On April 16, 2007, the campus of Virginia Tech experienced a collective nightmare when thirty-three students were killed in the worst massacre in modern U.S. history.
Following that horrendous event, Virginia Tech campus pastor Matt Rogers found himself asking and being asked, “Where is God in all of this?” The cliché-ridden, pat answers rang hollow.
In When Answers Aren't Enough: Experiencing God as Good When Life Isn’t, Matt approaches the pain of the world with personal perspective—dealing with his hurting community as well as standing over the hospital bed of his own father—and goes beyond answers, beyond theodicy, beyond the mere intellectual. When Answers Aren’t Enough drives deeper, to the heart of our longing, in search of a God we can experience as good when life isn’t.
Read 15 pages of When Answers Aren't Enough at this link:
Matt Rogers is copastor of New Life Christian Fellowship at Virginia Tech. Eight hundred students call it home. CNN did a story on New Life Christian Fellowship, and you can view the video at this link. A video of the church's first service following the tragedy on April 16, 2007 is at this link. An interview with Matt Rogers on NPR can be listened to at this link. Matt's personal website is at this link. Read the essay by Matt, "The Virginia Tech Tragedy: One Year Later."
Nine titles from Zondervan are finalists for the 2008 Outreach Resource of the Year Awards, a reader-chosen survey of the best products that change the way churches and individuals build relationships with the unchurched.
Zondervan titles are up for more Outreach Awards than resources from any other Christian publisher. The Zondervan finalists and their categories include:
"The Outreach awards are designed to recognize innovation and passion, something we strive to achieve in every title we publish," says Scott Bolinder, executive vice president and publisher, Zondervan. "We're honored that nine of our resources are finalists and we're thankful to have such talented and inspiring partners and authors."
The Outreach Resource of the Year Awards is currently in its fifth year. They are awarded to books, CD/DVDs, and curriculum that represent courage, innovation, and passion in the areas of evangelism, justice, and church growth. The awards will be announced in the May/June edition of Outreach magazine.
Zondervan and Breakpoint are pleased share with you a recap of Chuck Colson's recent 9-stop blog tour for the recent release of The Faith. Below is a summary of the 9 questions bloggers asked Chuck about The Faith, along with a link back to the blogs where Chuck answered the questions. Enjoy this Question and Answer blog tour recap!
Question #1:Chuck, you talk about the history of the faith and tradition in your book a great deal. What do North American evangelicals stand to gain from examining more closely their own history and traditions? In what sense ought Protestantism be understood as “catholic”? Part of that great Christian tradition has to do with the witnesses to the faith, which you survey in the book. What do the concepts of martyrdom and suffering have to do with a Western context where most Christians live comfortably and without the threat of persecution?Read Chuck's answer on the Acton Powerblog.
Question #2:Mr. Colson, you make the point in several places that Christianity is a worldview. The term worldview is becoming common in the Christian vernacular. Many associate worldview with learning "isms". How do you recommend we keep "worldview" from becoming just another cerebral exercise? How do we connect it to the heart? Also, in the chapter on becoming holy, you discuss social holiness. "We are to bring God's holiness to bear in every area of life. This understanding of holiness has moved Christians throughout history to some of the greatest advances in human dignity and freedom." How do you recommend we protect against losing the focus on God's holiness as our motivation for engaging culture? In other words, it can become easy to slide into pursuing political or social causes for reasons having nothing to do with God's holiness. What are good ways to guard against that? Read Chuck's answer on Voyage of the Dawn Treader's Blog.
Question #3:A few years you said that America is no longer a "Christian Nation." Can you expand on this statement? Also, in The Faith, you identify secular atheism and militant Islamism as the two main threats to Christianity today. If you had to pick between them, which do you think presents the greater threat and why?Read Chuck's answer on Reasoned Audacity's Blog.
Question #4:Protestants have traditionally held that justification by grace alone through faith alone is at the heart of the Christian faith and thus a non-negotiable doctrine for anyone who considers himself a Christian. Yet this is anathema within the Roman Catholic Church. This would seem to be an unbridgeable divide when seeking communion between the two traditions. Is justification by grace alone through faith alone a doctrine fundamental to the faith? What theological distinctives are non-negotiable in determining who belongs to the Body of Jesus Christ?Read Chuck's answer on Challies.com.
