1. OCTOBER EMQ LINEUP…
A line up of the articles in the October 2015 issue of EMQ.
The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing
by Jonathan K. Dodson Zondervan. 2014. —Reviewed by Michael Hakmin Lee, adjunct professor, Intercultural Studies, Lincoln Christian University. According to a survey conducted by Lifeway Research in 2010, seventy-six percent of urbanites in the greater Austin area, where Pastor Jonathan Dodson’s church is, did not regard Jesus Christ as Savior. This book assesses why […]
Spiritual Equipping for Mission: Thriving as God’s Message Bearers
by Ryan Shaw Intervarsity Press, 2014. —Reviewed by Benjamin D. Espinoza, community life pastor, Covenant Church, Bowling Green, Ohio. While missiologists have spilled loads of ink describing effective mission strategies, few have tackled the issue of spiritually forming disciples for the task of spreading the gospel. If we understand the Great Commission to be both […]
Sent Forth: African Missionary work in the West
by Harvey C. Kwiyani Orbis Books. 2014. —Reviewed by Ezekiel O. Ajani, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Immigration continues to generate debates in the U.S. The 1965 Immigration Act and subsequent reforms have enabled millions of immigrants to relocate to the U.S. Many of these are Christians from Africa. What do Christians in the West think […]
Overturning Tables: Freeing Missions from the Christian Industrial Complex
by Scott A. Bessenecker Intervarsity Press, 2014. —Reviewed by Joel Rainey, PhD, strategist for engagement, Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network; professor of ministry, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. In a book that will be a shock to the system of many Western mission agencies, Scott Bessenecker describes “the end of world missions as we know it” (p. 20) […]
The Missionary Family: Witness, Concerns, Care
by Dwight P. Baker and Robert J. Priest, eds. William Carey Library. 2014. —Reviewed by Susan Greener, associate professor, Intercultural Studies, Wheaton Graduate School. The issue of families in missions has attracted debate for over two centuries. Is it better to be single on the mission field so as not to be distracted by family […]
Kingdom Conspiracy: Returning to Radical Mission of the Local Church
by Scot McKnight Brazos Press. 2014. —Reviewed by Jacob Rosenberg, PhD, leader, Adat HaTikvah Messianic Congregation, Deerfield, Illinois. According to Dr. Scot McKnight, the term “kingdom” is used in a casual way that has a negative impact on our perception of ecclesiology and therefore our understanding of the character of the Church and its role […]
From Every Tribe and Nation: A Historian’s Discovery of the Global Christian Story
by Mark Noll Baker Academic. 2014. —Reviewed by Paul Borthwick, senior consultant, Development Associates International; professor, Global Christianity, Gordon College. We owe as much to Joel Carpenter and Robert Hosack as we do to Mark Noll for this descriptive pilgrimage of how a premier expert in Christian history, especially focused on Christianity in the United […]
Early Christian Martyr Stories: An Evangelical Introduction with New Translations
by Bryan M. Litfin Baker Academic. 2014. —Reviewed by Daniel Shinjong Baeq, director, Hiebert Global Center, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Bearing in mind differing theological and ecclesiological stances and controversies, Bryan Litfin’s scholarship carefully guides readers to consider how the implications of martyrdom can be relevant to Christians today. Litfin first discusses the origin of […]
Cross-Cultural Church Planting for Probies: Envisioning and Facilitating Holistic Church Planting among Unreached People Groups from Preparation to Closure
by Roger L Dixon and Jan B. Dixon Create Space Independent Publishing. 2014. —Reviewed by Gerald Roe, former pastor, missionary, and mission administrator; chair, Intercultural Studies, North Greenville University. The last three decades have been encouraging for the increased interest in the missionary enterprise. One of the features of this heightened interest is a […]