Choice Books

CHRISTIANITY TODAY again offers readers six books deemed choice (“worthy of your attention”) by a collection of evangelical leaders—denominational executives, college presidents and professors, pastors—who also happen to be avid readers. Ranging in theme and purpose from an exposé of modern times to the symbolism interweaving our physical bodies with the realities of faith, this quarter’s selection offers a variety of thoughtful viewpoints and perceptions (some controversial) that cry for consideration and application in the context of Christian living.

While not in any sense a definitive list, these Choice Books are nevertheless designed to be an effective starting point from which to begin your pursuit of the best in today’s writing—and thinking.

Ragman and Other Cries of Faith, by Walter Wangerin, Jr. (Harper & Row, 1984, 149 pp.; $11.95).

Ragman and Other Cries of Faith is a collection of 26 pieces spanning an impressive literary spectrum, including narrative, fable, autobiography, and drama. In these pages are such memorable real people as Arthur Forte, a sick old man who, “to speak the cold, disturbing truth, … lived in a rotting stuffed chair in that room, from which he seldom stirred the last year of his life.” There is also Rachel, a deranged woman wandering city streets in search of a lost grandson. And Sarah Moreau, who, in the act of dying, draws her family together with dignity.

The fictional vignettes present a no less intriguing cast, including such characters as Moses Swope, a small, amusingly accident-prone boy who meets Jesus; and the enigmatic Ragman of the book’s title.

This diverse, polished collection is welded into a whole by Wangerin’s outstanding pastoral sensitivity. Wangerin has produced and announced radio programs, taught at several universities, written award-winning books, won acclaim as a colorful and dramatic speaker, and traveled with migrant farm workers. Ragman, however, draws on Wangerin’s experience in his present occupation as pastor of a small, inner-city church in Evansville, Indiana. The book thus attests not only to Wangerin’s skill as a writer, but to the earnestness and warmth with which he enacts his vocation as a “servant of faith.”

An Excerpt: Every time you meet another human being you have the opportunity. It’s a chance at holiness. For you will do one of two things, then. Either you will build him up, or you will tear him down. Either you will acknowledge that he is, or you will make him sorry that he is—sorry, at least, that he is there, in front of you. You will create, or you will destroy. And the things you dignify or deny are God’s own property. They are made, each one of them, in his own image.…

There are no useless, minor meetings. There are no dead-end jobs. There are no pointless lives. Swallow your sorrows, forget your grievances and all the hurt your poor life has sustained. Turn your face truly to the human before you and let her, for one pure moment, shine. Think her important, and then she will suspect that she is fashioned of God.

Money & Power, by Jacques Ellul (English translation, InterVarsity Press, 1984, 173 pp.; $5.95).

What can be more relevant in this age of financial allure and fast-track living than a book on money? The rub here, however, is that the book, Money & Power, was written in 1950. Little matter though, as author Jacques Ellul rightly states in his updated afterword: “Much has changed in appearance, but little in reality.”

The power of money is still with us.

Now available for the first time in English, Money & Power presents a clear, if not completely disturbing, picture of money as an all-pervading spiritual “being” insidiously controlling saint and sinner alike. Money, says Ellul, is not a neutral object that can be used as we like, but a powerful subject that sets itself up against God’s kingdom. As such, it is impossible for Christians, for anyone, to serve two masters, regardless of the smokescreens, the justifications, the rationalizations to the contrary.

In discussing the scriptural as well as the historic Christian views regarding wealth and money (such as wealth as blessing and wealth as reward), Ellul presents the complexities (the futilities?) of living with Mammon—all without undue moralizing or setting forth a series of do’s and don’ts guaranteed to save man from his love for money. Indeed, Ellul makes it abundantly clear that such a love is almost impossible to break outside of the law of grace.