Question #5:Others have asked you erudite theological questions. I hope you haven't felt like you were facing some kind of theological inquisition! Welcome to the blogosphere, Chuck! I would like to be sneaky and ask you more than one question, although they are not as intellectual as some of the others. First of all, will we ever see a Chuck Colson blog? Secondly, can you please tell us a bit about your hopes and aspirations for the book, i.e. how you came to be writing it, why you wrote it, who your target audience is, and what you hope the book will achieve in the Christian world?Read Chuck's answer on Adrian Warnock's blog.
Question #6: Congratulations on your ambitious yet comprehensive book. Well done!!!!! I know its risky but I admire your efforts to join with the other streams of the holy apostolic catholic church in gaining a wider, fuller more accurate understanding of the faith and I applaud the breadth of those authors you reference. I am familiar enough with your writings to know that "postmodern" is a negative word in your vocabulary, synonymous with "relativism". But I am also close enough to the emerging church scene to recognize that "postmodern" can just as easily mean "committed to context" or "open to the past". However, despite our disparate journeys and the words we chose to define them, I think many of us are finding ourselves on a similar a quest to rediscover the historical foundations of our faith or, as D.H. Williams put it, to "retrieve" the Tradition that has informed our practice through the centuries. So my question is "Why now?"Read Chuck's answer on Tall Skinny Kiwi's Blog.
Question #7:Chuck, thanks for this concise and compelling summary of Christian faith and its implications for our lives. The Faith speaks to the challenges of our world with clarity and incisiveness. I am pleased to recommend it to my constituency. I am the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, an organization founded by Howard E. Butt, Jr. to advance God’s renewal of individuals, families, institutions, and society. One of our core convictions is that Christians can make a major difference in the world by living out their faith at work. You mention opportunities for believers to share the Gospel in the workplace (p. 156), something we encourage as well. But we also see great potential for broader renewal if Christians would only live out their faith holistically in the context of their daily work. In fact, one of our web-based ministries encourages believers to think in terms of The High Calling of Our Daily Work. We want all Christians to understand that they are called to serve the Lord, not only in church-based ministries or through their volunteer activities, but also in their daily work, whether this be in the marketplace, at school, or in the home. Given the breadth and inclusiveness of your vision in The Faith, I expect you would agree with this conviction. Would you be willing to suggest various ways one might live out the faith in the context of daily work? What difference could orthodoxy make at work? Read Chuck's answer on Mark D. Roberts's blog.
Question #8:On page 117 you write this: “True faith means putting the cause of Christ and the needs of others ahead of self and doing the gospel.” Can you explain what you mean by the phrase “doing the gospel”? What is included in doing the gospel?Read Chuck's answer on Rebecca Writes' Blog.
Question #9:Mr. Colson – thank you for your ministry and for this book, I think I have read all of your books, and this one continues the tradition you have established of depth and practicality and I am honored to be a part of this blog tour. Since several of my friends in the blog world already took questions I would have asked you I would just like to ask you to elaborate a bit on a passage in the book. On page 223 you write: "This is why orthodoxy matters, for a renewal and strengthening of the orthodox Christian faith can provide not only joy and meaning for Christians but a bulwark of sanity and reason against barbarism. Do we want Westminster Abby and the Houses of Parliament facing one another? Or do we want to leave it to the merry pranksters of café society to confront an evil they cannot understand, appreciate, nor defend against? This is the great battle of good versus evil of our time?" I am just curious as to who you mean by “the merry pranksters of café society” and whether or not you see any groups on the horizon who are working effectively to re-establish orthodoxy in our day?Read Chuck's answer on David Wayne's Blog.
Thank you to all of the participating bloggers on The Faith's blog tour! To learn more about The Faith by Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett, visit www.Zondervan.com/TheFaith.
Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, is a finalist for the prestigious EFFIE award, the marketing industry's highest global honor, for the successful and effective marketing launch of Inspired By…The Bible Experience.
