphere. It was also one ofContinue reading “Recommendation and Review: Pierced For Our Transgressions by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey and Andrew Sach”

UPDATE: Rev. Dowd has graciously joined the comment thread. Thank God For Evolution! is available as a free pdf download. If you haven’t read the book and don’t plan on it, please keep your comments about the book and the author appropriately humble. Don’t expect a creationist debate in the comments of this post. Also,Continue reading “Review: Thank God For Evolution! by Michael Dowd”

I finally read a book by Leonard Sweet. That’s a pretty big deal for me, as this was something like the fifth one I’ve started, failing to finish -or even get three chapters done in- the other four. Sweet is a futurist, professor of evangelism, church renewal advocate and sometimes part of the emerging conversation.Continue reading “Review: The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet”

When I first received Neil Livingstone’s book Picturing the Gospel, I flipped through it and said “This won’t be good.” I put it on the bottom of my book pile and didn’t read it for several weeks. This week, I’ve read the book. Several chapters twice. Not just a good book….it’s an outstanding book. SoContinue reading “Review: Picturing the Gospel, by Neil Livingstone.”

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches: Five Perspectives. General Editor: Robert Webber. Contributors: Mark Driscoll, John Burke, Dan Kimball, Doug Padgitt, Karen Ward. Zondervan, 2007. What is it about the emerging church that makes it so difficult for Christians to talk about it? Probably because there is no emerging church. There are a collectionContinue reading “Review: Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, Robert Webber, General Editor.”