In the course of his discussion, Ellul, a retired professor of the history and sociology of institutions at the University of Bordeaux, France, drops a periodic bombshell (saying, for example, that savings accounts may indicate a lack of trust in an all-caring, all-powerful God). But whether or not you agree with all such conclusions, it is clear that InterVarsity Press has done us a favor by translating a timeless piece (in the twentieth-century context) that cuts through the success syndromes of church and state and tells it like it is.

An Excerpt: It is a strange sort of convention which leads people to attribute, both by judgment and by will, value to something [money] which in itself has no value of use or of exchange.

This is completely unexplainable and irrational. Nothing, whether in human nature or in the nature of things, whether in technology or in reason, adequately explains the original act of creating and accepting money. Nothing explains the blind confidence that we continue, in spite of all crises, to place in money. This is an absurdity which neither economists nor sociologists are able to clarify. The collective attitude of all humankind, this consensus, this submission, are incomprehensible if they are not traced back to the spiritual power of money. If money is not a spiritual power which invades us, enslaving our hearts and minds, then our behavior is simply absurd. If people everywhere place such importance on the symbol of money, it is because they have already been seduced and internally possessed by the spirit of money.

The Naked Public Square, by Richard John Neuhaus (Eerdmans, 1984, 280 pp.; $16.95).

Richard John Neuhaus is to be commended for trying to put some sense back into the misconception that the wall separating church from state is both good—and unbreachable. In his Naked Public Square, Neuhaus, the director of the Center on Religion and Society, painstakingly sets forth that the secularizing of America (a notion that is still more poli-legal sleight of mind, according to Neuhaus, than reality) can ultimately lead to a totalitarian state where religion becomes nothing more than privitized conscience.

He fairly assesses the work of the New Right in its attempts to redefine America morally; puts into proper perspective the fact that movements at both ends of the political spectrum equally share similar sins (overzealousness, single-issue interests); and calls for an accommodation that is not a compromise of principles but a requirement of democratic government—and the believer’s faith.

Perhaps above all else, Neuhaus challenges the American religious community to think through critically its pivotal role in legitimizing the reentry of religion into the American public square. In this regard, Neuhaus muses, “Perhaps Christians should, if they have the ecumenical nerve for it, first try to resolve the disputes among themselves before they attempt to articulate the implications of what they believe for the society at large.”

That secular humanism is, according to Neuhaus, “part of the air we breathe,” makes this book critical to the America of the 1980s. It is only unfortunate that the author’s intellectual style of writing will keep many of “the People” away from what is an articulate call for a public philosophy grounded in values that are based in Judeo-Christian religion.

An Excerpt: The founding fathers of the American experiment declared certain truths to be self-evident and moved on from that premise. It is a measure of our decline into what may be the new dark ages that today we are compelled to produce evidence for the self-evident. Not that it does much good to produce such evidence, however, for such evidences are ruled to be inadmissible since, again in principle, it is asserted that every moral judgment is simply an instance of emotivism, a statement of subjective preference that cannot be “imposed” upon others.… The vitalities of democracy protest that dour logic. Populist resentment against the logic of the naked public square is a source of hope. That resentment is premised upon an alternative vision that calls for a new articulation. When it finds its voice, it will likely sound very much like the voice of Christian America. That voice will not be heard and thus will not prevail in the public square, however, unless it is a voice that aims to reassure those who dissent from the vision.

In His Image, by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey (Zondervan, 1984, 291 pp.; $12.95).

This is the second book coauthored by Brand, a world-renowned hand surgeon, and Yancey, an accomplished author in his own right. The first, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, offered a surgeon’s lifetime of insights into spiritual reality as glimpsed through the “channel” or metaphor of the physical body.

In His Image adopts a similar approach, but rather than focusing on individual men and women, it centers on “a community, that group of people who are called, more than two dozen times in the New Testament, Christ’s Body.”

Blood transfusion, in this spiritually sensitive surgeon’s eyes, offers a unique angle from which to understand the Lord’s Supper. Reflection on the brain yields fresh insight into the headship of Christ. Yancey and Brand dwell on these and other analogies with grace and agility, consistently careful not to push the parallels beyond their merit.

