A publication of the Renewal Fellowship
A publication of the Renewal Fellowship
By Bruce Clemenger. The debate about the relationship between church and state has been reignited. Firstly, we should respond to the misperceptions that are rooted in stereotypes, misunderstanding, or bias, and secondly, it is an opportunity to discuss the relationship between church and state. … Read more
By Darrell Johnson. The only thing the first disciples of Jesus are recorded to have asked Jesus to teach them is how to pray. The fifty-seven words He taught them are brilliant in their simplicity and change the way we understand God, ourselves, and the world. … Read more
By Victor Shepherd. No one in the history of Christian thought has written on prayer as much as John Calvin. Few have approached him in sensitivity and profundity. Fewer still have understood the social/psychological situation from which he wrote everything: the refugee who knows that life is precarious. … Read more
by John Bigham. A ready-made follow-up for the enlivened faith and enthusiasm generated by an Alpha Course takes the form of the Beta course, A Life Worth Living, a nine-week look at Paul's letter to the Philippians, in the format of the Alpha course. … Read more
By C. Baxter Kruger. To have a relationship with Jesus, we must be willing to rethink everything we thought we knew, so that we can see more clearly and experience the liberation and joy and life of such clearer sight. With this in mind, Dr. Kruger re-examines the meaning of the cross. … Read more
Reviewed by Stan Cox. Christian doctrine, such as the Trinity and the two natures of Jesus Christ, are meant to enable the flourishing of human excellence by promoting people's enjoyment of God. A tour of Christian theologians who taught in the tradition of classic orthodoxy bears this out. … Read more
By Peter Bush. After the murder of his brother, George Gordon, a missionary to Erromanga in the New Hebrides, James Gordon brought his murderers a message of forgiveness. Both Gordons preferred to train islanders to spread the gospel, and by 1900, 95% of the people of Erromanga were Christians. … Read more
By Eugene Peterson. The church at Ephesus, established by Paul, was, at first, the model church, but by the time Timothy was sent there, had become a mess, with a culture of religion without commitment, spirituality without content, and not much concern about God. What did Timothy do about it? … Read more
By A. Donald MacLeod. Stanford Reid never fit into neat categories. His critics would assail him from left and right. But his continuing loyalty to the Presbyterian Church in Canada could never be questioned. It came from love for the denomination and the country of his birth. … Read more
By Bob Birse. Gently, Willard leads us into a fresh examination of sometimes all too familiar ground. In his introduction he says, "My hope is to gain a fresh hearing for Jesus, especially among those who believe they already understand him." … Read more
Reviewed by J.H. (Hans) Kouwenberg. Christian Schwarz conducted a comprehensive research project with over 1,000 large and small, growing and plateaued participating congregations throughout much of the world to discover certain principles of "natural church development." … Read more
By Calvin Brown. Labelling people is not good when it is used simply to write others off or to demonize them, but it is helpful when we want to have a beginning point for conversation. Avoid stereotypes, and use the words only as descriptive of points of view. … Read more
By J.H. (Hans) Kouwenberg. Margaret Avison, pictured on the cover, has an urbanized, educated imagination. Many of her poems have thoughtful and intriguing word choices. The poetry in her second volume, The Dumbfounding, revealed a deep Christian faith which had not been evident in her earlier work. … Read more
Reviewed by Garth Wilson. This book expands on the answer to the first question in The Westminster Larger Catechism: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and fully to enjoy him forever." Worship does involve enjoyment, but it is the enjoyment of God, not for our enjoyment. … Read more
By Calvin Brown. Worship wars are said to be the most common cause of disruption in congregations. When the real cause of unhappiness is examined, the principal offender is not usually the new music but the form of certain types of contemporary worship. … Read more
By Eugene H. Peterson. Those who are too tired to go on, or consigned to the sidelines because of lack of stamina, or resigned to a marginal status, need to hear the inward assurance of God's affirmation through the generous verdict of David at the Brook Besor. … Read more