As an EFFIE finalist, Zondervan's marketing campaign The Bible has a Voice [LISTEN], which launched Inspired By…The Bible Experience, is considered to be one of the most strategic and creative examples of how a brand can successfully connect with customers. The EFFIE Award recognizes advertising effectiveness among American businesses. Criteria for the EFFIE Award include not only visual and creative measures, but also a marketing campaign's ability to produce outstanding results in the marketplace.
Inspired By…The Bible Experienceis currently the most successful audio Bible available. Worldwide sales have achieved more than 700,000 units to date in all formats, including audio CD, MP3 CD, and MP3 download. It has become Zondervan's fastest-selling Bible and was named 2007 Audiobook of the Year, the greatest honor in the audio publishing industry. The campaign has already earned the Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America and the Telly Award, honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs.
"Inspired By…The Bible Experience is the most ambitious audio Bible to be produced, so the marketing plan to support it needed to be equally ambitious. Marketing a first of its kind product like this required meticulous planning, innovative creative strategies that took us from more typical Bible marketing and into new areas of execution," says Moe Girkins, president and CEO at Zondervan. "It is gratifying to see the work of our dedicated and talented marketing team recognized with such a significant nomination."
Zondervan is a finalist in the EFFIE's New Product or Service category. Past EFFIE winners include: Apple Computer, Schick, Coca-Cola, Lexus, Saab, Kellogg's, McDonald's, Epson, and JetBlue Airways. Since 1968, winning an EFFIE has become a global symbol of marketing achievement.
Inspired By…The Bible Experience(www.zondervan.com/tbe) was produced by Inspired By Media Group and features the voice talent of nearly 400 African-American actors, musicians, and religious leaders. Notable personalities include Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington, Blair Underwood, Angela Bassett, Kirk Franklin, and Bishop T.D. Jakes. In addition to dramatic performances of the entire biblical text by leading artists and celebrities, the product also features Hollywood-style sound design created at Technicolor Studios and an original musical underscore featuring performances by the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
Zondervan's blog occasionally features essays from our authors. Today's essay is by John Koessler, author of A Stranger in the House of God.
Facebook Nation
Not long ago I read a New York Times article that described a study by a team of researchers at Harvard focsing on Facebook.com. Facebook is a social networking website that was originally limited to Harvard students and is now popular worldwide. According to Staphanie Rosenbloom, author of the Times, article, the goal of the Harvard study is to understand “…how personal tastes, habits and values affect the formation of social relationships….”
The question of the study, in other words, is this: Do we base our social networks on our personal tastes, habits and values or is it the other way around? Are the personal tastes, habits and values we hold a result of the social networks we inhabit? I wish the researchers had come to me first with this question, because I think I could have saved them a great deal of time and money. The answer to their question is…”yes.” Each one has an impact on the other. These forces create a kind of endless loop, where our personal tastes affect the people we choose to associate with and those people in turn impact our values. “Bad company corrupts good character” and character shapes the company we choose to keep.
No doubt, as a layman, I am sure that I have grossly oversimplified the intent of this Harvard study. I am certain these Harvard scientists already know that there is an interplay between what we like, practice, or believe and who we like to associate with. But what I would really like to know is this: how is internet technology changing our ideas about the nature of the social networks we inhabit? In particular, how is it changing what we call “community” in the local church?
After reading Rosenbloom’s article, I logged on to Facebook and began looking for people I know. I wasn’t entirely successful. I found some of my colleagues and quite a few students. I learned that one of my former students had asked to be one of my “friends”–the word is in quotes–on Facebook. But I couldn’t tell when he made the request. I initially activated my Facebook account several months ago and then de–activated it the same day because it seemed too complicated to me. I worried that the student made his request soon after I first activated the account and read my lack of response as a lack of interest. It was really just a sign of my ignorance.
The fact that someone decided to name this social networking website “Facebook” seems ironic to me; evoking, as it does, the image of a face to face encounter, something that never actually happens there. Oh, there is a kind of virtual presence, conveyed by photographs posted to each member’s page. And there even seems to be a capacity for video messaging, a skill that far beyond my current capacity. You can give your friends a virtual nudge by clicking on the “poke” link. But it seems to me that the entire experience is invested with a general aura of invisibility. This, I think, is the real genius of Facebook and part of its appeal.