In His Image evidences the wide and rich experience of Brand, and the diverse reading of both authors. In their pages you meet writers from Dorothy Sayers to Dorothy Soelle.

An Excerpt: Think of a scientist, staring through his microscope’s eyepiece at a microbe population gone berserk and threatening the world. He longs for a way to remove his lab coat, shrink down to micron size, and enter that microbe world with the genetic material needed to correct it.

In the context of our own analogy, imagine God, after looking with great sadness on the virus of evil that has infected His creation, casting aside His own prerogatives to take on the shell of a victim cell of that abhorrent virus in order to vaccinate humanity against the death and destruction that are sure to follow. An analogy points to truth weakly; nothing could have more force than the simple assertion, “He became sin for us.”

God’s Foreign Policy, by Miriam Adeney (Eerdmans, 1984, 140 pp.; $6.95).

An anthropologist who confronts any developing culture finds poverty an overbearing problem. An anthropologist who is a Christian has a double burden. The author is a lecturer at Seattle Pacific University and widely traveled in the Third World. In this short book she raises the Christian conscience about hunger and political oppression, but she does not advocate liberation theology. She describes Christian endeavors that have produced change for the good when appropriate technology and cultural sensitivitiy are applied. These are encouraging accounts, seldom heard.

Her anthropological training leads her to appreciate cultures both rich and poor. Consequently, this book is not a knockout punch at the American way of life—Adeney tugs and nudges lovingly. There is positive reinforcement for a simpler lifestyle in her description of the Filipino culture, which embraces life eagerly in the face of scarcity. The book will be particularly useful for those who want to sensitize themselves to world concerns without feeling that they must choose political revolution over evangelism.

An Excerpt: God’s world is enriched by diversity. Social reparation is a commendable goal, but we Americans must back our concern for social justice with our appreciation of different cultures. Caring doesn’t mean patronizing the poor and destroying their cultures.…

Praise God for our culture. We don’t need to be ashamed of it. Praise God for our bodies—tall, strong, clean, unscarred—the result of plenty of food and good health care. For our frankness, friendliness, energy, confidence, determination to succeed.…

At the same time, let’s remember that every culture is the lifeway of people made in the image of God, regardless of their standard of living.… Was Noah literate? Did David believe in democracy? Did Mary have indoor plumbing? Probably no, yet their lives were as valid as ours.

Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Eighties, by Paul Johnson (Harper & Row, 1983, 734 pp.; $29.95).

Paul Johnson dates modern times from May 29, 1919, the day when photographs of a solar eclipse proved that Einstein’s theory of relativity was correct. That scientific development, woefully misunderstood and ill-reported in the public press, according to Johnson, set the course for the relativistic philosophy of the rest of the century. He writes, “It formed a knife, inadvertently wielded by its author, to help cut society adrift from its traditional moorings in the faith and morals of Judeo-Christian culture.”

Johnson, a British journalist with a conservative viewpoint, traces the blunders of weak-willed statesmen and murderous tyrants who have tried to navigate without a moral compass in a modern world. (At times, Johnson’s conservatism seems vengeful. He dismisses the Watergate episode as merely a media putsch, and John Sirica as “a publicity-hungry federal judge.”)

The old saying goes: “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others.” This is the book for those wanting to believe but needing only the facts. The casual reader, however, without some basic knowledge of world events since the 1920s, runs the risk of getting lost in the minor players and incidents to which Johnson alludes but does not explain.

An Excerpt: Two months later Lenin had his first stroke. But his work was already complete. He had systematically constructed, in all its essentials, the most carefully engineered apparatus of state tyranny the world had yet seen. In the old world, personal autocracies, except perhaps for brief periods, had been limited, or at least qualified, by other forces in society: a church, an aristocracy, an urban bourgeoisie, ancient charters and courts and assemblies. And there was, too, the notion of an external, restraining force, in the idea of a Deity, or natural law, or some absolute system of morality. Lenin’s new despotic utopia had had no such counterweights or inhibitions. Church, aristocracy, bourgeoisie, had all been swept away. Everything that was left was owned or controlled by the state. All rights whatsoever were vested in the state. And within that state, enormous and ever-growing as it was, every single filament of power could be traced back to the hands of a minute group of men—ultimately to one man.

