Using icons from music, literature, film, and politics, David Dark hopes to provide fodder for lively conversation about what it means to be Christian and American in this day and age. The end result of this conversation, Dark hopes, will be a better understanding that "there is a reality more important, more lasting, and more infinite than the cultures to which we belong," the reality of the kingdom of God.

"We don't need more of the church; at least not more of the church as we have previously known it. We don't need more straight-laced, behavior-management obsessed, bottom-line focused, boundary-drawing corporations calling themselves the Body of Christ. No, we need this thing we call church to look more like a local diner - more like a neighborhood bar - more like a Waffle House restaurant - then, people might feel welcomed at 'church' once again." - Ronnie McBrayer In The Gospel According to Waffle House, Ronnie McBrayer employs his years of experience as a pastor, chaplain, and syndicated columnist, to challenge people of faith to rethink how they "do church." He proposes a modest, commonsense vision that would reshape Christian congregations into welcoming places for all people; places that would preach and practice simplicity; and places that would operate with grace and flexibility. This is essential reading for those who wish to do "simple church" in a time when Christianity is increasingly fragmented and complicated. If you have been looking for a back-to-the-basics model for your church, then the table is spread. The Gospel According to Waffle House is for you. Ronnie McBrayer leads A Simple Faith in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida and is the author of multiple books and publications including his nationally syndicated newspaper and internet column, "Keeping the Faith." For more information about the author please visit www.ronniemcbrayer.me.

A critical meditation of the iconic 24-7 roadside chain and its place in the southern imaginary Waffle House has long been touted as an icon of the American South. The restaurant’s consistent foregrounding as a resonant symbol of regional character proves relevant for understanding much about the people, events, and foodways shaping the sociopolitical contours of today’s Bible Belt. Whether approached as a comedic punchline on the Internet, television, and other popular media or elevated as a genuine touchstone of messy American modernity, Waffle House, its employees, and everyday clientele do much to transcend such one-dimensional characterizations, earning distinction in ways that regularly go unsung. Smothered and Covered: Waffle House and the Southern Imaginary is the first book to socioculturally assess the chain within the field of contemporary food studies. In this groundbreaking work, Ty Matejowsky argues that Waffle House’s often beleaguered public persona is informed by various complexities and contradictions. Critically unpacking the iconic eatery from a less reductive perspective offers readers a more realistic and nuanced portrait of Waffle House, shedding light on how it both reflects and influences a prevailing southern imaginary—an amorphous and sometimes conflicting collection of images, ideas, attitudes, practices, linguistic accents, histories, and fantasies that frames understandings about a vibrant if also paradoxical geographic region. Matejowsky discusses Waffle House’s roots in established southern foodways and traces the chain’s development from a lunch-counter restaurant that emerged across the South. He also considers Waffle House’s place in American and southern popular culture, highlighting its myriad depictions in music, television, film, fiction, stand-up comedy, and sports. Altogether, Matejowsky deftly and persuasively demonstrates how Waffle House serves as a microcosm of today’s South with all the accolades and criticisms this distinction entails.

A searing reflection on the broken promise of safety in America. When a naked, mentally ill white man with an AR-15 killed four young adults of color at a Waffle House, Nashville-based physician and gun policy scholar Dr. Jonathan M. Metzl once again advocated for commonsense gun reform. But as he peeled back evidence surrounding the racially charged mass shooting, a shocking question emerged: Did the public health approach he had championed for years have it all wrong? Long at the forefront of a movement advocating for gun reform as a matter of public health, Metzl has been on constant media call in the aftermath of fatal shootings. But the 2018 Nashville killings led him on a path toward recognizing the limitations of biomedical frameworks for fully diagnosing or treating the impassioned complexities of American gun politics. As he came to understand it, public health is a harder sell in a nation that fundamentally disagrees about what it means to be safe, healthy, or free. In What We’ve Become, Metzl reckons both with the long history of distrust of public health and the larger forces—social, ideological, historical, racial, and political—that allow mass shootings to occur on a near daily basis in America. Looking closely at the cycle in which mass shootings lead to shock, horror, calls for action, and, ultimately, political gridlock, he explores what happens to the soul of a nation—and the meanings of safety and community—when we normalize violence as an acceptable trade-off for freedom. Mass shootings and our inability to stop them have become more than horrific crimes: they are an American national autobiography. This brilliant, piercing analysis points to mass shootings as a symptom of our most unresolved national conflicts. What We’ve Become ultimately sets us on the path of alliance forging, racial reckoning, and political power brokering we must take to put things right.

