Book Review: Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity
Review by Sam Emadi | 01.31.2019One key takeaway from the story of Joel Osteen’s ministry is the way that he and other modern mainstream prosperity preachers have altered the prosperity gospel to fit more with America’s secularizing worldview.
Book Review: The Preacher’s Catechism, by Lewis Allen
Review by Paul Alexander | 01.24.2019Preacher, if you don’t think you need to read this book, then, well . . . you need to read this book.
How We Fixed Our Sleepy and Unspiritual Members’ Meetings
Review by Josh de Koning | 01.18.2019About five years ago, I realized our members’ meetings were sleepy and overly informational. So we’ve changed them.
Book Review: How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge by Clay Scroggins
Review by Phil Newton | 01.11.2019While it is certain that Scroggins’ book will get wide readership, I think the book fits best outside of local church leadership structures.
Book Review: Seven Practices for the Church on Mission, by David Fitch
Review by Brad Morello | 12.27.2018Fitch’s emphasis on the presence of God as part of our conception of the nature of the church and a philosophy of ministry does have some benefit. But his development of these ideas lacks Scriptural substance.
Book Review: The Storm-Tossed Family, by Russell Moore
Review by Robin Weekes | 12.12.2018The range of what Moore covers is bold: upbringing, marriage, children, perseverance in marriage, divorce, growing old, and caring for those who are aging. He explores these topics with an exegete’s skill and a pastor’s heart.
Book Review: Some Pastors and Teachers, by Sinclair Ferguson
Review by Mike McGregor | 11.30.2018This excellent new book could rightly be called “The Collected Works of Sinclair Ferguson on Pastoral Ministry.”
Book Review: Healthy Plurality = Durable Church, by Dave Harvey
Review by Aaron Menikoff | 11.21.2018This book isn’t a biblical defense for plural eldership. Rather, it’s a practical guide to assessing and improving the quality of your elder body.
Book Review: Purity Is Possible, by Helen Thorne
Review by Jonathan Rourke | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Pornography | 10.30.2018What makes this book different? It’s written by a woman, engages the topic from a feminine perspective, and reveals why so many are using the erotic to escape reality.
Book(s) Review: Hide or Seek, by John Freeman; Sexual Sanity For Men, by David White
Review by Raymond Johnson | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Pornography | 10.30.2018Sexual wholeness is vital to healing, and these resources will help pastors better structure small groups in ways that facilitate a more open and safe place for people to come and share their experiences and struggles.
Book Review: Wired for Intimacy, by William Struthers
Review by Deepak Reju | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Pornography | 10.30.2018Those who want to understand the biology that contributes to porn addiction will be well served by Struthers’ book.
Book Review: The Game Plan, Joe Dallas
Review by Nate Keeler | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Pornography | 10.30.2018Overall, I would strongly recommend The Game Plan as a tool for discipling men through habitual sexual sin, especially pornography.
Book Review: Sexual Detox, by Tim Challies
Review by Justin Perry | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Pornography | 10.30.2018Sexual Detox is a wonderful book, and it is atop my recommended reads for those who struggle with pornography.
Book Review: Captured by a Better Vision: Living Porn Free, by Tim Chester
Review by Dave Gobbett | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Pornography | 10.30.2018In this wide-ranging, honest, and profoundly gospel-centred book, Chester demonstrates that the contemporary pornography pandemic which is crippling lives and ministries is fundamentally a problem of idolatry.