New & Notable Books

The following books have been chosen from publishers’ lists of recent releases or those forthcoming in the next few months. Content descriptions are condensed from those supplied by publishers.

Augsburg Publishing House

Edna Hong, Forgiveness Is a Work as Well as a Grace (May)

Describes the struggles of C. S. Lewis, Kierkegaard, and Luther, among others, as they searched for meaning in this state of grace. Retells from literature stories of forgiveness.

Glenn W. Davidson, Understanding Mourning (May)

Findings and guidelines for healthy mourning and return to a reorganized life. A study of 1,200 mourners over a two-year period.

James B. Nelson and JoAnne Smith Rohricht, Human Medicine (paper, June; rev. of 1973 work).

New edition includes ethical analysis of developments in biomedical technology of the past 10 years and of the social, political, legal, and economic issues involved. Includes studies of abortion, human experimentation, reproductive technologies, genetics, death and dying, transplants, and care systems.

John Howard Yoder, When War Is Unjust (March)

A study of nuclear war and the just war theory.

Wayne Stumme, Christians and the Many Faces of Marxism (June)

Contributors outline common misperceptions of Marxism, the historical development of Marxism, and the dialog between Christians and Marxists.

Bridge Publishing, Inc.

David Ziomek, A Christian View of Russia

The author has made more than 25 trips to Russia, and has lived and worked there. He discusses the underground church, 50,000 Russian Christians who have been denied emigration, and the Russian view of God.

Toby Rice Drews, Getting Them Sober

Advice for the families of alcoholics as well as for helping professionals.

Cambridge University Press

Frederick Burkhardt and Sydney Smith, The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Vol. 1 (November)

The full text of every letter of Darwin’s correspondence from 1821 to 1836.

Geoffrey B. Regan, Israel and the Arabs (October)

Sets out in simple terms the history and aspirations of Jewish and Arab peoples. Traces the development of the dispute.

Yehuda Lukacs, Documents on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflicts (July)

A compendium of documents relating to the conflict.

Carroll & Graff Publishers, Inc.

C. J. Kuppig, Nineteen Eighty-Four to 1984 (July)

A selection of articles, written since Orwell’s novel first appeared, on the origins, meaning, and impact of this work.

Crossroad/Continuum

Mark Booth, editor, Christian Short Stories (October)

Short stories by a variety of writers on Christian themes, from forgiveness to conversion. Writers include Chesterton, Dickens, Greene, and Wilde.

William C. Shepherd, To Secure the Blessings of Liberty (November)

A critique of the legal strategems employed by the antagonists of certain religious organizations to abridge their members’ constitutional rights. Based on thousands of documents.

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

George Goldberg, Reconsecrating America (September)

Argues that the current controversy over church-state relations is unfortunate and unnecessary, and that the solution lies not in a new amendment but rather in a return to the original understanding of religious freedom as set forth in the First Amendment.

Robert Knille, As I Was Saying: A Chesterton Reader (November)

Excerpts from almost every kind of writing G. K. Chesterton produced.

Charles Williams, He Came Down from Heaven (October)

A paperback reprint from 1938. Explores transcendent love and analyzes how love is known in the corporate life of men and women in and outside the church.

Charles Williams, The Forgiveness of Sins (October).

A paperback reprint from 1942. Examines how forgiveness is presented in Shakespeare, then how it appears in the theology of the Christian church, then how it should operate among people.

Wilton M. Nelson, Protestantism in Central America (September)

A chronological account of the movements and trends.

David L. Edwards, Christian England (November)

The third volume of the account of English Christianity. Starts with the eigthteenth century and concludes with the early twentieth century.

