Steve L. Porter

Doubt, Faith, and Certainty

Theology

“At a time when many religious believers are clinging ever more tightly to their beliefs, Thiselton ably defends a positive place for doubt in Christian faith that looks forward to certainty. For Thiselton, doubt involves the humility to rethink one's position, consider viable alternatives, and thereby deepen one's faith while awaiting the certainty of the eschaton. Engaging an impressive array of contemporary and historical thinkers, Thiselton has provided rich material for serious reflection.”

Humility

Christian Living

“Akin to the writings of Dallas Willard, James K. A. Smith, and Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, Michael Austin’s book is a welcome addition to the long and vibrant tradition of philosophical reflection on Christian spiritual formation. Austin draws out biblical and theological insights about learning from Jesus to become like him, and in so doing he develops a profound moral psychology of conformation to Christ. This is the kind of analysis that is needed for Jesus-followers who desire greater clarity and confidence that Jesus and his way of life reliably bring about change. I highly recommend this book.”

Introduction to Spirituality

Christian Living

“Gary Tyra’s accessible treatment of spiritual life in, with, and through the real person of Christ available by the Holy Spirit is a welcome addition to recent spiritual formation literature. Tyra’s account is grounded in theological, christological, and pneumatological realism. Tyra never loses sight of the idea that the spirituality of Jesus is a formational-missional spirituality for the sake of the world. Biblically grounded and theologically engaged, Tyra’s Introduction to Spirituality is an excellent resource for anyone interested in going deeper in Christian spiritual life.”

Kingdom Apprenticeship

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“We live in a time when Christians are trying to understand afresh what Christian mission involves. Keas Keasler's book is incredibly timely in providing a theological vision of formational-missional discipleship to Jesus that constructively draws on the work of Dallas Willard. In contrast with many, Willard taught that the church is not for mission in the world. Rather, the church is for training disciples of Jesus, and disciples of Jesus incarnate God's mission in the world. There is no other book that draws this point out and drives it home better than Kingdom Apprenticeship. This book is a breath of fresh air for anyone looking to be an effective witness in the world today.”

Positive Psychology in Christian Perspective

Science & Faith

“Not only does Charles Hackney helpfully locate the field of positive psychology historically and theoretically, he provides well-researched treatments of a variety of the field's most intriguing topics (e.g., hope, mindfulness, wisdom, self-control, flow). All of this is done from a thoughtful and balanced Christian point of view that is not forced or heavy handed. Hackney's book is a comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and clearly written introduction to positive psychology for Christian undergraduate and graduate students.”

Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered

Christian Living

“For anyone who has ever thought that the way we ‘do church’ is missing something, this book is a godsend. Wilhoit reclaims the New Testament vision of local congregations being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others. In this second edition, Wilhoit has refined and strengthened his arguments—his wisdom—for how local gatherings of God’s people are designed to be the nonnegotiable relational context for Christian formation and, thereby, mission. This book is my go-to for what Christian formation should look like in local churches.”

Spiritual Formation for the Global Church

Prayer & Spiritual Formation

“The evangelical spiritual formation movement has proven surprisingly expansive. Spiritual formation has made significant headway in the local church, the academy, and the practicalities of daily life. With this book, we find evidence that spiritual formation has gone global. Or more accurately, global work on Christian spirituality is reaching North American spiritual formation. Brandt and Frederick have gathered a culturally, ethnically, and denominationally diverse set of authors from a variety of lived contexts addressing Christian formation with crosscultural sensitivity. Given the importance of learning from underrepresented voices and points of view, this book is timely and welcome. I can think of many colleagues and students for whom these authors and their topics will be a breath of fresh air.”