Hasn’t Jesus called us into the thorns and thistles with Him to love what we find there? What if we had the courage to follow him into the briarpatch and discover life as we were always meant to live it? In The Briarpatch Gospel, dynamic young pastor Shayne Wheeler presents a radical message of grace, one that won’t allow you to remain comfortable merely sitting in a church pew. He shares his own heartbreaking personal journey through the briarpatch, and his church’s remarkable experience of creating a community in which people walk through life’s issues—even the darkest, most painful problems and questions—together. Unafraid. Like Jesus did. Think about it: What is your (or your church’s) briarpatch—the area where you’re afraid to go, or feel unequipped to address? Is it sharing what you really think on controversial issues? Becoming friends with someone who’s different from you? Confronting and overcoming your own pain, doubts, or fears? Bold and challenging, The Briarpatch Gospel provides a new vernacular for Christians to have open, honest conversations about what loving each other in Christ’s name might look like in the briarpatches of their own communities.

Reverend Self sat quietly in a corner booth at a local coffee house. His attempt to remain unnoticed would ultimately be in vain, as God had other plans. Join David Self as he explores the world of authentic evangelism in a very unlikely place.

Based on interviews with pastors of growing churches, as well as personal experience, this book identifies the most common mistakes pastors make that keep otherwise healthy churches from reaping the harvest God has prepared. Each chapter spotlights a common mistake, gives real-life examples, uses a generous dose of humor, and provides a practical course of action to recover from the error. The book draws from the experience of Seacoast Church as well as pastors such as Craig Groeschel, Chris Hodges, Perry Nobel, Mark Batterson, Dave Ferguson, Scott Chapman, Dino Rizzo, Ron Hamilton, and Dave Browning, Church leaders will be encouraged to realize that they are not the only ones who struggle, and that turning their situation around may not be as daunting a task as they think. This is a field guide for the common pastor based on actual churches of all sizes.

Join Jones on a faith-strengthening journey through the remnants of long-faded civilizations as he examines historical evidence of the life of Jesus. Outlining 10 major conspiracy theories about the deity of Christ, he reveals the fallacies in each and examines the various media outlets---books, movies, documentaries---where these schemes have recently surfaced. 224 pages, hardcover from Frontline.

The Disciple Dilemma explains the realities and limitations of using classic business logic and strategy within the Christian community and makes the case that Christian leaders must restructure their organizations to conform to Christ's mission.

What is ministry? Ministry is casting crowns at the feet of the Worthy One. It is the overflow of your relationship with Jesus. It is washing feet, loving people, making disciples, and more. In dozens of brief yet powerful chapters, Ministry Is . . . presents an actionable Bible-based guide to serving God in the local church. The insights here from authors Dave Earley and Ben Gutierrez are perfect for those considering church ministry as a vocation and applicable to anyone desiring to serve intentionally through the church. With every entry, they stay laser focused on making the reader "a spiritual change agent, a difference maker, and impact player for Jesus Christ." Endorsements "This book is like a pastoral pep talk. It'll challenge the way you think and lead." Mark Batterson, author, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day "I can't think of two young men more qualified to write a best-selling book on the topic How to Serve Jesus with Passion and Confidence." Elmer L. Towns, vice president, Liberty University "The authors are in 'Game On!' mode in every chapter. They know that a great church isnÕt about having great big talent, but leaders whom have great big servant hearts." John Hull, president/CEO, EQUIP