E. Earle Ellis, The World of St. John (August)

Addressed to readers with little or no theological background who want to know what John’s writings are about, their context, and meaning for today.

M. Evans & Co., Inc., Publications

Keith Ferrell, George Orwell: The Political Pen (October)

A young adult biography of Orwell.

Daniel Cohen, Henry Stanley and the Quest for the Source of the Nile (January)

A biography for teenagers of the adventurer who searched for David Livingston.

Fortress Press

Martin E. Marty, Being Good and Doing Good (September)

In thinking about contemporary Christian ethics, asks how we are to deal with the possible change for the worse in society and how we will pass on and foster moral values and our own impulses for good action.

John Killinger, Fundamentals of Preaching (January)

Professor of preaching, worship, and literature of Vanderbilt Divinity School focuses on the kind of preparation necessary to produce a meaningful sermon.

Ernst Feil, The Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (January)

A synthesis of Bonhoeffer biography and theology. Translated by H. Martin Rumscheidt.

The Free Press

(Subsidiary of Macmillan) James Beltley, Martin Niemöller (September)

The story of Niemöller’s life, drawn from interviews with Niemöller himself. Includes an understanding of the climate in which he lived.

Robert D. Vinter and Rhea K. Kish, Budgeting for Not-for-Profit Organizations (November)

A nontechnical guide to the budgeting process, with detailed examples.

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Saul Levine, Radical Departures (September)

Working with young people who join radical groups, a psychiatrist tells why they leave home to become Moonies, follow gurus, and live with terrorists and fanatics. He reveals that 90 percent return within two years.

Ryszard Kapuscinski, Shah of Shahs (November)

A firsthand account of the revolutionary Islamic movement that toppled the Shah of Iran. Based on a mass of notes, tapes, and photographs he accumulated during his extended stay in Iran.

Harper & Row

(New York)

James Elliott Lindsley, This Plated Vine (October)

A history of the New York Episcopal Diocese, founded soon after the American Revolution. Explores the church’s role in a rapidly changing environment.

Gerard H. Clarfield and William M. Wiecek, Nuclear America (October)

A comprehensive history of United States nuclear policy from 1940–80.

Jean Gimpel, The Cathedral Builders (November)

Illustrated account of the medieval development of religious architecture, with details about medieval society and politics.

Harper & Row

(San Francisco)

Lewis B. Smedes, Forgive & Forget (September)

Goes step-by-step through the four stages of forgiveness (hurt, hate, healing, and reconciliation).

Tony Lane, Harper’s Concise Book of Christian Faith (September)

Highlights key Christian thinkers through the ages and encapsulates the story of Christian thought—major documents and creeds, councils, confessions, and contributions to the history of ideas.

William J. Abraham, The Coming Great Revival (September)

Tells of a new movement in American Christianity: a revitalized evangelical church modeled on Wesley’s tradition.

Doug Manning, Don’t Take My Grief Away (September)

Addresses the painful, often disorienting, aftermath of death of a loved one, and helps the reader move through grief and learn to live again.

Clark H. Pinnock, The Scripture Principle (October)

Defends the full authority of the Bible and offers the evangelical community a model for a balanced interpretation.

Richard L. Purtill, J. R. R. Tolkien, Myth, Morality, and Religion (November)

An in-depth look at Tolkien’s use of religion in such books as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

Indiana University Press

Seth P. Tillman, The United States in the Middle East (July)

Analysis of U.S. interest in the Middle East. Assesses conflicting interests of Israelis, Arabs, and the outside powers.

Judson Press

J. Wendell Mapson, Jr., The Ministry of Music in the Black Church (September)

Explores the heritage of black music, evaluates the theological relevance of today’s music, and suggests how pastors can use music effectively to enhance worship.

Marion E. Brown and Marjorie G. Prentice, Christian Education in the Year 2000 (August)

Surveys today’s fastest-growing Sunday schools to determine what makes them so successful. Suggests guidelines to meet the educational needs of the future.

