On Sunday at our youth group we were looking at forgiveness. It is such a big issue for everyone: How can we find forgiveness for the things we feel guilt for? And how can we forgive others who have hurt us? Forgiveness in South Africa One of the other leaders had just got back from… Continue reading The power of the F-word
Category: Recommended books & reviews
Share or Die: why collaborative consumption is the future – by Neal Gorenflo
R&R were contacted by the publishers of a new US book 'Share or Die'. Below is the Editor's Preface which is reproduced as a guest post with permission. About six months ago, a weather-beaten, middle-age man asked me for money on the platform of the Mountain View Caltrain station. I gave him three dollars. He thanked me,… Continue reading Share or Die: why collaborative consumption is the future – by Neal Gorenflo
Do Hard Things – a rebellion against low expectations
Do Hard Things is an unusual book. It was written by two teenagers for other teenagers. Its message is blunt and challenging: that young people should rebel against the culture of low expectations of what teenagers are capable of. The book starts like this: ‘Most people don’t expect you to understand what we’re going to… Continue reading Do Hard Things – a rebellion against low expectations
‘Christians cannot be passive about hunger, sickness and injustice’ Tim Keller
On holiday recently I read Tim Keller's book The Prodigal God. This is a short, accessible and beautifully fresh description of the heart of the Christian faith. I would recommend it to anyone - but especially to those who those who are outside of the church and who are sceptical about Christianity. The book focusses… Continue reading ‘Christians cannot be passive about hunger, sickness and injustice’ Tim Keller
The resistance and renewal of John Bunyan – by Peter Morden
John Bunyan lived in a time of political turmoil. The Puritan Commonwealth, which ran the country following the overthrow of Charles I, had collapsed. The monarchy had been restored. And the new regime was not favourable to Christians who dissented from the authority of the established Church. Bunyan was imprisoned for 12 years for refusing to… Continue reading The resistance and renewal of John Bunyan – by Peter Morden
A vital subject but a narrow perspective: Tim Chester’s ‘Unreached’ [review] – by Greg Smith
Tim Chester and his group of collaborators are to be praised for the work they do in living incarnationally in some of the toughest neighbourhoods in Britain. They seek to bring the Good News of Jesus to local residents and to plant culturally relevant churches among them. The book draws on this experience and is… Continue reading A vital subject but a narrow perspective: Tim Chester’s ‘Unreached’ [review] – by Greg Smith
The Fifty Shades of Christian Fiction: ‘Cross Roads’ by Wm Paul Young [review]
What has Wm Paul Young, author of The Shack, got in common with EL James, author of record breaking series Fifty Shades of Grey? Well, for a start they have both sold millions of books. But also, both writers have catapulted a relatively marginal genre of literature, namely erotica and Christian fiction, into the global… Continue reading The Fifty Shades of Christian Fiction: ‘Cross Roads’ by Wm Paul Young [review]
So what fiction has inspired you most spiritually? Our competition winners…
Thanks to everyone who entered our competition this week and sent in emails in response to this question: Which works of fiction (book or film) have inspired you most in your spiritual journey? You can see the five winning responses below. We selected a range of genres and themes, including Hollywood, humour and hell, and… Continue reading So what fiction has inspired you most spiritually? Our competition winners…
New book from author of The Shack – ‘Cross Roads’ + your chance to win a free copy
Today, WM Paul Young is launching his second novel Cross Roads. His first novel The Shack was a global bestseller, shifting over 600,000 copies in the UK and 18 million copies globally. I must confess that I was not a huge fan of the style of writing of The Shack but the book still had… Continue reading New book from author of The Shack – ‘Cross Roads’ + your chance to win a free copy
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas [review]
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and Pastor, who was killed in a Nazi concentration camp, is undoubtedly a Christian hero. But in a Church plagued by theological tribalism, the legacy of such heroes can become a sharply contested. Different tribes claim the legacy of such heroes as their own as lives are analysed and attributes… Continue reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas [review]
Grace + Truth 