Tag: Books

Coming Soon: Ethics as Worship

~ Evan Lenow

Despite the fact that it has been quiet around here for a while, I have been busy at work with my co-author and mentor, Mark Liederbach, writing our new book, Ethics as Worship. This book explores the biblical and theological foundations of ethics and then applies our system of ethics to numerous issues facing Christians today. Ethics as Worship has been a nearly six-year journey that has pushed us to think, write, and edit as I never have before. I am forever grateful that Mark asked me to join him on this project, and we cannot wait to see the impact this book will have for the Kingdom of God.

It has been a pleasure to partner with P&R Books to see this project to fruition. They have been a superb group of encouragers throughout the process. This is what the publisher has to say:

Ethics as Worship examines the biblical, theological, and philosophical foundations and application of Christian ethics, offering an ethical system that emphasizes the worship of God as motivation, method, and goal of the ethical endeavor. It concludes with an exploration of how worship ought to shape a response to particular ethical topics and issues most relevant in our day: from race, justice, and environmental ethics, to sexuality, reproductive technologies, and other important issues related to life and death.

You can currently pre-order a copy of Ethics as Worship from the publisher or Amazon.

Taking the Roof Off: The Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer

~ Evan Lenow

*The following is an excerpt from my article published by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. I was asked to reflect on an author who had changed the way I think.

My parents had a hardback version of Francis Scaheffer’s How Should We Then Live? sitting on a shelf in our house. It was a large, beautiful book, but I never took the time to read it. Honestly, the title never made sense to me as a child, and I had little interest in reading anything that I thought could be difficult to understand.

Years later I enrolled in a Ph.D. program and once again encountered Schaeffer’s work. An entire seminar focused on the ethics of Schaeffer, and I had the task of reading virtually everything that Schaeffer had published. That seminar changed my life and the way I think.

One key element of Schaeffer’s work that I found especially influential was his apologetic method of “taking the roof off.” Schaeffer argued that a person’s worldview is similar to a house; however, there is only one blueprint that can effectively explain all aspects of life and be lived out consistently—a Christian worldview. All other worldviews are defective in one way or another.

The rest of my article can be found at the ERLC website.

Biblically Sound Now on Kindle

~ Evan Lenow

For those of you interested in an electronic version of my new Bible study, Biblically Sound: Embracing Doctrine for Life, you can now get it on Kindle. The print version is currently selling for $13.59 (list price is $14.99) on Amazon, and the Kindle editions sells for $5.49.

Here is an excerpt from the introduction:

From the window of my office, I watched the construction of the MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Each day I was able to see the progress on the project. After the first few weeks of demolition and clearing the land, there seemed to be little or no progress from day to day. In fact, this lack of progress went on for a couple of months. I saw plenty of activity from workers, trucks, earth-moving equipment, etc. However, there was no visible progress being made. These first few months of construction, nevertheless, were the most important part. The workers were building the foundation.

Studying doctrine for the Christian often feels like watching a construction crew build a foundation. There seems to be a great amount of activity, but the results don’t appear visible. Just like the foundation is essential for the stability of a building, studying theology is crucial to the long-term stability of the believer.

The goal of this study is to provide you with the basics of biblical doctrine to make sure your foundation is sound. At times this will feel like the difficult work of laying an unseen foundation for a building. At other times, however, it will feel like we are soaring to great heights as we explore the breadth and length and height and depth of our faith.

In order to accomplish our goal of being biblically sound in our doctrine, we will take a step-by-step journey through the key doctrines of the Christian faith. In many respects, these are the non-negotiables of the faith.

As with any of my Bible studies, if you are interested in ordering 10 or more copies for your church, class, or small group, feel free to contact me by clicking on my faculty profile and using the contact information found there.

New Bible Study Available: Biblically Sound

~ Evan Lenow

More than a year ago, I embarked on a journey of writing two Bible studies commissioned by Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. At long last, the journey is complete. Biblically Sound: Embracing Doctrine for Life is the second study, and it is now available for purchase through the CreateSpace Store and on Amazon. Biblically Sound is a 10-week study of basic Christian doctrine from an admittedly Baptist perspective. This study is great for small or large group Bible study, Sunday school classes, or special doctrinal emphasis teaching as a congregation.

Don’t think of this study as a seminary-level systematic theology class. I have intentionally stayed away from much of the technical language found in formal, academic study of theology while still dealing with several nuanced views of theology. You will find that I direct you to the Scripture to answer questions because it is the Bible that forms the foundation of our theology.

If you want to see how one church used the study, you can watch the videos from Bellevue Baptist Church’s women’s ministry here. The large group time was co-taught by Donna Gaines (wife of Pastor Steve Gaines) and Jean Stockdale (longtime MOMS Bible study teacher at Bellevue).

You can always purchase copies of Biblically Sound and Biblically Correct through CreateSpace or Amazon. However, if you are interested in purchasing 10 or more copies for your church, please feel free to contact me by email or phone (you will find that information on my faculty profile), and I can work with you on pricing for large orders.

Biblically Correct on Kindle for $1.99 Starting Thursday

~ Evan Lenow

My recent Bible study, Biblically Correct: Engaging Culture with Truth, will be available on Kindle at a special price starting Thursday. Rather than $6.99, you can get it for $1.99 Thursday through Sunday (July 10-13). After Sunday, it will return to regular price. If you are looking for a Bible study for your church small group or personal use and you want to learn how to address some of the most pertinent topics of the day, this is a great opportunity to preview the study on Kindle.

If you have any questions about the study, feel free to ask me in the comments section or send me an email via the address linked in my faculty profile on the right. If your church would like 10+ copies of the print edition, contact me for special pricing.

*Stay tuned in coming weeks for the release of my next study, Biblically Sound: Embracing Doctrine for Life.

**If you have already , I would love to have more reviews on Amazon. Just log on and write a review. Thanks.