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...]

Karen R. Keen Eerdmans, 160 pages Reviewed by Linda Lanam The debate surrounding the position of the church and its individual members on questions of sexual identity all too often sends what Karen R. Keen refers to as “traditionalists” and “progressives” to opposite sides of the field, sides from which they rarely move. And there is nothing in Keen’s little book, “Scripture, Ethics and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships,” that is likely to finally bring resolution to the contentious issue. However, she offers a balanced discussion of the subject grounded in church history, biblical studies and Christian ethics and reflects on her own life experiences as she came to terms with being gay and Christian. Framing the topic factually offers a foundation for conversation that may at least tempt opponents to take a step or two toward the middle. Keen opens with a brief summary of the response of the church to same-sex relationships. Her discussion of the scientific and … [Read more...]

Chris Currie Parson’s Porch, 152 pages Every Sunday, all across the world, preachers stand to proclaim a “word from the Lord” to a particular people, in a particular place, at a particular time. It’s an incredibly inefficient process, and one that various technologies and ecclesiologies may continue to challenge. But “in the meantime,” this kind of face-to-face communication is the primary means by which Christ becomes present to local congregations, week in and week out. Chris Currie is well aware that compiling a written artifact of such particular proclamations is problematic at best. It risks “removing them from the intimacy of the congregation in which they are preached” and “ripping them from the struggles a community may be facing.” A “prayerful imagination” (Eugene Petersen’s term) will be required for these printed words to come alive for the reader. Nevertheless, I think this works in this particular case. First, the congregation of First Presbyterian Church in … [Read more...]