Welcome, again, to the regular BookNotes newsletter from Hearts & Minds, an indie bookstore in Dallastown, Pennsylvania. After that last, large BookNotes listing recommending books on faith and politics (grouped in four sortings, from easiest to most sophisticated, and then another group of a few on the dangers of Christian nationalism and the alt-right) I thought I would do a shorter listing of titles that are being featured at an off-site event we are helping a bit with this coming weekend.

We do a number of off-site events and we so appreciate those who invite us into their spaces of learning and renewal, allowing us to enhance their conferences and retreats with book displays.

Currently we have a hefty set of books at the Southeast Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature, this year hosted by the good folks at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA. While the scholarly workshops are on a variety of seriously literary topics the general theme is on the imagination of one George MacDonald, so we were thrilled to be invited to share titles there. The great UK poet and writer Malcolm Guite is speaking as well, so, again — thanks to SERCCL and Covenant (and one of our favorite customers there who is heading up book sales for us.) Wish we were there.

Soon we will be in Western Pennsylvania at one of our favorite annual events, the 2024 Wee Kirk Conference. Wee Kirk is Scottish brogue for small church and we adore this down-to-Earth gathering of Presbyterians (held at the lovely Laurelville Mennonite Retreat Center.) It’s always a great event with gathered faithful from small towns and rural areas. We hear church leaders, seminary professors, Bible scholars (and me, this year, doing both a keynote talk and a set of workshops.) Pray for Beth and I, please, and for all those salt-of-the-Earth folk attending the lovely Wee Kirk event.

At the end of October we will sell books at a very different sort of event, an always captivating, rather sophisticated gathering of Christian attorneys and jurists and religious freedom advocates who come together under the auspices of the Christian Legal Society. It’s an important event held in a swanky venue and they treat us very well; we work hard to bring a helpful array of titles curated for this sort of audience, exploring their vocations. From speakers like Os Guinness and Rebecca McLaughlin (and a prominent Supreme Court Judge from Uganda!) we will be on our toes, hoping to serve them well.

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s World Missions Initiative McClure Lecture and WMI Conference / October 11 – 13

For this BookNotes we are showing books which will be on display at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s World Missions Initiative annual McClure Lecture and the following WMI conference. The theme of the event is “Mission in the Margins: Lessons and Practices from the Global Church.” Participants there will have a QR code linking to this BookNotes for each of these titles (selected by the WMI speakers) which obviously relate to the authors and presentations at the event. Isn’t that cool? We wanted to share this with our broader audience and subscribers, knowing that, firstly, at least, it is designed for the PTS missions conference and 2024 Don McClure lecturer, Dr. Harvey Kwiyani.

We thought you’d enjoy seeing — alongside the previously mentioned events — the sorts of stuff we find ourselves involved with, giving thanks to God for the various ways God’s people are on the move, serving here and there, in literature programs in higher education, in rural and small churches, in law practices and judiciaries, and, as shown below, among those working out innovations of faithfulness in gospel proclamation throughout the globe.

As always at BookNotes, the titles we show are all at a 20% off discount. We’ll show the regular prices and then the special BookNotes / WMI conference discount.

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the links to our Hearts & Minds Bookstore secure order form page where you can safely enter credit card info. Just tell us what you want, fill in the data, and we’ll reply promptly to confirm everything.

Freeing Congregational Mission: A Practical Vision for Companionship, Cultural Humility, and Co-Development B. Hunter Farrell & S. Balajiedlang Khyllep (IVP Academic) $26.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.80

I so admire Hunter Farrell (the director of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s World Mission Initiative and the great association director, Bala Khyllep. Hunter was once the director of world mission for the PC(USA) and has studied at both the Sorbonne and has a PhD in anthropology from a prominent seminary in Per. Bala is a pastor in the Pc(SA) with a ThM from Princeton; he belongs to the Khasi people and grew up in northeast India. Together they are heros in the world missions movement, combining evangelical zeal and ecumenical study and academic acumen and deep, deep awareness of the continuing crisis facing mission as it is practiced by North American congregations. I have reviewed this remarkable book before but as you can guess it critiques the colonial-era assumptions of mission “launched from a position of power” and, instead, invites local congregations to resist the harmful effects of such “selfie” approaches and move to partner with churches from the global south and majority world Christian movements.

