In Confident Witness -- Changing World, twenty-two scholars and skilled ministry practitioners explore this complex question not only theoretically but also in practical terms immediately useful to pastors and church leaders.

Christians have always looked to models within the Christian faith to guide their lives. At a time when the church is more identifiable by ugly partisan politics--what we call "crappy Christianity"--than by compassionate neighbor love, this book highlights the lives and work of seven individuals who are pursuing their Christian calling in humility and profound love for and service to others, this book highlights the lives and work of seven individuals who are pursuing their Christian calling in humility and profound love for and service to others. Their commitments have led to vocations in working with homeless women, employing refugees, lobbying on Capitol Hill for environmental protection, healing trauma in urban communities, peacemaking in Israel-Palestine, advocating for immigrants, and walking alongside people in addiction recovery. Their individual and collective witness offer compelling examples of authentic Christian life, which is marked in part by active, embodied faith in pursuit of the common good; a broad and inclusive love for all people; rightly ordered political identities and loyalties; and a commitment to work toward holistic redemption of both people and the systems that constitute our life together. In contrast to much of contemporary American Christianity, these models of faith demonstrate that Christians should focus much more on what we are for rather than what we are against.

In the three years since Donald Trump first announced his plans to run for president, the United States seems to become more dramatically polarized and divided with each passing month. There are seemingly irresolvable differences in the beliefs, values, and identities of citizens across the country that too often play out in our legal system in clashes on a range of topics such as the tensions between law enforcement and minority communities. How can we possibly argue for civic aspirations like tolerance, humility, and patience in our current moment? In Confident Pluralism, John D. Inazu analyzes the current state of the country, orients the contemporary United States within its broader history, and explores the ways that Americans can—and must—strive to live together peaceably despite our deeply engrained differences. Pluralism is one of the founding creeds of the United States—yet America’s society and legal system continues to face deep, unsolved structural problems in dealing with differing cultural anxieties and differing viewpoints. Inazu not only argues that it is possible to cohabitate peacefully in this country, but also lays out realistic guidelines for our society and legal system to achieve the new American dream through civic practices that value toleration over protest, humility over defensiveness, and persuasion over coercion. With a new preface that addresses the election of Donald Trump, the decline in civic discourse after the election, the Nazi march in Charlottesville, and more, this new edition of Confident Pluralism is an essential clarion call during one of the most troubled times in US history. Inazu argues for institutions that can work to bring people together as well as political institutions that will defend the unprotected. Confident Pluralism offers a refreshing argument for how the legal system can protect peoples’ personal beliefs and differences and provides a path forward to a healthier future of tolerance, humility, and patience.

What does a re-vision of the Charismatic/Pentecostal Spirit-empowered movement look like in the coming years of this millennium?

In this second volume of his three-volume Intercultural Theology, Henning Wrogemann turns to theologies of mission. Tracing developments across a range of Christian traditions, movements, themes, and regions of the globe, Wrogemann provides an overview of the theological underpinnings, rationalizations, and visions for mission and its practice.

This project explores the relationship between worship, discipleship, and evangelism within the missional church movement. Engaging contributions from liturgical theology, Christian ethics, and post-Christendom evangelism, the book proposes a missional approach to worship that, when integrated with a praxis-oriented discipleship, cultivates Jesus' character among God's people. Along the way, the project attends to the Holy Spirit's transformative presence, the liturgical rhythms of remembering and anticipating, and the practices of hospitality and compassion. In the end, Cultivating an Evangelistic Character contends that the Spirit works through the integration of worship and discipleship to form God's people. In other words, God's people become evangelistic, or as Newbigin said, "the hermeneutic of the gospel."

For many congregations, change creates discomfort. Pastoral leaders are often expected to be experts who manage and control realities beyond their expertise, experience, and ability. That expectation, a product of modern approaches to leadership, views the pastor as responsible for maintaining the status quo. Transforming Pastoral Leadership responds to this context by challenging readers to rediscover key biblical themes around the shepherding metaphor as well as key theological themes steeped in our historical faith narratives. Readers are challenged to consider the origins of our dominant leadership practices and to reconsider how Christ's preeminence as the leader of his church requires us to reconstruct leadership practices that are faithful to his preeminence. To assist congregations, Transforming Pastoral Leadership suggests two processes that might help congregations discern God's missional promptings as they move forward into God's future and experience conflict as opportunities for transformation.

This introduction explores Christian spirituality as a pursuit of the global church today. It encourages students to adopt a lifestyle spirituality, which involves relational intimacy with the triune God. Gary Tyra is well known for his work in the field of Christian spirituality and has years of experience in the classroom and in the church. In this book, Tyra encourages us to adopt a Pauline lifestyle spirituality, whereby we keep in step with the Holy Spirit so that we might experience an ongoing mentoring relationship with the Son in order to faithfully and fruitfully engage in the mission of the Father. Keeping in step with the spirit unfolds in a "lifestyle spirituality," a collection of convictions, commitments, and customs that constitute the disciple's lifelong journey with the triune God. This book is part of a new series that reflects the changing face of global Christianity. Series volumes are written by leading Pentecostal/Charismatic scholars who highlight themes of interest to Pentecostal/Charismatic students; however, the books are respectful, appreciative, and inclusive of a variety of church families and traditions. Series editors are Jerry Ireland, Paul W. Lewis, and Frank D. Macchia.

Examines worship in church settings around the globe and provides a practical manual for shaping liturgies that are informed by and relevant to contemporary missional contexts.