Alex McManus

Join Alex McManus as he interviews cutting edge thoughtleaders and activists. Today he interviews James Emery White, author of "Christ Among the Dragons: Finding our way through cultural challenges," published by Intervarsity Press Books, June 2010. In this book James Emery White takes us on a journey beyond the dragon territory to discover the new world Christ is mapping for us. When medieval mapmakers came to the end of the world as they knew it, they would write on the edges of their maps, "Here Be Dragons." Without a way to navigate, these areas were, at best, promising yet unexplored, and at worst, perilous. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, evangelical Christians have an equally unsettling map and a lack of unity in regard to how we will find our way through uncharted territory as we stray from core ideas and differ on key issues.

Join Alex McManus as he interviews with cutting edge thoughtleaders and activists. Today he interviews Robert Velarde, the author of "The Wisdom of Pixar: An Animated Look at Virtue", published by Intervarsity Press Books, June 2010. Robert Velarde unpacks the movies of Pixar and shows how they display the best of classic Christian virtues. Pixar's films resonate with us because of their moral character. Their virtuous themes of hope and courage, friendship and love connect with our deepest human longings. Whether we identify with the plight of a lost fish or the adventures of toys, bugs or cars, Pixar's characters help us build our own character, with the kind of virtue that we want for ourselves and those around us. Insightfully exploring each of Pixar's movies, this book is a friendly companion for fans, parents and church leaders. Discover how the imagination of Pixar can awaken in you a Christian vision for a moral life and a better society.

Join Alex McManus for interviews with activists, missional practioners, and thought leaders from around the world. Alex interviews Phileena Heuertz, author of "Pilgrimage of a Soul: Contemplative Spirituality for the Active Life", published by InterVarsity Press, July 2010. Activists often see contemplation as a luxury, the sort of thing that must necessarily be laid aside in the quest to see the world set aright. But in Pilgrimage of a Soul we see that contemplation is essential--not only to a life of sustained commitment to the justice and righteousness of God, but to the growth in faith and discipleship that the Holy Spirit beckons each of us to. Tracing seven movements from a kind of sleepfulness to a kind of wakefulness, Heuertz shows us that life is a journey that repeats itself as we are led by Christ deeper and deeper into our true selves and a truer knowledge of God.

Join Alex McManus for interviews with activists, missional practioners, and thought leaders from around the world. Author Daniel Siedell wrote the book "God in the Gallery" (BakerAcademic, October 2008). Is contemporary art a friend or foe of Christianity? Art historian, critic, and curator Daniel Siedell, addresses this question and presents a framework for interpreting art from a Christian worldview in God in the Gallery: A Christian Embrace of Modern Art. As such, it is an excellent companion to Francis Schaeffer's classic Art and the Bible. Divided into three parts--"Theology," "History," and "Practice"--God in the Gallery demonstrates that art is in conversation with and not opposed to the Christian faith. In addition, this book is beautifully enhanced with images from such artists as Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Enrique Martínez Celaya, and others. Readers of this book will include professors, students, artists, and anyone interested in Christianity and culture.

Join Alex McManus for interviews with activists and missional thought leaders from around the world. Author Samuel R. Chand wrote the book "Cracking Your Church's Culture Code: Seven Keys to Unleashing Vision & Inspiration". Published by Jossey-Bass, October 2010. Chand discusses strategies for transforming a toxic church culture. He unpacks the question why the best strategic plans and good leadership often are not able to move churches in the desired direction. He contends that toxic culture is to blame. Quite often, leaders don't sense the toxicity, but it poisons their relationships and derails their vision. This work describes five easily identifiable categories of church culture (inspiring-accepting-stagnant-discouraging-toxic), with diagnostic descriptions in the book and a separate online assessment tool. The reader will be able to identify strengths and needs of their church's culture, and then apply practical strategies (communication, control and authority, selection and placement of personnel, etc.) to make their church's culture more positive. •Discusses how to diagnose the state of a church's culture•Reveals what it takes to put in place effective strategies for creating a more positive church culture•Author served on the board of EQUIP (Dr. John Maxwell's Ministry), equipping five million leaders world-wide.This important book offers a clear guide for understanding and recreating a healthy church culture.

