Julie Canlis

Christian Eco-Spirituality

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“This book on Christian eco-spirituality will surprise you. It is written by someone who, by his own confession, has never been a passionate tree-hugger, but a passionate theologian, yet who has been organically opened to creation by paying attention to Jesus Christ. Robin is energetic, funny, and invites us to walk in the way of Wisdom—Wisdom who is none other than Christ, the one who walked among us as a human being. For Jesus’ flesh not only connects Christ to all humanity, but to all biological life, down to its very roots. Working as the ‘eco-priest’ at Worcester Cathedral, Robin pairs theological precision with practical ways for us to be formed by Christ as we live in our natural habitats. (Don’t miss the A to Z of Wild Worship!)”

Embracing Contemplation

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“We have been waiting a long time for this book . . . a couple of centuries, perhaps. We've been reading the early Fathers and the Catholic mystics, but few have put into our hands the rich resources from the evangelical tradition that might help us pray contemplatively. So with all due respect, let us read . . . and let us pray.”

Power in Weakness

Church Leadership & Ministry

“Could pastors need a conversion? Could the professionalization of ‘ministry’ actually set us up against God? Tim Gombis helps us see Paul as a pastor engaged in self-oriented ministry before he met Jesus, willing to use coercive power in order to move God to act on Israel’s behalf. Tim calls pastors to the same shattering renovation that Paul himself underwent and offers vulnerable examples from his own pastoral journey. This book is about Paul, about Tim, and about all of us engaged in the perilous vocation of shepherding God's flock. Kyrie eleison.”

Rhythms for Life

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“It seems to me that the healthiest Christians are the most ordinary people—but they did not arrive there by accident. They have had the painstaking struggle of knowing themselves, being faithful in the small things, not ignoring the gifts of their community, appreciating the discipline of Scripture, and . . . voila! An ordinary, faithful Christian. God give us more of them! Thankfully Alastair provides a clear path for churches who desire to be a breeding ground for Christians like this.”

The Art of Living in Season

Christian Living

“Fine wines are grown in historically acknowledged terroirs—that French word meaning a very specific mix of soil, grade, hours of sunlight, and harnessed minerals. The distance of ten feet can be the distance between a ten-dollar wine and a thousand-dollar wine. In this book, Sylvie Vanhoozer studies the terroir of everyday life and the complex interplay of each person's history, geography, personality, and God-call. Her protagonists? The small santons of French provincial life, miniature clay figures that are brought out each Advent and who represent ordinary people (us!) on pilgrimage to the Christ child. This book is a delightful blend of memoir, nature journal, and theological reflection on a unique tradition from southern France that invites us to root our own lives in the Nativity, such that it takes on the contours of our terroir and can become fine wine.”

The Kingdom of God Is among You

Theology

“This book of lectures is punctuated (and organized) by the prayers that Gordon Fee prayed before class began. In these prayers lies the whole spirituality of his lectures, this book, and his life. Be prepared for a biblical theology that will move you out of your head and into prayer—where all theology belongs.”

The Wood Between the Worlds

Theology

“In the liminal Wood Between the Worlds, Brian Zahnd encounters the inexhaustible cross. Perhaps you are more familiar with the absent Protestant Christ or the afflicted Catholic Christ or the victorious classical Christ? Each one is true and speaks a faithful message. (Which one speaks to you? Which one pushes you away?) Brian's book invites us to contemplate the kaleidoscopic mystery of Christ. Will we stop and be still before the mystery? Will we let this irreligious symbol transform all our notions of religion?”

Theology as a Way of Life

Theology

“What does it mean to be ‘in Christ’? Neder wonders what it means to teach ‘in Christ.’ For those of us in academia or pastoring a congregation, this comes as both a challenge and a gift. Neder joins Barth’s ever-present call to ‘theological existence’ in which not just the content but the praxis of our teaching is changed by the person of Christ. Prayer, personal integration, humility, and even publishing are discussed in this light (with the help of World Cup and Radiohead analogies). As Neder says, ‘Teaching Christianity is an act of love.’ So is this book.”

Thomas F. Torrance and Evangelical Theology

Theology

“Between theological rocks and hard places there is T. F. Torrance, who weaves the early Church Fathers, contemporary theologians, and a reverence for Scripture into a coherent, rigorous, and joyful theology. This is a delightful work in which evangelical scholars discuss T. F. Torrance for the sake of the church in fresh ways, always seeking application and transformation. This is theology as doxology at its best.”

Water from a Deep Well

History & Biography

“When Christianity is in danger of becoming an empire religion, we've got to make it strange again. Gerald L. Sittser does just this for us, reminding us that our cisterns may well be broken and can no longer hold the living water. Gerald shows us the ancient paths. I can't recommend his book highly enough.”