For one thing, it allows me to present the face I choose to my cyber friends. I can freeze a moment in time or Photoshop a picture into an icon of myself and let that be the face everyone sees. But the real genius of Facebook is its invisibility. It guarantees that I say what I want and never have to look you in the eye. There is something about the faceless nature of this communication that lends itself to a greater degree of transparency.
The same week that I read Rosenbloom’s article about Facebook, my wife and I attended a small group meeting sponsored by the church we attend. We spent a good part of our time looking uncomfortable and making small talk. We shared a few low risk bits of information about ourselves and watched the clock for the designated time for ending the meeting. It was only our first meeting, after all, and I suppose the group will grow more cohesive and interesting in the weeks ahead. But I can’t help wondering. What would it have been like if we had decided to have our first few meetings on Facebook, before we ever met face to face?
Zondervan is pleased to announce that Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home by Jonalyn Grace Fincher is now available online and in stores everywhere. In Ruby Slippers, Jonalyn Grace Fincher explores the essence of femininity. She examines what a soul is, what is meant by “feminine,” and how those two things unite into a picture of God on Earth that is both similar and distinctive from men.
Jonalyn Fincher wants to show that women can be both fully human and fully feminine.
Traditionally, femininity has been a role women play, a role defined by culture and simplistic sermons. The author encourages women to look at the feminine roles or boxes that pinch their souls: mother, fashion devotee, working wife, intellectual. Does God treat femininity as a role, a curse, or a gift? And when Jesus redeemed women, what was it exactly that he redeemed?
Even after Eden, Fincher points out, God planned to redeem both men and women. But for centuries, women have been taught to devalue the very aspects of their souls that are unique and irreplaceable. Femininity itself runs deeper than aprons, frills, or romance. It begins with feminine souls who are living cameos of the triune God.
In Ruby Slippers, Fincher takes a fresh, direct look at the challenges she faced on her search for the feminine soul. She goes step by step through what it means to be a woman and how to cultivate her soul, choosing not to shy away from psychology, theology or personal transparency. In her journey she discovers an understanding of femininity that is timeless and groundbreaking. The roles melt away into something like Dorothy’s ruby slippers, something women have always had—the souls to walk today with freedom and femininity.
Listen to Jonalyn speak about Ruby Slippers at this link:
Jonalyn Grace Fincher offers a distinctive voice as a female apologist. Holding a master's degree in philosophy of religion and ethics from Talbot School of Theology, as well as double bachelor's degrees in English and history from the University of Virginia, she is one half of Soulation (www.soulation.org), a husband/wife apologetics team. For the last three years Jonalyn has been lecturing, speaking and writing on how women are distinctly and fully made in God’s image. Her work has appeared in Radiant, Fullfill and UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity. She regularly updates her blog (www.jonalynfincher.com) sharing her insights about womanhood and the soul. Jonalyn and Dale love to take walks with their three Welsh Corgis in their new hometown of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Below is a video of Jonalyn discussing Ruby Slippers, Soulation, and what it means to be appropriately human.
Click on the widget below to browse inside Ruby Slippers by Jonalyn Grace Fincher.
Bestselling Author and Christian Publisher Deliver Adventure that Keeps Young Readers on the Edge of their Seat Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, has teamed up with bestselling author Bryan Davis to release its first young adult (YA) suspense series, Echoes from the Edge, an all new, thrilling, fantasy epic. The first book of the series, Beyond the Reflection's Edge, will be released in May 2008, in time for the popular summer reading season.
The young adult fiction genre has maintained its strength and grown amid a challenging market. Drawing inspiration from fantasy writers such as C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, Bryan Davis has become one of the leading contemporary writers in the YA category. His novels enthrall readers with young, but strong, protagonists and storylines that teens have a difficult time putting down.
