This is the true story of Karen Sloan's breathlessly confusing and ultimately fulfilling year in the company of a Dominican novitiate. Flirting with Monasticism is a courtship of sorts: a young would-be pastor learning ancient prayers and practices from young would-be priests. As you enter into this story you'll gain a fresh appreciation for the many ways we pray, worship and serve, and a deeper understanding of our unfolding relationship with God and the people of God. This is a story of loving and letting go, of moving through novice dreams to a greater vision. Flirting with Monasticism gives us a new appreciation for how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Market/Audience Emergent church Young adults Features and Benefits Narrative exploration of monasticism. Appreciation and critique of Dominican spirituality from a young, emergent, Protestant minister. A woman's take on monasticism.

The Gospel Coalition Book Award; Jesus Creed Book of the Year in Church History Protestant evangelicalism is in crisis. As evangelicals increasingly lose contact with the churches and traditions descending from the Reformation, it becomes harder to explain why one should remain committed to the Reformation in the face of perceived Protestant deficits and theological challenges. A number of younger Protestants have abandoned evangelicalism for traditions that appear more rooted in the early church. In Search of Ancient Roots examines this phenomenon within a wider historical context. Ken Stewart argues that the evangelical tradition in fact has a much healthier track record of interacting with Christian antiquity than it is usually given credit for. He surveys five centuries of Protestant engagement with the ancient church, showing that Christians belonging to the evangelical churches of the Reformation have consistently seen their faith as connected to early Christianity. In Search of Ancient Roots shows that evangelicals need not view their tradition as lacking deep roots. Christian antiquity is the heritage of all orthodox Christians, and evangelicals have the resources in their history to claim their place at the ecumenical table.

Evan Howard, a noted authority on Christian spirituality, provides a holistic, accessible, and informed introduction to Christian spiritual formation written from a broadly evangelical perspective. Howard joins Scripture with themes of community, spirit, formation, and mission in a single integrative guide. The book includes helpful features such as figures, charts, chapter overviews, and formation-focused questions. Its evangelical-ecumenical and global perspectives will appeal to a wide audience. Resources for professors and students are available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.

Covering Reformation era polemics, theology, and thought, these essays cut new paths in Reformation scholarship, with each taking in some measure a cue from directions already offered by John Patrick Donnelly, in whose honor they were written.

The academic fields of religion and values have become the focus of renewed interest in contemporary thinking about human activity and its motivations. The Routledge International Handbook of Education, Religion and Values explores and expands upon a range of international research related to this revival. The book provides an authoritative overview of global issues in religion and values, surveying the state of the academic area in contributions covering a wide range of topics. It includes emerging, controversial, and cutting-edge contributions, as well as investigations into more established areas. International authorities Arthur and Lovat have brought together experts from across the world to examine the complexity of the field of study. The handbook is organised around four key topics, which focus on both the importance of religion and values as broad fields of human enquiry, as well as in their application to education, inter-agency work and cross-cultural endeavours: -The Conceptual World of Religion and Values -Religion and Values in Education -Religion and Values in Inter-agency Work -Religion and Values in Cross-cultural Work. This comprehensive reference work combines theoretical and empirical research of international significance, and will be valuable reading for students, researchers and academics in the field of education.

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed," Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, "nothing will be impossible for you." That sounds good, but does it work in a world where seeds are genetically altered by an impatient few and hard to come by for countless others? In a world where the gulf between the very rich and the profoundly poor is constantly growing, can a mustard-seed faith make any difference? And can such a little bit of faith be sustained in a world whose future is so uncertain on so many fronts? Tom Sine says yes, and he has the audacity to try to prove it in his latest book. In The New Conspirators Tom surveys the landscape of creative Christianity, where streams of renewal are flowing freely from diverse sources: The emerging church Contemporary monastic movements The missional church The mosaic movement Individuals and communities of faith are coalescing in, and drawing energy from, these four streams to retrofit the church as it leads, serves and gives witness to the kingdom of God in the turbulent times facing us. Read the book and you'll want to-and be prepared to-join God's conspiracy to create a better future.