As it explains on the back, this book offers a Christ-centered theology of mission rooted in companionship, an appetite and competence to engage across differences with cultural humility, and insights and strategies to accompany local and global neighbors in what they call co-development.

Sent Forth: African Missionary Work in the West Harvey Kwiyani (Orbis Press) $40.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $32.00

While Orbis Press is a legendary and storied Catholic publisher that became known for publishing books of liberation theology (out of their Maryknoll Society offices in New York ) and rigorous theological works that advocate for a missional mindset that is culturally relevant and framed by a passion for the poor, they are also known for extraordinarily thoughtful scholarship on global missions (from a variety of perspectives.) This important book, by an African leader and missionary to Europe [did you get that!], is quintessentially cutting edge missiology, a book which is part of the ongoing series of the American Society of Missiology. It’s an important read by an important scholar/practitioner.  Congratulations to Dr. Kyiyani for doing the Donald McClure lectures at PTS this year.

Harvey Kwiyani is a Malawian theologian at the Church Mission Society in Oxford, UK, where he leads the Centre for Global Witness and Human Migration, and manages the World Christianity and Diasporas programs. He serves as Executive Director of Missio Africanus, an intercultural mission training initiative that seeks to equip and empower the global church for mission in Europe.

Africa Bears Witness: Mission Theology and Praxis for the 21st Century edited by Harvey Kwiyani (Langham Publishing) $34.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $27.99

What a joy it is to get to serve organizations like the WMI and what a joy to suggest books by globally-relevant books published by the Langham Partnership’s publishing program. Langham, you may know, emerged from the evangelical work of holistic preacher and leader, the late Rev. John Stott. Stott’s multi-faceted mission vision is perhaps taken more seriously in other parts of the world and not enough people in the US know the books coming from the Langham’s UK organization, but this is one great example.

Africa Bears Witness is said to be a “remarkable collection of essays which explores the role of African Christianity in God’s mission around the world, offering an empowering look at the work God is accomplishing in and through the African church.”

Harvey Kwiyani is a Malawian theologian at the Church Mission Society in Oxford, UK, where he leads the Centre for Global Witness and Human Migration, and manages the World Christianity and Diasporas programs. He founded Missio Africanus, an intercultural mission training initiative that seeks to equip and empower the global church for mission in Europe. Having long-served in mission in Europe and North America, he writes on cross-cultural mission and leadership, and has authored several books, including Sent Forth: African Missionary Work in the West (Orbis Books.)

A Practical Discipleship Model That Fosters Maturity: Responses to Tradition, Divinities, and Witch Doctors in the Context of the Anyuwaa Church Owar Ojulu (Wipf & Stock) $24.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.20

This African leader is a pastor in a small town and a very rural part of Western Pennsylvania — I did some student teaching in 1976 in one of the villages where he now pastors a Presbyterian Church — and he is known and beloved. This book tells his story and ministry insights from his work in both Western Ethiopia and Western Pennsylvania.

“Standing on the bridge between God’s word and God’s beloved world among Anyuwaa people, Owar Ojulu insightfully traces the touchpoints where the gospel takes distinctive shape. In this work we receive a compelling, urgent, and universal call to discipling; the model that Ojulu has provided for doing so with contextual sensitivity, prayerful partnership, and spiritual hope is a gift to the Anyuwaa church and Christians everywhere.” — Beth Lindquist McCaw, associate professor of ministry, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary

Based on a lifetime of ministry in western Ethiopia and among the Anyuwaa diaspora in North America, Owar Ojulu proposes a culturally appropriate discipleship as a strategy to help the Anyuwaa church reclaim the gospel in their own context. This book can help the Anyuwaa church and US Christian leaders seeking to help their churches become more faithful and relevant to the world.” — B. Hunter Farrell, director, World Mission Initiative, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

“Discipleship is difficult in any cultural context, but especially with those whose pre-Christian cultural influences continue to permeate every aspect of their worldview. Owar Ojulu’s excellent study on practical discipleship is not only for the Anyuwaa church, both in Ethiopia and the Diaspora, but for all who work among people groups who are struggling with the proper balance between their old way of life and their new life in Christ.” — Larry W. Caldwell, professor of intercultural studies and Bible interpretation, Kairos University

