Exiles

Michael Frost / Hendrickson Publishers Subject: Chr. Living p $19.95 ISBN: 1565636708

An exile is someone either voluntarily or involuntarily absent from home. In this case, exile refers to leaving the church, which may not ring true for the majority of comfortable middle-class churchgoers. However, says Frost, there are an increasing number of exiles—most of whom voluntarily separate themselves from a church that seems meaningless in the face of the immense problems the world faces. Yet these exiles don’t want to be left adrift in a world where greed, consumerism, laziness, and materialism toss them endlessly. They are at home neither in the world nor in the church as they’ve experienced it.

To be an exile is not a bad thing, though it may not be pleasant or comfortable. This book is meant to help. Church is defined in new ways more like the early church than contemporary institutional churches. The importance of mission, covenantal community, the Trinitarian God, and hospitality that welcomes all are highlighted.

Exiles may well seem like sacrilege to the entrenched church powers with much to lose, but it will be a ray of hope for those hanging in limbo between a flaccid church and a decadent society. —Anita Cain

Faith That Endures

Ronald Boyd-Macmillan / Revell

Subject: Church Life; Missions; Chr. Living p $14.99 ISBN: 0800731190

Open Doors writer-at-large MacMillan gives a thorough, nuanced overview of persecution. Informed readers may alternately chafe and be moved by Part 1, a lengthy description of contemporary persecution, but the rest of the book picks

up the pace. MacMillan defines persecution, describes where and how it takes

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place, outlines seven approaches to helping the persecuted, and discusses what we can learn from the persecuted church. Though it has extensive footnotes, the book suffers from the lack of an index, recommended resources, and other aids. Nonetheless, Faith That Endures is thoughtful, persuasive, and inspiring. —Kim Pettit

Having a Mary Spirit

Joanna Weaver / WaterBrook (WaterBrook Multnomah)

Subject: Women; Chr. Living p $13.99 ISBN: 9781400072477

In this fast-paced world, we often forget to “be still and listen.” Weaver, however, does not. The author of best-selling Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World encourages readers to allow God to change them from the inside out.

Weaver draws from Luke 10: 38-42, in which Martha is reprimanded for complaining about Mary’s lack of help. The author says we’re often so busy showing the world how godly we are that we neglect to reserve a spot in our hearts for Him. Our pride and self-importance prevent us from leading the Spirit-driven life. This book encourages us to humble ourselves and “allow God to change us from the inside out.”

Having a Mary Spirit is a superb companion to Weaver’s best-selling title. With its 12- week companion Bible study, it makes an excellent selection for small-group study.

—Connie Maier

Jack Bauer’s Having a Bad Day Tim Wesemann / LifeJourney (Cook) Subject: Culture & Arts c $19.99 ISBN: 9780781443845

Setting aside the question of how far “ finding-God-in-popular-cul-ture” books can go, Wesemann has written a solid, Scripture-based examination of faith that he loosely ties to a TV show—Fox’s 24.

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