Join Alex McManus for interviews with activists and missional thought leaders from around the world. Author Eric Bryant wrote the book "Not Like Me: A Field Guide for Influencing a Diverse World" helps people of faith effectively love, serve, and reach people overlooked by the church. Published by Zondervan, Not Like Me is a revised, re-titled, and updated version of Peppermint-Filled Pinatas. Not Like Me includes a brief article after each chapter with practical ways to apply the principles presented in that chapter. From the Back Cover: We live in a diverse world filled with unprecedented opportunity. There is a call to move past the barriers that stand between us and those who may be different. Eric Michael Bryant has seen tolerance shown to those who are different than us — racially, religiously, sexually, politically, economically — and believes there must be more. After all, Jesus didn’t just tolerate people; he embraced them all with love. Using lighthearted humor, engaging personal stories, and a “party theology,” Bryant shows us how to love our neighbors and fulfill the vision Jesus had for the church from the beginning.Whether that is through building relationships with the help of bounce houses, stand up comedy, or piñatas, followers of Christ will be inspired to actively engage the world around them.

Join Alex McManus for interviews with activists and missional thought leaders from around the world. Author M. Rex Miller wrote the book "The Millennium Matrix: Reclaiming the Past, Reframing the Future of the Church". Published by Jossey-Bass, July 2004. In this dynamic book, theologian, futurist, and communications expert M. Rex Miller presents the innovative millennium matrix, that explains the way we store and distribute information changes our worldviews. Based on the author’s extensive research, The Millennium Matix explores the major paradigm and worldview shifts over the past two thousand years and maps them into an easily accessible chart summarizing the entire history of culture and church. From the oral culture of Jesus’ time to the print world of Gutenberg’s Bible to the broadcast era of television to the emerging digital culture, readers will see the impact of communication on worship and spirituality. Even more, the book then provides practical suggestions on how Christians can successfully navigate the rapid cultural changes that are occurring and that will continue to occur over the decades to come.

Join Alex McManus for interviews with activists and missional thought leaders from around the world. Author Dave Browning wrote the book "Hybrid Church: the Fusion of Intimacy & Impact" (Jossey-Bass, September 2010). Hybrid Church introduces the concept of a single congregation the best of both church worlds: the intimacy of small house church groups and the impact of large megachurches.

1st Segment: Vince Antonucci is the author of the book "Guerilla Lovers: Changing the world with revolutionary compassion" (published by Baker Books, February 1, 2010). Antonucci challenges the readers to engage in a love revolution, adopting Jesus' strategy of becoming a 'guerilla lover'. He shares true stories of the common day person who is waging war on complacency and just loving people around him. (www.guerillalovers.com)

1st Segment: JR WOODWARD, editor of "ViralHope: Good news from the Urbs to the Burbs (and everything in between)", published by Ecclesia Press (March 25, 2010) helps people and communities discover and live up to the sacred potential. He is the co-founder of Kairos Los Angeles, a network of churches in L.A. He is also co-founder of the Ecclesia Network and the Solis Foundation. The foreword was written by Scot McKnight and here are the contributors in the order they appear: Len Hjalmarson, JR Rozko, Brad Sargent, John Chandler, Sivin Kit, Brother Maynard, Danny Gutierrez, Dave Kludt, Kurt Fredrickson, Winn Collier, J.R. Briggs, Noel Heikkinen, Dustin James, Jim Pace, Erika Haub, AJ Sherrill, Andrew Perriman, Raffi Shahinian, Benjamin Sternke, Joey Tomassoni, Brian Hopper, David Fitch, Christine Sine, Jonathan Dodson, Jason Clark, Kathy Hanson, Alistair Johnson, Greg Larson, Brian Russell, Sonja Andrews, Jamie Arpin-Ricci, Nathan Colquhoun, Todd Hiestand, Doug Paul, Luis Fernando Batista, Even Hanson, John Santic, Mark Van Steenwyk, Ryan Bell, Joe Racek, Audrey Blumber, Tony Stiff, Maria Drews, Jason Coker, Matt Rogers, Andrew Bleyer, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Bob Hyatt, Jon Tyson and Christ Backert. (www.jrwoodward.com)