A few of my friends have been writing for 21st century Christian and have gotten me copies of their work over the last six months or so. I wanted to mention a couple of these to you in case it is something that would be helpful to you, your class or congregation. These books are around $3.75 each from 21st Century Christian’s website.
The Story of God’s People by Mark Adams – A 13 lesson curriculum that starts with creation, goes through the exodus, conquest, kings, exile and into the New Testament via Jesus, the church and beyond to today. Here is what I like about Mark’s lessons. These lessons give you enough material to cover without swamping you in minutia. What is also evident is that these material are inextricably tied to the biblical text. Mark gives you plenty to read from the Bible. I find that helpful. Last, Mark’s questions on the biblical content are beneficial in helping someone gain an understanding of what the Bible is saying and what that means for them today (application). As a bonus, there is a nice bibliography of some introductory level books on the history of Christianity at the end of the book. Thanks Mark for writing this material that is accessible, practical, and informative without getting bogged down in minutia as often happens on subjects like these. If you are looking for a quarter of hitting the highlights of both old and new testaments, try this material out.
The Church of Christ in the 21st Century by Mark Adams – This curriculum is like if someone took Everett Furguson’s The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today and made a shortened curriculum out of it…this is what would result. In 13 lessons Mark covers the kingdom of God and how it is expressed in and through the church. He does this by tackling subjects like church leadership, the activities of the church: worship, service, evangelism, prayer, and more. What Mark has done here is more than a list of church “to do’s”. It is about who we are supposed to be and what it looks like to live that identity out as God’s people. This would be a good intro to the church class for a new believer or even a seeker. If you are looking for some material that is pretty basic and covers core components of church and congregational life and worship, try this study out. For only $3.75 you can’t really go wrong. Thanks Mark for using the talents and gifts God has given you to put this together.
Holy God, Holy People by Mike O’Neal – This book is split pretty evenly between God’s holiness and the holiness God has for His people. Mike teaches about God’s holiness and “otherness” and then applies that to God’s expectation for his people to be holy like He is holy. Mike has lessons on the Holy Spirit’s involvement in sanctifying the people of God and making us holy.
2 Responses
As always, Matt, I appreciate all the good work you do. Thanks for the generous product reviews.