Views from the Urban Loft: Developing a Theological Framework for Understanding the City, by Sean Benesh

“As I devoured Sean Benesh’s Views from the Urban Loft the image of Jesus longing for the city of Jerusalem was never far from my heart and mind.   Sean’s hope for the city has a missional shape inviting people of faith to take a profoundly holistic second look at the place(s) where they live, work, play and worship.  Views from the Urban Loft invites readers to dream and dares people to act for the common good of their place as Good News.”

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Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood, by Alan J. Roxburgh

“Roxburgh daringly puts the church in its place . . . literally.  Missional invites us to relocate the center of missional life from churches to our places and neighborhoods.  Drawing on a lifetime of missional practice and study Roxburgh brings together missional theology with real world stories of missional practitioners.  A must read for any community seeking to live even more missionally.”

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The Bible as Improv: Seeing and Living the Script in New Ways, by Ron Martoia

“If you have ever witnessed a jazz ensemble breathe fresh life into a classic Miles Davis piece, then you have a sense of what Ron Martoia is inviting us to through The Bible as Improv.  Faithfulness and playfulness dancing together toward fullness of life; immersion in the history of the art, keen awareness of prior interpretations, skilled with one’s instrument, thoughtful study of the charts, interpreters playing off one another in community and with the audience.  The Bible as Improv is a beautiful exercise in practical biblical hermeneutics.”

God is Dead and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself: Theological Engagements with the New Atheism, by Andrew David, Christopher Keller, & Jon Stanley

“Through insightful essays, penetrating conversations, and beautiful poetry, ‘God is Dead’ and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself brings thoughtful theologians, philosophers, and poets together to engage, learn from, and critique the cultural expression known as the New Atheism. I highly recommend this text as a conversational form of cultural engagement marked by a careful and generous listening punctuated by conviction and humility, curiosity and critical thinking.”

GloboChrist: The Great Commission Takes a Postmodern Turn, by Carl Raschke

“I’d hoped to give GloboChrist a quick read, but after picking it up I simply  couldn’t put it down; it is elegant, clear, and provocative.  Raschke not only helps us see Christ and mission afresh in our hi-tech, pluralistic, postmodern, and global context but also equips us with engagement strategies.”

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Metavista: Bible, Church and Mission in an Age of Imagination, by Colin Greene & Martin Robinson

“Metavista may well be the first ‘must read’ of the 21st century for any Christ-follower seeking to embody the gospel in our global context.”

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The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time, by Tom Sine

“Among the very best of the growing body of literature exploring the very important question: Does the future have a church?“

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Out of the Ooze: Unlikely Love Letters to the Church from Beyond the Pew, by Spencer Burke

“Out of TheOOZE is theology of the people, by the people and for the people.  Having sifted through hundreds of thousands of web contributions to theOOZE.com Spencer Burke has selected a few choice offerings, inviting us to encounter the concerns, wonderings, and awakenings of real people seeking to live faithfully in the Way of Jesus in an era of growing church crisis.  No doubt there will be points of dissonance, but Out of TheOOZE will compel you to focus and re-focus your vision of the living Gospel with the hope of a new Kingdom resonance.”.

High-Voltage Spirituality, by William Tenny-Brittian

“All too often books on spiritually assume empty calendars and quiet spaces, but not High-Voltage Spirituality.  Tenny-Brittian puts real-world spirituality within the grasp of busy people.  He invites readers to a holistic and earthy vision of life with God which reclaims and redeems even the fullest schedule.”