Make discipling culturally relevant. Christians who serve Jesus among people from a different culture than their own often struggle to find a good way to disciple people. Walking Together on the Jesus Road addresses this need by guiding readers through three essential practices for making disciples across cultures: listening to disciples to get to know them and their context, focusing on relationships with Christ, fellow disciples, and others, and enabling disciples to live out their faith in culturally relevant ways. These practices are the foundation for the long-term, intentional process of helping disciples from other cultures become more like Jesus. The book also engages with practical challenges, such as enabling disciples to find and belong to a nurturing community of faith, as well as contextualizing the way we teach the Bible.

In this highly original and moving volume, an anthropologist, a historian, and a Native singer come together to reveal the personal and cultural power of Christian faith among theøKiowas of southwestern Oklahoma and to show how Christian members of the Kiowa community have creatively embraced hymns and made them their own. Kiowas practice a unique expression of Christianity, a blending that began with the arrival of missionaries on the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation in the 1870s. In these pages, historian Clyde Ellis offers a compelling look at the way in which many Kiowas became Christian over the past century and have woven that faith into their identity. The personal and cultural significance of traditional songs and their close connection to the power of hymns is then illuminated by anthropologist Luke Eric Lassiter. Like traditional Kiowa songs, Christian hymns help restore and minister to the community; they also can be highly individualistic since many are composed and shared by church members themselves at different times in their lives. In the final section of the book Kiowa singer Ralph Kotay tells of the personal meaning and value of the hymns and of the Christian faith in general. This remarkable, sensitive book makes an important contribution to our understanding of the complexity of Native lives today and offers a subtle yet penetrating look at the legacy of Christianity among Native peoples.

The story of the Reformed Church's relationship to Native Americans is one of persistence and optimism in the face of overwhelming odds. Unfortunately, it's also a story that reflects all too well the sad record of U.S. dealings with America's first inhabitants. In this frank, well-balanced account of the Reformed Church's Native American missions and churches, LeRoy Koopman recounts the spiritual journey of the "Jesus Road" shared by Reformed and Native American Christians. "Taking the Jesus Road" outlines how government and church often cooperated with each other in implementing shifting policies that allowed the native peoples little or no voice in their own destiny. Koopman does not hesitate to point out how early missionaries often equated the Christian faith with white culture but also gives credit for their tireless efforts to seek a better life for the people they were serving. Much of the book is devoted to the stories of particular ministries, including the six Native American congregations that remain a vital part of the Reformed Church today.

Arguing that the way Jesus leads and the way we follow are symbiotic, Peterson begins with a study of how the ways of those who came before Christ revealed and prepared the way of the Lord that became complete in Jesus. He then challenges the ways of the contemporary American church, showing in stark relief how what we have chosen to focus on--consumerism, celebrity, charisma, and so forth--obliterates what is unique in the Jesus way.

Jones recounts his experiences in India, where he arrived as a young and presumptuous missionary who later matured into a veteran who attempted to contextualize Jesus Christ within the Indian culture. He names the mistake many Christians make in trying to impose their culture on the existing culture where they are bringing Christ. Instead he makes the case that Christians learn from other cultures, respect the truth that can be found there, and let Christ and the existing culture do the rest.

This is a collection of essays originally published in the Syriac Orthodox Digest about the presence and influence of Christianity in Asia from 400-1400 AD.

Today's tensions between the 'Islamic' East and 'Christian' West run high. Here Paul-Gordon Chandler presents fresh thinking in the area of Christian-Muslim relations, showing how Christ_whom Islam reveres as a Prophet and Christianity worships as the divine Messiah_can close the gap between the two religions. Historically, Christians have taken a confrontational or missionary approach toward Islam, leading many Muslims to identify Christianity with the cultural prejudices and hegemonic ambitions of Westerners. On the individual level, Christ-followers within Islam have traditionally been encouraged by Christians to break away from their Muslim communities. Chandler boldly explores how these two major religions_which share much common heritage_can not only co-exist, but also enrich each other. He illustrates his perspective with examples from the life of Syrian novelist Mazhar Mallouhi, widely read in the Middle East. Mallouhi, a self-identified 'Sufi Muslim follower of Christ,' seeks to bridge the chasm of misunderstanding between Muslims and Christians through his novels.

Luke's account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus has an amazing power to inspire us today, just as it has given life to every generation of Christians. How do we understand that encounter on the road, and how can we be open to its message? How can it help us deepen our prayer life and understanding of Scripture so that we can grow closer to Jesus? How can it help us open our eyes to our liturgical encounter with Jesus and to all the ways he reveals himself to us each day? Finally, how might meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus energize us to share Jesus' message with other believers and with the world? Here, in this insightful and prayer-provoking new book, Father Dennis Billy invites us to join the two disciples on the way to Emmaus and experience for ourselves the power of the Risen Lord. Meeting Jesus on the Road to Emmaus will lead you to a greater awareness of how Jesus accompanies you in every moment of your life. It is an excellent companion to guide us all on the path of true and vibrant discipleship.

Jesus’s teaching gains fresh relevance through this fascinating study of Bible stories separated by centuries, but related by shared geography. In Along the Road, John Beck delves into the conversations that would naturally occur if you had walked with Jesus along a first-century road. Journey with Beck as he weaves the Old Testament context of each locale into Jesus’s experience there, and discover how these easily overlooked geographical and cultural details can enhance your understanding of God's Word.

When four religious leaders walk across the road, it's not the beginning of a joke. It's the start of one of the most important conversations in today's world. Can you be a committed Christian without having to condemn or convert people of other faiths? Is it possible to affirm other religious traditions without watering down your own? In his most important book yet, widely acclaimed author and speaker Brian McLaren proposes a new faith alternative, one built on "benevolence and solidarity rather than rivalry and hostility." This way of being Christian is strong but doesn't strong-arm anyone, going beyond mere tolerance to vigorous hospitality toward, interest in, and collaboration with the other. Blending history, narrative, and brilliant insight, McLaren shows readers step-by-step how to reclaim this strong-benevolent faith, challenging us to stop creating barriers in the name of God and learn how affirming other religions can strengthen our commitment to our own. And in doing so, he invites Christians to become more Christ-like than ever before.