Book of the Month

Where God Was Born: A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion. Bruce Feiler. 403pp Harper Perennial, US. $34.00

Feiler combines the adventure of a wartime chronicle, the excitement of an archaeo­logical detective story, and the insight of personal spiritual exploration. Taking readers to biblical sites not seen by Westerners for decades, his journey uncovers little-known details about the common roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and affirms the importance of the Bible in today’s world.

Also available by Feiler:

·         Walking The Bible: A Journey By Land Through The Five Books of Moses $31.99

·         Abraham: A Journey To The Heart Of Three Faiths $29.99

Other featured titles

Mandate to Difference: An Invitation to the Contemporary Church. Walter Brueggemann. 215pp. WJK Press, US. $36.99  

Brueggemann sets forth a new vision of the Christian church in today's world. Based on his critical passion and conviction ­– that the church in this moment must set itself in tension with the rest of the world – these essays call the church to courageously defy political polarisation, consumerism, and militarism.

Also by Brueggemann:

·         Introduction to the Old Testament: Canon & Christian imagination $49.99

·         Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: (Prayers) $26.99

·         Struggling with Scripture $19.95

The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything. Brian McLaren. 263pp. Thomas Nelson, US. $31.99

McLaren invites you to discover afresh the transforming message of Jesus – an open invitation to radical change, an enlightening revelation that exposes sham and ignites hope, an epic story that is good news for everyone, whatever their gender, race, class, politics, or religion.

"Compelling, crucial and liberating: a book for those who seek to experience the blessed heat of Christianity at its source." Anne Rice

Also by McLaren:

·         A Generous Orthodoxy. $29.99

·         More Ready Than You Realize: Evangelism as Dance in the Postmodern Matrix $19.99

A Perfect Love: Understanding John Wesley's "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection." Steven Manskar, Diana Hynson, Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki. Large format 144pp. Discipleship Resources, US (2004). $26.99

Manskar provides a modern-language version of this classic book and includes guidance to help us better understand our spiritual journey. He also includes a Wesley chronology, brief listing of Wesley’s earlier writings and a description of Wesley’s theology and  ministry. Also included are a study guide for individuals or small groups and a theological and spiritual reflection on Wesley's work.

Other Wesley resources:

·         Sermons on Several Occasions by the Reverend John Wesley: translated into modern English. James Holway. 510pp. 2nd ed 2003. Moorley’s, UK. $60.00

·         Praying with John Wesley. David A deSilva. 48pp Discipleship Resources, US. $14.00

The Nativity: History and Legend. Geza Vermes. 177pp Penguin, UK. $27.00

What truth lies behind the Christmas story as we know it? Where does history end and legend begin? Vermes sifts through the evidence – examining the NT infancy Gospels of Matthew and Luke, as well as parallel Jewish sources from classical literature and history – to separate morsels of fact from centuries of legendary accretions.

Also by Vermes:

·         The Passion. $26.00

·         Who’s Who in the Age of Jesus. $29.95

Problem of Prisons: Corrections Reform in New Zealand since 1840. Greg Newbold. 340pp. Dunmore, NZ. $49.99

For more than 160 years New Zealand has struggled to find a formula for dealing with prisoners in a humane, effective and workable way. Many philosophies have been tried, but under all regimes, re-offending rates have remained high. Newbold covers the past legislative and administrative changes in corrections and interweaves descriptions of the day-to-day realities of prison life.

Pursuing Social Justice in New Zealand. Ruth Porter ed. 161pp Maxim Inst. NZ. $29.99

A collection of essays and stories from all sides of the political and cultural spectrum. The 14 contributors (including Pita Sharples, Muriel Newman, Kim Workman & Cardinal Thomas Williams) conclude that when it comes to providing social justice, communities are best.

Breaking Through: Conversations and Prayers. Eddie Askew. 144pp. Colour paintings. $24.99 

Askew guides us through five Bible stories scene by scene. In each story, Jesus breaks through the conventions and reaches out to people of different cultures and even to those living on the edge.

Thinking Through The Children’s Sermon. William H Armstrong. 142pp Pilgrim Press, US. $33.99

Are children’s sermons useful? Are they to entertain or edify? And if they are meaningful, are they well prepared and well delivered? Armstrong addresses these and other questions as he shares his years of experience as a pastor who has delivered hundreds of children’s sermons.

Captivating Children’s Sermons: Crafting Powerful, Practical Messages. Beth Edington Hewitt. Baker, US. $24.99

It’s a challenge to prepare effective age-appropriate children’s sermons for wiggly kids with short attention spans. But a simple, straightforward, biblically based children’s message can have a huge impact on children and their parents. Here are 50 child-tested, ready-to-use messages to get you started.

Abingdon Children's Sermon Library, Volume 2. Brant D Baker. Abingdon, US. $29.99

52 new, biblically-based, ready-to-use children's sermons for busy worship leaders. A ready resource of children’s sermons that require little or no preparation and help take any panic out of preparing and leading the children’s sermon time.

Also available: Abingdon Children's Sermon Library, Volume 1. $29.99

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