Thursday, November 20, 2008

Don't Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough

This looks like a great book from Michael Wittmer: Don't Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough.

Michael Horton writes:
On all sides Christians are being pressed to make false choices: doctrine or life, orthodoxy or orthopraxy, conviction or humility, faith or works. In Don’t Stop Believing, Mike Wittmer challenges this type of thinking and injects a whole lot of sanity into contemporary church life and discipleship. No one who has adopted one side or other of these false choices will be happy with this book and we’ll all be challenged, but nobody will be bored. It treats some of the most serious problems and wonderful opportunities in the church today with great wisdom, simplicity, and refreshing clarity.
In the chapters Dr. Wittmer looks at 10 key questions swirling around today:
  • Must you believe something to be saved?
  • Do right beliefs get in the way of good works?
  • Are people generally good or basically bad?
  • Which is worse: homosexuals or the bigots who persecute them?
  • Is the cross divine child abuse?
  • Can you belong before you believe?
  • Does the kingdom of God include non-Christians?
  • Is hell for real and forever?
  • Is it possible to know anything?
  • Is the Bible God's true word?
In examining each of these issues, Wittmer argues that both right belief and right practice are essential for true Christianity.

In the fall of 2005 Wittmer was part of a conference on the emerging church (along with Brian McLaren). If you want to get a taste of his teaching, here's the audio: Emerging Church: A Historical/Theological Professor's Reflections. (You can also view PowerPoint slides from this session.)