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May-be Try Something New
We’re already nearing the end of April so if you’ve left behind some resolutions, get back on track! This month we are all about discovering new ideas, exploring them, and reflecting upon them.
These books are hot topics that are constantly uprooted for debates and delve deep into the moral dilemmas that many people endure throughout their lives. From the abstract circumcision of the heart to the sexual revolution, embark on some reads that may lead you down unexpected roads and force you to face new questions.
A Better Story God, Sex and Human Flourishing By Glynn Harrison
The power of story is immense. That’s why the architects of the sexual revolution won over popular imagination. Following the Women’s Movement seeking the right to vote, the sexual revolution that dominated the 1960s sought to change attitudes towards sexuality. Appealing to the morals of ordinary people is the simplest way to change minds.
Respected Bible teacher and psychiatrist Glynn Harrison argues that if Christians still believe they have good news in the sphere of sexual ethics, then we have to reexamine how we’ve presented our case to the non-Church. Maybe we have to offer a more appealing story that makes people think, ‘I want that to be true.’ With roots planted firmly within the Bible, the book offers a moral vision that must be shared with prayer and courage – and no small share of imagination.
‘With clarity and wisdom, Glynn helpfully assists us in navigating a minefield of explosive and emotive issues. He shows us why and how the sexual revolution has transformed the thinking of so many, and yet how it has failed to deliver on its grand promises.’’
– Michael Ots
The Plausibility Problem: The Church and Same-Sex Attraction by Ed Shaw
We have been shaped by the world and need to reconsider the values that drive our discipleship. We may think that the Bible is quite clear when it mentions homosexuality, but is it realistic? Isn’t it unfair to the people who struggle with their attraction and faith? Doesn’t it condemn them to loneliness and deprive them of basic human needs we all have? Is what the church teaches a plausible way to live for anyone facing these challenges?
All of these questions are entertained by Ed Shaw, Associate Pastor at Emmanuel Bristol, who experiences same-sex attraction, yet remains committed to follow scripture and the church’s stance: fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness. Christ’s Gospel message to every person is one of inclusion and welcome for all; equally, there are challenges for all.
Righteous by Promise: A Biblical Theology of Circumcision by Karl Deenick
With such vital foundations in the Old Testament and prevalence in debates in the New Testament, this book responds to the lack of detailed work on the biblical theology of circumcision. This topic is the background to some of the Apostle Paul’s most contested writings, and Karl Deenick brings the debate back with this book.
Senior Pastor of Branch Christian Church in Australia, Karl Deenick’s seamless examination of both physical circumcision as well as ‘circumcision’ of the heart ties into both the Old and the New Testament and links everything back to righteousness and faith.
