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Books/Justice/Racism

BOOK: Jesus and the Disinherited

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When a major cultural event, such as George Floyd's murder, shifts the focus of a country, it is easy to assume that critiques of the American church and racism are a recent phenomenon. Oftentimes we are simply unaware of prophetic voices from the the past such as Howard Thurman and his quintessential Jesus and the Disinherited. Penned in 1949, Thurman critiques the church and its seduction with power while detailing the psyche and motivation of the oppressed. His ultimate conclusion is that belief in Jesus, in conjunction with community, can empower the disinherited.

Articles/Reading the News

ARTICLE: News as Spiritual Formation

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Most of the news on television involves unactionable items - a murder, a natural disaster, etc. - where there is little that we can do about it - especially if it is on another continent. Anglican priest D.J. Marotta argues that Christians need to be "hyper-local" with our news sources. What this means is being in community with our neighbors, friends, and family where you can respond to information (news) with kindness and love within your sphere of influence.

Books/Christmas

BOOK: Is Christmas Unbelievable?

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Despite Christ's birth being foretold and chronicled in the Bible, it is sometimes difficult to accept that Jesus came to Earth as a baby. Thousands of years have separated us from the birth of Christ, making it is easy to begin questioning the legitimacy of the Biblical account. That is where author Rebecca McLaughlin's Is Christmas Unbelievable? comes into play.

Church History/Podcasts

PODCAST: The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill

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From Hillsong's Carl Lentz to Liberty's Jerry Falwell Jr., including local scandals most of us never hear about, there has been no shortage of pastors, churches, and organizations that have been exposed using power and influence to cover up sexual misconduct, toxic work environments, and other assorted sins. In interviews with former Mars Hill church members, ex-evangelicals, pastors, journalists, authors, and all of those in between The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill tells the story of a church culture that drifted from being a church about Jesus to a church about the pastor.