Alfred A. Knopf

Jill Frementz, How It Feels When Parents Divorce (November)

Third in a series, including How It Feels When a Parent Dies and How It Feels to Be Adopted.

Based on interviews with children.

Daniel Kevles, In the Name of Eugenics (January)

Deals with eugenics—the science of “improving” the human species by exploiting theories of heredity. Gives historical perspective to topics involving genetic engineering.

Morehouse-Carlow Co., Inc.

Arthur A. Vogel, Theology in Anglicanism (October)

A group of authors, with Bishop Vogel, describe and illustrate the appeal of Anglicanism.

Moody Press

Mary L. Hammack, Dictionary of Women in Church History (September)

A biographical dictionary of women who played decisive roles in the history of Christianity since the time of Christ.

G. Michael Cocoris, Evangelism: A Biblical Approach (September)

Examines the subject from a scriptural perspective, defining evangelism and its biblical bases, as well as its message and principles, and methods for practice.

George Allen Turner, A Geographical History of the Holy Land (October)

A comprehensive history and geography of the Holy Land, with maps and illustrations.

William Lane Craig, Apologetics: An Introduction (October)

A basic approach to apologetics, the branch of theology that seeks to give a rational justification for the truth claims of Christianity. Two primary issues emphasized here: the existence of God and the resurrection of Christ.

Earl Parvin, Missions U.S.A. (November)

A handbook, with charts and appendixes, describing 45 unchurched groups in the U.S.A. plus many mission agencies geared to serving them, and resources the church can use in training and sending workers. Geared to the U.S. as a mission field.

John MacArthur, Jr., First Corinthians (November)

A commentary geared to pastors and laymen.

Robert D. Culver, A Greater Commission: A Theology of World Missions (November)

A scholarly work that examines several portions of the Bible not traditionally considered with missions.

William Morrow And Co.

Kenneth Ring, Heading Toward Omega (August)

Focuses on the meaning of the near-death experience. A three-year study with more than a hundred people. A consistent pattern emerges in changes in outlook, values, and behavior.

Norman Vincent Peale, The True Joy of Positive Living (an autobiography) (September)

Written about the individuals who shaped his life and thinking.

Ze’ev Chafets, Double Vision (October)

Presents a controversial view of factors that influence the American press as it reports on the Middle East.

Pat Robertson with William Proctor, Beyond Reason (October)

Relates from personal experience accounts of ordinary people who found miracles at work when faced with insurmountable troubles.

Multnomah Press

Don Baker, Beyond Forgiveness

A real-life struggle of a church body that wanted to love an erring brother but maintain its own purity.

Ronald B. Allen, The Majesty of Man

To help us reaffirm the biblical dignity of man.

James W. Sire, The Joy of Reading

Everything we read projects a way of looking at life. We are good readers only when we understand the writer’s “world view.”

Thomas Nelson Co.

David Robinson, Concordance to the Good News Bible (August)

References meanings rather than words. Over 250,000 entries.

Charles C. Ryrie, The Miracles of Our Lord (September)

Miracles of Jesus examined for themes and ideas that reveal truths about Jesus and what he taught.

F. F. Bruce, Abraham and David: Places They Knew (September)

Color photographs, maps, and drawings of places significant to these two Bible personalities.

University Of Oklahoma Press

Robert L. Phillips, War and Justice (November)

An interpretation of the doctrine of the “just war” formulated by Roman Catholic philosophers of the Middle Ages and developed by the Great Jurists of the seventeenth century. It continues as a defense of the doctrine today.

Penguin Books

David K. Shipler, Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams (November)

Written by the former Moscow bureau chief of the New Work Times. Concentrates on interactions with Russian people from all walks of life.

Servant Ministries

Stephen B. Clark, Patterns of Christian Community

A scriptural, theological, and practical guide for the daily life and government of lay Christian communities.

Victor Books (Scripture Press)

Jay Kesler, Family Forum (October)

Answers to family questions, including divorce, child rearing, old age, morals and ethics, work and recreation.

