Books

Books that provide insight into today's Church


Purpose Driven Life
by Rick Warren
This best selling book is in the form of a 40 day bible study. This spiritual journey will help you understand the five purposes of Christian life: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission.
What's So Amazing About Grace?
by Philip Yancey
The Grace of God is in many ways the key to success in the Christian life. This easy to read book is one of the best on this subject.
Heavenly Man
by Paul Hattherway
This is the remarkable story of Christian brother Yun, who is a member of the Chinese house Church movement. It reads like a new part to the book of Acts. It is just one of many books on how God is building His church today.

Books on masculine spirituality


Why men hate going to Church?
by David Murrow
This book addresses why there are so few men in Church. Have you ever thought why is it that there is no gender gap in Islam, Hinduism, Judaism or the Eastern Orthodox Church? By an examination of the positive values in the masculine spirit it reveals shortcomings in the Church today.
Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
by John Eldredge
Another best selling book and quite deservedly so. In our modern world we have lost that sense of what God created when he made man and woman. This is full of insights into what it means to be a man in todays world.
Healing the Masculine Soul
Gordon Dalbey
This book preceeds 'Why men hate going to Church?' and 'Wild at heart' and was an influence on both of them. Dalbey draws upon his experience a minister and counsellor to provide a window into men's souls. Its full of many insights into being a son, a husband and a father.

For the more serious reader


Atheism Remix
Albert Mohler
A book that gives an overview of what is now called the new Atheism. While the fall of the Berlin wall may have marked the beginning of the end for one form of atheism, secularisation of the intellectual elite and much of Western Europe represents the rise this new form of Atheism.
Religion in Britain Since 1945: Believing Without Belonging
by Grace Davey
The subtitle of this book aptly describes one of the characteristics of Christianity in the UK and became more well known than the title. This book contains a wide variety of social observations and statistical information on the subject of Churchgoing in the UK.
The Purpose Driven Church
by Rick Warren
The book that started a revolution in the USA. While 40 Days of Purpose helped many Christians to achieve a balance and healthy Christian life, this book addresses the problem of balance in objectives and activities to create a healthy Church
The Church Impotent: The Feminisation of Christianity
by Leon J. Podles
This exhaustive history traces the feminisation of the church back to a time before the reformation. A book for anyone who wants to understand how Western Christianity lost its masculine spirit.
Christianity Rediscovered
by Vincent J. Donovan
A catholic priest in a mission realises that their missionary strategy is not working and gets his Bishop to release him to go and talk to the Masai of Tanzania. Follow him on his journey as he rediscovers the Gospel and what God called the Church to do.
Building a contagious Church
by Mark Mittelberg
As a minister at Willow Creek you know this comes from one of the most Mission oriented Churches in the USA where Bill Hybels is the senior minister. It provides many insights into mission today with a background of a very successfull strategy and proven best practice.
• Does God Believe in Atheists?Does God Believe in Atheists?
John Blabchard
This remarkable book traces the development of atheistic and agnostic thinking from it roots up to the present day. It pinpoints the roles of key thinkers and how each one shaped modern thinking. It exlplores the many forms of atheism. Its a veritable encyclopedia on the subject, yet through John Blanchard's remarkable tatalent as a communicator it is remarkably readable.
• Does God Believe in Atheists?Widmen, Warriors, and Kings
Patric Arnold
A book by a Jesuit priest on the subject of masculine spirituality and the Bible. While it does lean on Jung for the archetypes, the biblical examples are appropriate. A detailed and illuminating reappraisal of both the masculine types and patriarchy in the bible.

Emerging/Emergent Church


A primer on PostmodernismA primer on Postmodernism
by Stanley Grenz
The classic introduction to postmodernism. An exposition on the evolution of a new world view. Includes his interpretations of key thinkers such as Foucault and Derrida. A guide to the philosophical issues and their place in history. Not lightweight reading but it defines what the emerging Church is reacting to.
Becoming Conversant with the Emerging ChurchBecoming Conversant with the Emerging Church
by Don Carson
A penetrating analysis by a renowned theologian and author of books on postmodernism. He picks up the strengths and weaknesses in the emerging Church, and his reviews of "A Generous Orthodoxy" by Brian McLaren and "The Lost Message of Jesus" by Steve Chalk finds faults in their theology.
Confessions of a Reformission Rev.Confessions of a Reformission Rev.
by Mark Driscoll
Primarily a book for pastors this is the story of planting and growth of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, one of the USA's fastest growing Churches in one of the USA's most secularised city's. It's a blow by blow account starting with a Church plant 1996 ending with 4000+ attending in 2004. Mark discusses in an open and frank way the hard lessons he learned while trying to remain faithfull to the Gospel.
Why we're not Emergent (by two guys who should be)
by Kevin Deyoung and Ted Kluck
This is a rebelion against the rebellion. This gives a theological and street level perspectives of doing Church in our postmodern culture while holding to the propositional truths about Jesus and the ultimate authority of Scripture. They argue that it is better not to be emergent.