New & Noteworthy Books

Compiled by Matt Reynolds.

I Forgive You: Finding Peace and Moving Forward When Life Really Hurts

Wendy Alsup (The Good Book Company)

Jesus’ command to practice persistent forgiveness—not just seven times, but 77!—ranks among the toughest in the Bible. For most of us, forgiving just once is hard enough. In I Forgive You, author and teacher Wendy Alsup blends personal stories with the Old Testament narrative of Joseph to hearten those fighting to extend or receive forgiveness. “I have experienced many kinds of conflicts and brokenness in my life,” she writes. “Some have seen resolution. Some haven’t, yet. Wherever you are in your own journey from brokenness to healing, this book is designed to encourage you to persevere in hope. God is for you.”

Apostolic Imagination: Recovering a Biblical Vision for the Church’s Mission Today

J. D. Payne (Baker Academic)

The world today is full of missionaries, missionary organizations, missionary conferences, and innumerable books and articles defining and analyzing mission work. Yet according to ministry professor J. D. Payne, a certain confusion reigns: We’re not sure which goals and tasks the term missions should encompass. Payne’s proposed solution, outlined in Apostolic Imagination, is a deliberate effort to reground our conception of missions in the biblical example of the first apostles. “While the Church has made missions a complicated matter,” he writes, “such was not the case in the first century. The movement of sending, preaching, teaching, planting, and training was unquestioned in the Scriptures.”

Literarily: How Understanding Bible Genres Transforms Bible Study

Kristie Anyabwile (Moody Publishers)

One of the great challenges in conducting a Bible study is getting everyone on the same page. What approach are we bringing to the passage at hand? What kinds of questions will guide us toward the right interpretation? In Literarily, writer and Bible study teacher Kristie Anyabwile offers a practical introduction to the various genres of biblical literature—law, history, wisdom, prophecy, and so on. “The Bible,” she writes, “is a feast! We need to know the intention behind the various courses and the ingredients that make up each ‘dish’ so we can enjoy a well-balanced, healthy meal each time we come to the text.”

Also in this issue

As an editor, I usually prefer precise words to ambiguous ones like “deconstruction.” But at CT, I’m surrounded by good words that require constant clarification and differentiation, “evangelical” chief among them. In fact, frustration with the increasing ambiguity of “evangelical” is a common starting point for many who now describe themselves as deconstructing. In this month’s cover story, theologian Kirsten Sanders offers a helpful definition of deconstruction: “the struggle to correct or deepen naive belief.” Even more helpfully, she rightly sees that struggle as akin to our theological work of knowing and loving God more deeply. As our cover asks this month, aren't you deconstructing, too? -Ted Olsen, executive editor

Cover Story

Wait, You’re Not Deconstructing?

The Church Is Losing Its Gray Heads

Our March Issue: Defining Deconstruction

We Live in a Global Generation

Not All That Glitters Is Photoshopped

Reply All

News

The Confederate Statues Are Gone. The Work of Repentance Continues.

News

New Brethren Churches Wrestle with Details of Denominational Division

Editorial

We’re Not Mad Enough at Death

Birth Behind Bars: Christians Fight ‘Cruel,’ Outdated Prison Policies

It’s Hamilton’s World. We’re Just Living in It.

Testimony

I Left the New Age Behind When I Read the Old Testament

Excerpt

The Bible Has a Clear and Consistent ‘Party Theology’

Christian Witness After War: A Firsthand Assessment of Armenia and Azerbaijan

Of Orphanages and Armies

News

An AI Aims to be First Christian Celebrity of the Metaverse

News

100 Women Consider Ending Their Pregnancies. How Many Get an Abortion?

News

Gleanings: March 2022

Religious Experiences Are Common. Which Ones Should We Trust?

Review

Denmark Vesey’s Challenge to a Biblically Literate Nation

Review

When Billy Graham Took His Ministry Transatlantic

View issue

Our Latest

News

Argentina Moves to Officially Celebrate Its Evangelicals

Leaders are grateful for the government recognition but hope for further progress.

All Saints Die

Our yearly reminder for Christians neither to run from nor to leap toward death, but to learn the art of dying well.

 

 

 

 

The Antidote to Election Anxiety

My community is the kind you see in articles hyping the threat of political violence. Reality is more mundane—and hopeful.

News

Steven Curtis Chapman Joins Country Music Royalty

The Christian music star is the first in the industry to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Exorcism Movies’ Terrifying Truth

These films are far from theological treatises. But at their best, they depict the reality of evil—and the power of Jesus’ name.

Where Ya From?

Courage Through Crisis with Brady Boyd

Hear Pastor Brady Boyd share his experience building bridges that bring the gospel to the tipping points of our culture.

Digital Sloth in the Online Arena

How our internet use is prone to the ancient vice of akrasia.

The Russell Moore Show

How Great Is the Political Divide?

George Packer speaks on the desire for a better republic.

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