Kent Hughes, Behold the Man (September)

A pastoral book on John 11–21. Follows the Lord’s footsteps to the Upper Room, Calvary, and beyond.

Warren Wiersbe, Be Alert (October)

A study of 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Jude. Deals with religious imposters.

Viking

Andrew Greeley and Mary Greeley Durkin, How to Save the Catholic Church (November)

A controversial priest and his sister talk about the crisis in Catholicism, declining church attendance, uncertainty about doctrine, and increased disregard of the church’s teaching on such issues as abortion, birth control, and women in the church. A recommendation on how to save the Catholic church.

Word Publishing

Marilee Horton and Walter Byrd, Keeping Your Balance: A Woman’s Guide to Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Well-Being (August)

A homemaker and psychiatrist deal with a balanced lifestyle for women, including dress, personal grooming, spirituality, marriage, and family relationships.

Lloyd John Ogilvie, Making Stress Work for You: Ten Proven Principles (September)

Seeks to combine the teachings of the Epistle of James and the insights of modern science to deal with the problem of stress for the Christian.

Marshall Shelley, Well-Intentioned Dragons: Dealing with Problem People in the Church (October)

Tells about ministering amid the problem people of the church, with real-life stories of pastors who have succeeded.

Fresh Ideas for Preaching, Worship & Evangelism; Fresh Ideas for Administration & Finance; Fresh Ideas for Discipleship & Nurture; and Fresh Ideas for Families, Youth & Children (October)

Four books prepared by the editors of LEADERSHIP and LEADERSHIP 100. Each deals with practical problems of the church, with ideas to help deal with these problems.

Zondervan Publishing House

Harvie M. Conn, Eternal Word and Changing Worlds: Theology, Anthropology, and Mission in Trialogue (November)

Addressed to the “Western, white evangelical community,” it calls for a radical reevaluation of our Western models for theology and missions.

Ronald H. Nash, Christianity and the Hellenistic World (October)

Examines the Book of Hebrews and Greek philosophical thought to answer the question, “Did early Christianity borrow any of its essential beliefs and practices from the pagan religions and philosophical systems of the times?”

Lane Lester and Raymond G. Bohlin, The Natural Limits to Biological Change (September)

Presents the view that there are limits to biological change. Focuses on the origin and replenishment of genetic variability, organisms changing through genetic variations.

Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Paul D. Feinberg, Douglas J. Moo, The Rapture: Pre-, Mid-, or Post Tribulational? (June)

Will the Rapture occur before, in the midst of, or after the Tribulation? A positive case for each position.

Hilla and Max Jacoby, The Jews: God’s People (August)

Oversized coffee-table book in which photographers include the faces and places of the Holy Land.

Verne Becker, How to Survive the Worst Years of Your Life (September)

Advice from CAMPUS LIFE writers and editors, as well as stories of real people who have lived through emotional highs and lows.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Our Latest

Being Human

Anxiety Is on the Runway in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’

Steve Cuss and his daughter, Kaylee, talk about the film’s relationships, patterns, and systems.

Egypt’s Redemption—and Ours

The flight of the holy family is more than a historical curiosity. It points us toward the breadth and beauty of God’s redemption.

In the Divided Balkans, Evangelicals Are Tiny in Number, but Mighty

A leading Serbian researcher discusses how evangelicals have made a tangible difference.

Chick-fil-A Launches an App to Help Families Be Less Online

It offers the wholesome, values-centered content Christians expect from the closed-on-Sundays chain, but does the platform undercut its message?

News

Ghana May Elect Its First Muslim President. Its Christian Majority Is Torn.

Church leaders weigh competency and faith background as the West African nation heads to the polls.

Shamanism in Indonesia

Can Christians practice ‘white knowledge’ to heal the sick and exorcize demons?

Shamanism in Japan

Christians in the country view pastors’ benedictions as powerful spiritual mantras.

Shamanism in Taiwan

In a land teeming with ghosts, is there room for the Holy Spirit to work?

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