MAJOR ARTICLES
"Changing Face of Ministry in America: A Historical Appraisal," by Dr. E. Brooks Holifield (author of this Book of the Year)
Ministry in the twenty-first century is different from ministry in the seventeenth, as well as our three previous centuries. But what has immigrated from the past into the present? What has endured? What from the past has shaped ministry today? And what has changed the most? Today's issues of "authority" have antecedents in the past. Look at the forms of authority working in today's churches. (This article is based on the author's presentation at the Annual Conference of the Academy, April 29-May 1, 2008.)
"A Seeker Encounters the Church," by Mystical Seeker.
I wasn't really sure that any church could satisfy me; I felt like a religious outcast with an intense need to seek a relationship with God but unable to find a community that was a close theological fit.
"On Leaving Well . . . On Leaving the Ministry," by L. Kim Egolf-Fox, FAPC.
I am committed to leaving well from this place. To me that means I must constantly, intentionally, do four things: 1. Self-care is job one. 2. Self-control is not optional. 3. Self-differentiate to lead. 4. Stay-connected to influence.
"Dancing with Lutherans," by Lawton W. Posey, FAPC.
I am sharing this experience with readers of Sharing the Practice to encourage members to take on the challenge of ministry in a communion different from their own.
"FAQ's of Christian Meditation," by James C. Duncan, APC.
We live very busy lives and its difficult to feel God's God in our lives when we're constantly on the go or being bombarded with all manner of commitments, obligations, and demands on our attention. Meditation helps us put aside these activities so that we can slow down, open up our hearts and lives to God, so as to hear God speak and experience God's love.
BOOK REVIEWS (Over 60 seminary libraries subscribe to Sharing the Practice. Subscriptions are $30/year.)
UNBINDING THE GOSPEL: Church Leader's Guide. Martha Grace Reese. Afterword by Brian McLaren. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2007. ix + 150 pp.
UNBINDING YOUR CHURCH: Pastor's Guide. Martha Grace Reese, with Dawn Darwin Weaks and Catherine Riddle Caffey. Foreword by George G. Hunter III. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2008. xiv + 128 pp.
UNBINDING YOUR HEART: 40 Days of Prayer and Faith Sharing. All Congregation Study. Martha Grace Reese. Foreword by George G. Hunter III; Afterword by Brian McLaren. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2008. xiv + 161 pp.
WAR, PEACE, AND GOD: Rethinking the Just-War Tradition. Gary M. Simpson. Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, 2007. 111 pp.
THE GRACE OF IT ALL: Reflections on the Art of Ministry. Dean Lueking, APC. Herndon, VA: The Alban Institute, 2006. 152 pp.
THE GOD OF INTIMACY AND ACTION: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice. Tony Cam;polo and Mary Albert Darling. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint, 2007. 227 pp.
A CRY FROM THE CROSS: Sermons on the Seven Last Words of Christ. Robert D. Cornwall. Llima, OH: CSS Publishing Company, 2008. 62 pp.
CHRISTIANITY'S DANGEROUS IDEA: The Protestant Revolution - A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First. Alister McGrath. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2007. 552 pp. An APC Top Ten Book of 2007.
REACHING PEOPLE UNDER 40 WHILE KEEPING PEOPLE OVER 60: Being Church for All Generations. Edward H. Hammett with James R. Pierce. Foreward by Bill Easom. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2007. xii + 180 pp.
THE CHANGING SHAPE OF OUR SALVATION. John Killinger, New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2007. 141 pp.
DANCING NAKED UNDER THE MOON: Uncovering the Wisdom Within. Mary Bea Sullivan. Highland, CA: Images Plus, 2008. 188 pp.
MODERN AMERICAN RELIGION: Volume 2, The Noise of Conflict, 1919-1941. Martin E. Marty. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1991. 484 pp.
EVANGELISM AFTER CHRISTENDOM: The Theology and Practice of Christian Witness. Bryan Stone. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007. 336 pp.
CLERGY BURNOUT: Recovering from the 70-Hour Work Week . . . and Other Self-Defeating Practices. Fred Lehr, APC. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006. 146 pp.
GOD'S AMBASSADORS: A History of the Christian Clergy in America. E. Brooks Holifield. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007. x + 356 pp., The APC's "Book of the Year" for Parish Ministry, of 2007)
THE TOXIC CONGREGATION: How to Heal The Soul of Your Church. G. Lloyd Rediger. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2007. 157 pp. An APC Top Ten Book of 2007.
FIRST FREEDOM FIRST: Citizen's Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State. C. Welton Gaddy and Barry Lynn. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2008. 216 pp.
SURPRISED BY HOPE: Rethinking Heaven, the REsurrection, and the Mission of the Church. N. T. Wright. New York: HarperOne, 2008. 332 pp.
A CITY SET ON A HILL: How Sermons Changed the Course of American History. Larry Witham, San Francisco, HarperOne, 2007. 295 pp. An APC Top Ten Book of 2007.
THE JESUS WAY: A conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way, Eugene H. Peeterson, Grand Rapids, MI: William B. .Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007. 289 pp. An APC Top Ten Book of 2007.