In the near future, the only thing growing faster than the criminal population is the Electric Church, a new religion founded by a mysterious man named Dennis Squalor. The Church preaches that life is too brief to contemplate the mysteries of the universe: eternity is required. In order to achieve this, the converted become Monks -- cyborgs with human brains, enhanced robotic bodies, and virtually unlimited life spans. Enter Avery Cates, a dangerous criminal known as the best killer-for-hire around. The authorities have a special mission in mind for Cates: assassinate Dennis Squalor. But for Cates, the assignment will be the most dangerous job he's ever undertaken -- and it may well be his last. "Some debuts simply set new bars in a genre. Jeff Somers' The Electric Church is one such book, a gritty noir story that challenges and surprises with every page. A novel that is equal parts Raymond Chandler and William Gibson. A major new talent has arrived -- and it's about time!" -- James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author

Long out-of-print classic of rock criticism. Author worked with Black Flag, Negativland, Birthday Party, Dead Kennedys, Husker Du, Meat Puppets, and others. Excerpted in the Penguin Book of Rock & Roll Writing. "It is the Moby Dick of Rock-Crit -- nothing else I've read comes close." --James Parker / The Idler (U.K.)

The Electric Church, a new religion founded by a man named Dennis Squalor, is the only thing growing faster than the criminal population and the authorities want him dead. For killer-for-hire Avery Cates, the assignment will be the most dangerous job hes ever undertaken--and it may be his last.

In this revised edition of her groundbreaking original volume, Zeni Fox emphasizes the crucial relationship between lay ecclesial ministers and the Church's response to them in light of the many developments in recent years. Written in a clear, crisp style, the book is divided into three parts: Part one describes the present reality, both sociological research about who these new lay professionals are and a review of the ways in which theologians are reflecting upon this new phenomenon. The second part explores the new reality from the standpoint of tradition, including Scripture, the documents of Vatican II and the work of U.S. bishops. The final part assesses this reality in light of the tradition, and outlines steps needed to more fully integrate lay leaders into the fabric of the Church.

Avery Cates is a wanted man. After surviving the worst bioengineered disaster in history, Cates finds himself incarcerated -- in Chengara Penitentiary. As Chengara has a survival rate of exactly zero, the system's most famous gunner must do some serious plotting. And a betrayal or so later, he achieves his goal. At a price. All he has to do now is defeat some new personal demons, forge some unlikely alliances, and figure out why the people he's killed lately just won't stay dead.

A hands-on resource for both large and small churches It has been predicted that in the twenty-first century extremely large churches would emerge in America that resemble neither an elephant nor a field of mice. Which is better? At one time the answer would have been either/or. Now it's both/and. We want both the intimacy of smallness and the impact of bigness-we want a hybrid of the two. Hybrid Church is a practical guide for clergy and leaders who want to have the best of both church worlds: the intimacy of small "house church" groups and the impact of very large mega-churches. Offers a guide for churches who want to capitalize on their strengths to build intimacy with impact Written by the pastor of one of the "fastest growing" and "most innovative" churches in America with thousands of members organized in small house groups Outlines a vision for how the church of tomorrow could look like the early church. Given that the trend is toward very large and very small, with few churches in the middle, this book will be a welcome resource for both large and small churches.