An accomplished theologian recovers the biblical theme of union with Christ, showing how it affects current theological and ministry issues.

Verbally sharing the gospel is only part of evangelism, asserts author David Gustafson. We must also live out the good news, both as individuals and as communities. In this book Gustafson expertly lays out the foundations of and approaches to evangelism that are crucial for the church today. In light of our increasingly post-Christian Western contexts, Gustafson offers a mission-oriented ecclesiology that moves from missional theory to practices of missional engagement. Introduc-ing "God's human drama" as a way to explain the gospel within God's redemptive story, he outlines specific ways for pastors and church leaders to shape a "gospeling" culture within their congregations. Gustafson's biblical, theological, historical, cultural, and practical approach will make this book an ideal text for evangelical pastors, professors, students, and Christian leaders.

Christel Lane has written the first sociological study of religion in a communist and militantly atheist society. Christian Religion in the Soviet Union is the result of a detailed examination of Soviet sociological sources and the legally and illegally published reports of religious bodies or individuals, backed up by the observations of the author and of other Western visitors to the USSR. Dr. Lane attempts to assess the impact of the intellectual and material culture of Soviet society on Christian religion. She analyses the religious life in the contemporary Christian churches and sects, describing the scope of their membership and its social composition, the religious commitment of believers and their social and political orientations. Christian Religion in the Soviet Union will be central reading for students of religion in modern industrial society who are working within the disciplines of sociology, comparative religion or theology. It will also appeal to those studying Soviet society from a more general sociological perspective and to a wide readership interested in the contest between Christian religion and Marxist-Leninist ideology.

The complexity of the contemporary world is sometimes seen as an embarrassment for Christianity. But law professor David Skeel makes a fresh case for how Christianity offers plausible explanations for the central puzzles of our existence and provides a comprehensive framework for understanding human life as we actually live it.

We're all going to die. Yet in our medically advanced, technological age, many of us see death as a distant reality--something that happens only at the end of a long life or to other people. In The End of the Christian Life, Todd Billings urges Christians to resist that view. Instead, he calls us to embrace our mortality in our daily life and faith. This is the journey of genuine discipleship, Billings says: following the crucified and resurrected Lord in a world of distraction and false hopes. Drawing on his experience as a professor and father living with incurable cancer, Billings offers a personal yet deeply theological account of the gospel's expansive hope for small, mortal creatures. Artfully weaving rich theology with powerful narrative, Billings writes for church leaders and laypeople alike. Whether we are young or old, reeling from loss or clinging to our own prosperity, this book challenges us to walk a strange but wondrous path: in the midst of joy and lament, to receive mortal limits as a gift, an opportunity to give ourselves over to the Lord of life.

How do we make the most of the time we have? In our harried modern world, Os Guinness calls us to consequential living, restructuring our notion of history as linear and purposeful, not as cyclical or meaningless. We can seek to serve God's intentions for our generation and discern our call for this moment in history.