"Bryan Davis is renowned for his vivid storytelling and the rich personalities of his characters that help readers find victory in Christ," says Alicia Mey, a vice president of marketing at Zondervan. "Beyond the Reflection's Edge is intense from the start -- an imaginative and contemporary thriller that is yet another example of his seemingly endless creative works of art."
In Beyond the Reflection's Edge, 16-year-old Nathan Shepherd's life is turned upside down when he finds his parents have been murdered. Determined to solve the mystery of his parent's death, Nathan and his friend Kelly gather evidence with the help of a strange, supernatural mirror left behind by Nathan's father.
As their investigation continues, Nathan and Kelly discover dark forces that may have been involved with the murder. With danger lurking around every corner, the two are faced with spiritually trying situations causing them to realize nothing is as it seems, and even mirrors tell lies.
Bryan Davis is the author of the bestselling fantasy series Dragons in Our Midst. His use of spiritual parallels and symbolism to engage teen readers has led to sales of more than 300,000 books. Davis' writing style satisfies those seeking a suspenseful, investigative adventure that exposes new worldly dimensions that are hiding, or leak into our real world, and each story is aligned with a deep spiritual message.
"Action, intrigue, and take-home value -- the very essence of a powerful story and...the defining characteristics of Bryan Davis's new novel: Beyond the Reflection's Edge. Davis ratchets up the intensity right from the start, grabs you by the throat, and draws you into 16-year-old Nathan Shepherd's world, a world where nothing is quite what it seems. Readers will white-knuckle through the pages until the stirring conclusion where, at last, they can exhale." ~ Wayne Thomas Batson Author of The Door Within Trilogy, Isle of Swords, and Isle of Fire
"Beyond the Reflection's Edge is a suspense thriller, packed with action and adventure that hurtles along at top speed from beginning to end." ~ L.B. Graham Author of The Binding of the Blade series
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne, Chris Haw and Friends is embarking on a virtual Blog Tour this spring! This summer we'll be embarking on a real tour of 22 cities, which you can learn more about below. In the meantime, we don't want to wait until the summer to spread the message of Jesus for President. So, we'd like to invite you to participate in our Blog Tour this spring.
What's a Blog Tour you ask? It's quite simple. Along with your own comments on your blog, you are invited to share portions of Jesus for President's message, videos, audio, visuals, widget, tours dates, and websites on your blog. We'll outline each of these below, and then give you more details on how your blog can participate in the Jesus for President Blog Tour at the bottom of this post. We will be watching all of the blogs participating in the Blog Tour. Shane, Chris and friends will occasionally pop in and visit blogs and leave a comment in the comments section of participating blogs.
THE MESSAGE:
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne, Chris Haw And Friends
A different kind of campaign. A different kind of party. A different kind of Commander in Chief.
Amid all the buzz of politics and elections, Jesus for President is a refreshing reminder that our ultimate hope lies not in partisan political options but in the Jesus who gave his life for us. Politics for ordinary radicals who want to love the world into the kingdom of God.
Jesus for President is a radical manifesto to awaken the Christian political imagination, reminding us that our ultimate hope lies not in partisan political options but in Jesus and the incarnation of the peculiar politic of the church as a people “set apart” from this world. In what can be termed lyrical theology, Jesus for President poetically weaves together words and images to sing (rather than dictate) its message. It is a collaboration of Shane Claiborne’s writing and stories, Chris Haw’s reflections and research, and art and design.
Drawing upon the work of biblical theologians, the lessons of church history, and the examples of modern-day saints and ordinary radicals, Jesus for President stirs the imagination of what the Church could look like if it placed its faith in Jesus instead of Caesar.
A fresh look at Christianity and empire, Jesus for President transcends questions of “Should I vote or not?” and “Which candidate?” by thinking creatively about the fundamental issues of faith and allegiance. It’s written for those who seek to follow Jesus, rediscover the spirit of the early church, and incarnate the kingdom of God.
Khakis, blue jeans, and dungarees graced the stage at this public event in San Diego. The generational differences between these three Evangelical leaders seemed obvious. But this lively conversation revealed a shared theology that guides these three men — Chuck Colson, Greg Boyd, and Shane Claiborne — as they interpret and live out their values in varying ways.
