Pop music is now an ever-present force shaping citizens in the West. Even at funerals, pop music is often requested over hymns. But how does popular music work? And what roles does it play for listeners who engage it? This new addition to the critically acclaimed Engaging Culture series explores the theological significance of the ways pop music is listened to and used today. The authors show that popular music is used by religious and nonreligious people alike to make meaning, enabling listeners to explore human concerns about embodiment, create communities, and tap into transcendence. They assess what is happening to Christian faith and theology as a result. The book incorporates case studies featuring noted music artists of our day--including David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Sigur Rós, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, and Lady Gaga--and includes practical implications for the church, the academy, and daily musical listening. It also includes a foreword by Tom Beaudoin, author of Virtual Faith.

Pop music is now an ever-present force shaping citizens in the West. Even at funerals, pop music is often requested over hymns. But how does popular music work? And what roles does it play for listeners who engage it? This new addition to the critically acclaimed Engaging Culture series explores the theological significance of the ways pop music is listened to and used today. The authors show that popular music is used by religious and nonreligious people alike to make meaning, enabling listeners to explore human concerns about embodiment, create communities, and tap into transcendence. They assess what is happening to Christian faith and theology as a result. The book incorporates case studies featuring noted music artists of our day--including David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Sigur Rós, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, and Lady Gaga--and includes practical implications for the church, the academy, and daily musical listening. It also includes a foreword by Tom Beaudoin, author of Virtual Faith.

Too many people inherit somebody else's Jesus, depending on family or friends for their spiritual vitality and growth. Through fascinating personal stories, scriptural insights, and practical interactive studies, "Your Own Jesus" can set readers free to live their faith without compromise.

Jesus cannot be dismissed as one in a long line of religious gurus peddling peace, fulfillment, and a better version of yourself. You Don’t Get Your Own Personal Jesus, excerpted from J.D. Greear’s book Not God Enough, captures the liberating truth that God is exactly who he says he is. You may prefer a God who is small, safe, and domesticated, a God who thinks like you think and likes what you like. You may prefer a God you can manage, predict, and control. But what if this small version of God is holding you back from genuine, confident, world-transforming faith? God is not just a slightly better, slightly smarter version of you. He is infinite and glorious, and an encounter with him won’t just change the way you think about your faith. It will change your entire life.

We were made for love, and love requires trust. In Jesus I Trust in You: A 30-Day Personal Retreat with the Litany of Trust, Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V., learn what it means to place our trust in Jesus—no matter the circumstances. In this powerful invitation to a loving, trusting relationship with our Lord, you will pray with the Litany of Trust to overcome every obstacle to peace.

How is it that in America the image of Jesus Christ has been used both to justify the atrocities of white supremacy and to inspire the righteousness of civil rights crusades? In The Color of Christ, Edward J. Blum and Paul Harvey weave a tapestry of American dreams and visions--from witch hunts to web pages, Harlem to Hollywood, slave cabins to South Park, Mormon revelations to Indian reservations--to show how Americans remade the Son of God visually time and again into a sacred symbol of their greatest aspirations, deepest terrors, and mightiest strivings for racial power and justice. The Color of Christ uncovers how, in a country founded by Puritans who destroyed depictions of Jesus, Americans came to believe in the whiteness of Christ. Some envisioned a white Christ who would sanctify the exploitation of Native Americans and African Americans and bless imperial expansion. Many others gazed at a messiah, not necessarily white, who was willing and able to confront white supremacy. The color of Christ still symbolizes America's most combustible divisions, revealing the power and malleability of race and religion from colonial times to the presidency of Barack Obama.

What is the meaning of life? Why do I need a savior? Why is the Resurrection important? What does it mean to believe and belong? Why does Jesus matter? Many people have lost their sense of purpose in life, or perhaps never took the time to develop one in the first place. Through personal stories, Scripture, and testimonies, the authors invite readers to find their purpose in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Discover Christ proposes that we find our identity and purpose in a God who is personal to the core. The book presents a God who didn't just send the broken world a set of rules, or a plan of social action, but who sent a person whose name is Jesus Christ. Whether you are skeptical of religious faith or a life-long believer, Discover Christ will challenge you to take a fresh look at what Jesus said and did and what that means for you.