Tag Archives: book

New book: A History of Churches of Christ in Cuba

Cuba history book coverI’m pleased to announce that A History of Churches of Christ in Cuba is now available. Tony Fernández and I worked on this information over the course of several years, and it’s nice to see it in concrete form.

Any history of the churches in Cuba is going to be incomplete at this point. There are too many stories that can’t be told yet.

I’ll also mention that I made an appeal for information last year at a meeting of people who work in Cuba. Only one person sent me anything. Because of that, I’m sure that some people from here in the States will not have received the mention they would have liked to have. If so, I’ll hope they’ll send me info for the next edition!

Anyway, the book can be purchased from the Herald of Truth website. You can find it on this page: http://www.heraldoftruth.org/resources_books/a-history-of-churches-of-christ-in-cuba

The Restorers — Part 2 of The Next Christians

I’m going to be spending some time over the next few days looking at the book The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons.

In the second part of the book, Lyons seeks to give us an idea of what the “Restorers” look like, these Next Christians that he’s writing about. He does this by describing certain attitudes, then giving examples from real life of people who are living them out.

The attitudes are presented in a series of contrasts which are:

  • Provoked, not offended — This is the idea that instead of merely condemning non-Christian aspects of our society and withdrawing from them, the restorer is moved to action. Rather than being judgmental, these Christians look to address brokenness and shine light on darkness. Lyons says they choose engagement over condemnation, grace over judgment, courage over comfort and faithfulness over reputation.
  • Creators, not critics—Instead of complaining about the state of tv, movies and music in our culture, restorers set to create things of beauty, using excellence to defeat immorality. They create culture that celebrates beauty, affirms goodness, tells the truth and serves.
  • Called, not employed—Restorers reject the religious vs. secular dichotomy, looking to reintegrate the message of the gospel into neglected areas of culture. Lyons identifies seven channels of cultural influence: media, education, arts & entertainment, business, government, the social sector and the church. Virtually every legitimate career falls under one of those categories, and Lyons argues that Christians are called to be active in all of them. Every channel of culture needs restoration. It is up to Christians to discover their vocation. Lyons says, “Where your gifts and natural skills collide with your deepest burdens—you have calling.” (p. 124)
  • Grounded, not distracted—These Christians are aware that operating in the midst of culture requires being rooted in Christ. This is sought through the spiritual disciplines: being immersed in Scripture instead of entertainment, observing the Sabbath instead of being productive, fasting for simplicity instead of consuming, choosing embodiment instead of being divided, and being postured by prayer instead of power.
  • In community, not alone—The restorers that Lyons describe live in contact with one another, looking to combine their resources to better serve. They are also part of their community, making a conscious decision to engage the people around them.
  • Countercultural, not relevant—Christians have often tried to be countercultural in three ways: separatists, antagonists or relativists. Lyons’ next Christians reject the old ways which often reflected the opposite of the Christian message. They seek to be a preserving agent in a decaying world, seeking to redeem the world rather than defeat it. They seek to live an inverted lifestyle, flipping the values of this world. They seek to make sense of the world by offering an alternative lifestyle.

I like Lyons’ use of the contrasts to present a picture of how he views restoration. I also like the use of real-world examples that are given in the book.

What do you think of these outlooks? Are they different from what the church has been in the past, or is Lyons arguing against a stereotype? Is there anything you would add to this list?

The fine print: The links to Amazon found in this post provide a commission to me when used. However, this book was not provided to me for review, but was purchased.

The World is Changing — Part 1 of The Next Christians

I’m going to be spending some time over the next few days looking at the book The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons.

In the first part of the book, Lyons describes the changing nature of Western culture, especially as religion is concerned. He describes the traditional religious landscape by breaking it down into two large categories, what he calls “separatist” and “cultural.”

Within the category of separatist, Lyons includes the following groups:

  • Insiders: Christians who focus their interactions on other Christians by using Christian lawyers, Christian bankers, sending their kids to Christian schools, listening to Christian radio, etc.
  • Culture Warriors: These Christians focus on “taking back our country.” They fight for prayer in schools and organize against gay rights and abortion. If you disagree with them, they will label you as unpatriotic or ungodly.
  • Evangelizers: For these Christians, the only legitimate activity for Christians in this world is recruiting others to the faith. They want to win souls, no matter who they offend.

Within the category of “cultural,” Lyons includes these groups:

  • Blenders: Accepting historic Christian beliefs, these Christians seek to blend into the cultural mainstream. Their lives mirror the culture around them.
  • Philanthropists: For these Christians, the only Christian activity that matters is helping others. They lack the message of the gospel from which these works should spring.

Lyons sees “The Next Christians” as following into another category: Restorers. (Yes, those of us in the Restoration Movement find a bit of irony in the use of that title) Lyons calls them restorers because they are actively seeking to restore the world to what it once was. He’ll spend the rest of the book fleshing out what that looks like.

Any reaction so far? I see a lot of similarity to James Davison Hunter’s To Change the World, which we examined in several posts earlier.

(Disclaimer: The links to books in this review link to my Amazon Associates account and I will receive a small commission should you purchase via this link)

The Next Christians

I’m going to be spending some time over the next few days looking at the book The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons. Lyons is one of the authors of the book unChristian, and this book is a bit of a follow-up to that one.

Basically, Lyons sees a major shift coming in Christianity in the United States. He feels that churches as we know them will be transforming into smaller, more vital groups. The subtitle of his book is “The Good News About The End Of Christian America.” That might give you a clue as to where he’s going.

There is a web site for this book, as well as a study guide that can be purchased separately. I found the information in the book intriguing enough that I’m going to have my students read it next semester in the “Christianity in Culture” course that I teach.

If you’d like to get a head start on the discussion, you can read the first two chapters over at scribd.com.

(This is a crassly commercial post, with all of the mentioned books linked to Amazon. I’ll get enough money to buy a stick of gum if you purchase via those links. Merry Christmas to me!)

Letters From The Lamb book video

I’ve shared some of Herald of Truth’s videos over the past few months, but I never shared the video I put together for our book. Book trailers have become common over the last few years, so we developed one for Letters From The Lamb. It’s only 90 seconds, so why not take a moment to watch it?

Speaking of the book, we’re preparing some promotional materials with quotes from readers. If anyone would like to submit a “blurb,” we’d be thrilled to have it.

Have a great weekend!