Arden F. Mahlberg and Craig L. Nessan Cascade Books, 236 pages Reviewed by John Wimberly Airplane pilots are taught to ignore their “gut instincts.” Instead, for each and every problem that may occur while they are flying, they are trained to disregard their initial reactions and use well-defined protocols developed over decades. Why? Because, in the air, instincts may be fatally misleading while protocols walk pilots methodically through crises. In their book on boundaries, Arden Mahlberg and Craig Nessan argue that the same is true in ministry. Good decision-makers understand that decision-making is more about process than outcomes, even when the process involves intuition. Research reveals that our instincts advise us to “give more weight to events that we have experienced personally rather than those experienced by others” and “if a bad thing has not happened to us, we tend to make decisions as if it never will.” Such are the revelatory insights offered in a book definitely … [Read more...]

Ashley Hales IVP Books, 192 pages Reviewed by KJ Ramsey Hales offers a compelling invitation to live with purpose and meaning in the middle of the manicured lawns of the suburbs — not by pining after some amorphous ideal we wish we could achieve, but by attending to the reality that Jesus has already changed the world by offering us his presence. This month my husband and I relocated from the West to the gently curved, confusing streets of Charlotte, North Carolina, and after five years of finding my way by noticing the mountains to the west, I feel displaced. And though I have never lived in a suburb and have moved to yet another city, Hales’ book offered me grace to see my new surroundings as a place to find more than my own satisfaction. She writes, “I can never answer the needs of my neighborhood when I’m telling a story that has me at the center instead of us, and when home is a product of what I buy, and when worth is measured in square footage.” Whether you find yourself … [Read more...]

Stephen R. Haynes Eerdmans 213 pages Stephen Haynes is the author of “Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians” and theologian-in-residence at Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis. He is also a scholar-on-a-mission to correct the record about the famous Lutheran pastor-theologian who bravely resisted the Nazi regime.  One might wonder why this is necessary. Isn’t Bonhoeffer well known for his courageous call to discipleship against all cheap grace? Unfortunately, the answer is much more complicated and Haynes points out why, in the age of Donald Trump, Bonhoeffer is being used for purposes he would never recognize much less approve. He describes how the evangelical world adopted Bonhoeffer with some appreciation for his courageous witness but not as much for his theology. After surveying Bonhoeffer in the Bush and Obama years, Haynes turns his attention to the current appropriation. He takes aim particularly at Eric Metaxas’ award-winning biography as a distortion of Bonhoeffer and a … [Read more...]

Gil Rendle Rowman & Littlefield, 304 pages Reviewed by Allen D. Timm A pastor introduced herself to the principal of the high school, who asked if she knew of any opportunities for her students to serve the community. A local imam asked the same of his congregants. The church was hosting an overnight shelter, and they joined the project. The church became a catalyst for change in her community.  This story illustrates Gil Rendle’s “Quietly Courageous.” It picks up where “Doing the Math of Mission” leaves off. Rendle builds on his work for the Texas Methodist Foundation to provide leadership for the church.  So what is his contribution? Here is his central point: Churches pay their pastors to serve their own church, not to find ways to lift and serve their community. Rendle says that while providing leadership inside the church to nurture its members, pastors must also serve quietly outside the church. They must build relationships with others who want to change their … [Read more...]

James D.G. Dunn Eerdmans, 192 pages This book is a summary of James Dunn’s brilliant scholarship over 50 years of teaching on Jesus. The chapters, which cover the entire New Testament witness, were originally lectures delivered in Chichester, England. Dunn’s writing, which is clear, precise and accessible for the non-scholar, makes this volume so enriching. He stays focused carefully on his subject: Jesus. Beginning with his own conviction that Jesus had self-understanding that formed the memory of his earliest followers, he then goes on to explore the contributions of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, each receiving commentary unique to the telling. Against a tide of skeptical scholars, Dunn is emphatic that subsequent beliefs about Jesus were grounded in what he actually said and how he acted. He declares boldly: “Jesus according to Jesus is firmly at the root of Jesus according to the evangelists.” I can’t imagine a better introduction to the New Testament than this one. It contains … [Read more...]