Migration and the Making of Global Christianity Jehu Hanciles (Eerdmans) $47.99 /  OUR SALE PRICE = $38.39

I suppose this could be described by using the annotation from the publisher — it is called “a socio-historical study of the spread of Christianity through the lens of human migration and intercultural exchange.” Yes, it is a scholarly contribution, beautifully published by Eerdmans, and considered magisterial. But it is also passionate and insightful, offering a new conceptual framework for the role of migration in the formation of the global church. It has rave reviews from The Calvin Theological Journal and Religious Studies Review, and, importantly, a lush and wonderful foreword by the amazing Philip Jenkins.

Jenkins writes:

In Beyond Christendom and other writings, Hanciles did so much to define an emerging field. Now, it is wonderful to see him applying his insights about migration and mission to an earlier era — nothing less than the first three-quarters of Christian history, the years before 1500. This is a remarkably ambitious goal, which he accomplishes with great success. Throughout, we must be impressed by his range of scholarship, and his acuity, as he roams through so many diverse eras and locales. He never lets us forget the links and parallels that bind those early centuries to our own day. This is an adventurous transnational history, which demands to be read and cited.

Jehu J. Hanciles is the D. W. and Ruth Brooks Associate Professor of World Christianity at Emory University. Originally from Sierra Leone, he is also the author of Beyond Christendom: Globalization, African Migration, and the Transformation of the West and Euthanasia of a Mission: African Church Autonomy in a Colonial Context.

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Ilan Pappe (One World Publications) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

In a previous BookNotes where we recommended resources to help us understand the ongoing tragic situation in the Middle East and ways to be thoughtful peacemakers during the war in Gaza, we named this searing, illuminating volume. We noted that it is historically significant — written by an Israeli historian! — breaking ground by reporting on facts not widely realized by many in the West. It is edgy and passionate and vital reading. 

Here is how the publisher describes its project; read this, please:

The renowned Israeli historian revisits the formative period of the State of Israel. Between 1947 and 1949, over 400 Palestinian villages were deliberately destroyed, civilians were massacred, and around a million men, women, and children were expelled from their homes at gunpoint. Denied for almost six decades, had it happened today it could only have been called “ethnic cleansing.”

Decisively debunking the myth that the Palestinian population left of their own accord in the course of this war, Ilan Pappe offers impressive archival evidence to demonstrate that, from its very inception, a central plank in Israel’s founding ideology was the forcible removal of the indigenous population. Indispensable for anyone interested in the Middle East.

Alongside some Pittsburgh area activists, this workshop is led by Shireen Awwad Hillal, Director of Bethlehem Bible College Community & Outreach and Samuel Munayer, a Palestinian theologian.

Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, The People, the Bible Mitri Raheb (Orbis Press) $24.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.20

Again, we have highlighted this before and it is important to have it there at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary WMI conference. Decolonizing Palestine powerfully exposes the ties between “settler-colonial geopolitics” and various faith claims, decolonizing not only the land in which he lives, but our own theological discourse and attitudes. It is a short but weighty book.

Rev. Mitri Raheb is a Lutheran pastor (he served as the senior pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem from June 1987 to May 2017 and as the President of the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land from 2011-2016) and continues to speak around the world, inviting support for his various NGO works and his efforts to do public theology. He is also the founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem. He has published dozens of books and we have stocked many over the years, from Faith in the Face of Empire to In the Eye of the Storm, and more. Decolonizing Palestine is his most recent.

Urban Ministry: An Introduction Ronald E. Peters (Abingdon Press) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

There are many many books on urban missiology and this good one rings true in many ways, on many levels. It is a serious text, a guide for preparing those doing ministry in urban settings, but it is written nicely, standing among other classics in the field. One of the great strengths is that the author himself is an exceptional example of savvy urban leadership, both in church and the broader community. Ron’s work in the Metro-Urban Institute at PTS is one example of the integrity of this important text.