Produced and edited by Trent Gilliss, Mitch Hanley, and Colleen Scheck.
What is your reaction to the discussion Chuck Colson, Greg Boyd, and Shane Claiborne have in this video? Please post up in the "Comments" section below.
THE JESUS FOR PRESIDENT TOUR: Coming soon to cities across the empire…
JUNE 23 - GRAND RAPIDS JUNE 24 - INDIANAPOLIS JUNE 25 - CINCINNATI JUNE 26 - PITTSBURGH JUNE 27 - WASHINGTON DC JUNE 28 - NEW YORK CITY JUNE 29 - HARTFORD JUNE 30 - TORONTO, CANADA JULY 4 - CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL JULY 7 - DENVER JULY 11 - SAN FRANCISCO JULY 12 - FRESNO JULY 13 - LOS ANGELES JULY 15 - ALBUQUERQUE JULY 16 - LUBBOCK JULY 17 - DALLAS JULY 19 - ATLANTA JULY 20 - ORLANDO JULY 22 - RALEIGH/DURHAM JULY 23 - RICHMOND JULY 26 - PHILADELPHIA
To participate in the Jesus for President Blog Tour, here are the steps:
1. Post up the subject "Jesus for President Blog Tour" and type away your comments about Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals. If you've read the book or are reading it, please post up your review of the book.
2. In your blog posting you're encouraged to share the message, the videos, the audio, the visuals, the widget, the tours dates, and the websites on your blog - all of these can be found above. Need the embed code for the videos? You can get the codes here, here, and here.
4. Come back to this page and leave the permalink URL to your Jesus for President Blog Tour posting in our Comments. This is how Shane, Chris, and friends will be able to visit your blog.
5. We can't promise this for every blog, but on occasion Shane, Chris, or friends will leave a comment in the comments section of your blog posting on the Jesus for President Blog Tour.
6. Any questions on this blog tour? Please post them up in the comments section below, and we'll answer them there. We figure others may have the same question you do, so we'll answer it for everyone.
7. Thank you for participating in the Jesus for President Blog Tour! Let the tour begin!
Zonderkidz, the children's division of Zondervan, will publish this fall a new series with a faith focus of the much-loved Berenstain Bears books.
Zonderkidz recently signed a contract to publish 12 Berenstain Bears books, authored by Michael Berenstain, with the first titles releasing this October. These softcover picture books will communicate a range of inspirational topics such as God's love, practicing the Golden Rule, praying, and going to Sunday school.
"I'm delighted to join with Zonderkidz in the creation of books designed to serve the needs of families of faith," says Berenstain. "Over the years, my parents and I often heard from Christian families how much they appreciate the values-based themes of our books. By dealing with religion through the fun and laughter of the Berenstain Bears, we hope to nurture these families in their goal of raising children secure in their faith."
Zondervan's parent company, HarperCollins, will continue to publish the Berenstain Bears for the general market.
Stan and Jan Berenstain published their first book about a bear family who lived "deep in Bear Country" in 1962 under the editorial eye of Dr. Seuss. In 1974, they started their own line of books about everyday family experiences by Random House. In 2003, the Berenstain's began publishing with HarperCollins and in 2005 began an exclusive relationship with them.
Their youngest son, Michael, joined his parents many years ago writing several books and becoming the exclusive designer and illustrator of a series of large picture books.
Since Stan Berenstain's death in 2005, Michael and Jan work as an author/illustrator team for their general market books.
On April 16, 2007, the campus of Virginia Tech experienced a collective nightmare when thirty-three students were killed in the worst massacre in modern U.S. history. 
Matt Rogers is copastor of New Life Christian Fellowship at Virginia Tech. Eight hundred students call it home. CNN did a story on New Life Christian Fellowship, and you can view the video at this link. A video of the church's first service following the tragedy on April 16, 2007 is at this link. An interview with Matt Rogers on NPR can be listened to at this link. Matt's personal website is at this link. Read the essay by Matt, "The Virginia Tech Tragedy: One Year Later."
Zondervan's blog occasionally features essays from our authors. Today's essay is by John Koessler, author of 
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
