A hundred years on, Machen's Christianity and Liberalism still outsells most seminary faculties combined. Burnett examines what Machen actually meant by 'liberalism,' how that target has shifted since 1923, and why the book still feels uncomfortably current to readers on both sides of the line he drew.
TheologyBergler's earlier book diagnosed how American churches absorbed the values of adolescence; this follow-up asks what maturity looks like and how congregations get there. Offered as an introduction to From Here to Maturity, with the editor's recommendation to read both volumes.
Presbyterians prize mature leadership, but American Christianity has spent seven decades absorbing the values of adolescence. Bergler summarizes his award-winning book on how youth ministry shaped the wider church and what we lost by treating perpetual youthfulness as a virtue.
Working interviews Jennifer McNutt about her book Calvin Meets Voltaire, which traces the Geneva clergy who held the Reformed line through the Enlightenment. The Geneva pastors offer a longer view for any congregational leader feeling outnumbered by the cultural moment.
Pastors are asked to be administrators, therapists, CEOs, organizers, and visionaries, and many are exhausted. Burnett interviews Burgess, Andrews, and Small about their book recovering the ancient practice of a pastoral rule, examining lives from Augustine to Bonhoeffer for what shaped fruitful ministry.
TheologyBurnett uses Eugene Peterson's lesser-known The Wisdom of Each Other to think about the church as a supernatural community. Peterson's old friend Gunnar shows up after forty years of silence, ready to quit competing with God and join him, and the letters that follow are a quiet education in faith.
A Q&A summary from Stanton and Maier's book Marriage on Trial: The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage and Parenting. The piece walks through why no society has allowed a 'suit yourself' approach to family, and what natural marriage between a man and woman accomplishes that nothing else does.
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