As the publisher writes, Ronald Peters clarifies the nature of urban ministry as a theological discipline by showing how its core values of love, justice, community, and reconciliation (among others) engage the issues of economics, education, family life, public health, ethnic relations, and religious life in the urban environment. Arguing that the city has always served as an arena of God’s activity, Peters articulates a theological rationale for urban ministry that is both hopeful and yet realistic, affirming that God loves the city and its people and encouraging practitioners to do the same.

Ronald E. Peters is Henry L. Hillman Associate Professor of Urban Ministry and Director of the Metro-Urban Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion Gregory Boyle (The Free Press) $19.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.20

We are glad that the urban ministry workshop at the WMI conference will be recommending this as it is a true, modern classic, a great read by a great man. We have long stocked all of Fr. Boyle’s books (also Barking to the Choir and The Whole Language and the art-filled, full-color devotional, Forgive Everyone Everything.) For those that may not be familiar, Boyle works with great compassion and care within the gang culture of south L.A. and offers jobs (and spiritual transformation) through his famed Homeboy Industries. Considered nearly a modern classic, this is a fabulous book.

By the way, we are now taking pre-orders for his forthcoming volume, to be released in early November, Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times. ($30.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $24.00.)

An astonishing book . . . about suffering and dignity, death and resurrection, one of my favorite books in years. It is lovely and tough and tender beyond my ability to describe and left me in tears of both sorrow and laughter. – Ann Lamott, author, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope

Heaven’s Passport – For a Fuller Life on Earth Samuel Calian (Sam Calian) $19.99 OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

This new, self-published book by the former President of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a special addition to the books on display at the “Missions in the Margin” WMI conference. Sam has an accomplished past and has written widely in his context serving both Presbyterian higher education (a book on pursuing excellence in seminary training), for ordinary church leaders (The Spirit Driven Leader), and on congregational vitality within the mainline denominational setting (see, for instance, his 1999 volume, Survival or Revival: 10 Keys to Church Vitality.) I recall fondly a splendid book he did decades ago featuring dialogue between Protestant and Orthodox churches.

This new one uses the metaphor of a passport, a guide to purpose and faithful stewarding of our gifts and hopes. He offers clear-headed and devotional insights about living an ethical life and allowing God to work in us…

This is what he says about it:

Each of us is created in God’s image, the imago Dei, with all that implies about our lives to be spiritually empowered to leave the world a better, more just, and humane place honoring God’s creation. Readers will use this book not only as a resource for strengthening their own inner sense of living under God’s grace, but also as one’s biblical passport.

As we noted, all of these books are related to specific workshop or speakers at the 2024 WMI conference at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Folks there, as well as any BookNotes readers, get 20% off. Just click below which will take you to the secure order form page. Tell us what you want and we’ll take it from there. Happy to help, eager to serve. Thanks, all.

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TO PLACE AN ORDER 

PLEASE READ, THEN SCROLL DOWN TO CLICK ON THE “ORDER” LINK BELOW.

It is helpful if you tell us how you want us to ship your orders. And if you are doing a pre-order, tell us if you want us to hold other books until the pre-order comes, or send some now, and others later… we’re eager to serve you in a way that you prefer. Let us know your hopes.

The weight and destination of your package varies but you can use this as a quick, general guide:

There are generally two kinds of US Mail options and, of course, UPS.  If necessary, we can do overnight and other expedited methods, too. Just ask.

• United States Postal Service has an option called “Media Mail” which is cheapest but can be a little slower. For one typical book, usually, it’s $4.83; 2 lbs would be $5.58. This is the cheapest method available and sometimes is quicker than UPS, but not always.
• United States Postal Service has another, quicker option called “Priority Mail” which is $8.70, if it fits in a flat-rate envelope. Many children’s books and some Bibles are oversized so that might take the next size up which is $9.50. “Priority Mail” gets more attention than does “Media Mail” and is often just a few days to anywhere in the US.
• UPS Ground is reliable but varies by weight and distance and may take longer than USPS. Sometimes they are cheaper than Priority. We’re happy to figure out your options for you once we know what you want.

If you just want to say “cheapest” that is fine. If you are eager and don’t want the slowest method, do say so. It really helps us serve you well so let us know. Keep in mind the possibility of holiday supply chain issues and slower delivery… still, we’re excited to serve you.

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