Books
God Wins: Heaven, Hell, and Why the Good News is Better than Love Wins by Mark Galli (Tyndale, 2011)
The Facts: God Wins is an in-depth response to the questions raised about the gospel and eternal destiny in Rob Bell’s recent controversial book Love Wins. It’s not a rebuttal; Galli clarifies that God Wins is “not a book about Rob Bell or Rob Bell’s theology.” Instead he “uses Love Wins as a starting point to talk about key theological issues.” Galli places the questions raised in Love Wins in theological and historical context, changing the focus of the conversation as he does so.
The Slant: Galli maintains a gracious and irenic tone throughout. He’s not out to “get” Rob Bell. Galli points out that the ideas in Love Wins are not unique to Bell, but rather are held by many evangelicals. Galli not only advances the conversation on this topic, but also gives careful readers a framework for thinking through similar issues in the future. This is a great choice if you’re looking for a balanced take on the recent controversy.—Brandon O’Brien
Note To Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself by Joe Thorn (Crossway, 2011)
The Facts: 48 short (2 page) chapters, each a self-directed mini-sermon about law and gospel. Thorn believes that preaching to ourselves is a spiritual discipline. This book encourages readers to embrace the practice.
The Slant: Pastor and author Joe Thorn provides 48 examples of “personal preaching” to reorient us to the implications of Christ’s death for our everyday lives. Thorn’s reformed theology colors his devotionals. However, even those who don’t share all of the author’s theological convictions will still find much that is useful here. Thorn’s straightforward prose and pithy insights bring the gospel to bear on the idolatries that subtly inoculate us to the transforming power of Christ’s cross.—David Swanson
Web
The Facts: This website is dedicated to resources that equip and encourage executive pastors. It has two main offerings. (1) an extensive archive of articles addressing issues such as staff relationships, staff development, and pastoral transitions; (2) an assessment tool to help pastors identify their strengths and weaknesses according to the rubric of the “Five Functions of Leading and Managing the Church” (administrator, catalyst, mentor, minister, and overseer). Many of the articles in the archives are organized under these categories to facilitate further learning and development.
The Slant: All basic features of the site are free. Pastors have access to articles, an online forum, and an e-zine at no cost. For a small fee, visitors can fill out a short assessment questionnaire and xpastor.org will send them a 29-page report that identifies pastoral strengths and weaknesses, helping them anticipate what type of ministry responsibilities may come naturally, and which will require greater effort. The site provides resources to help turn weaknesses into strengths. The site also offers detailed case studies on a variety of topics (“Building Projects” and “Conflict Resolution,” among others), to show how real churches have learned from their own challenges.—Brandon O’Brien
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