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Charles E. Moore, in Following the Call, brings us a rich opportunity, individually and collectively, to enter into the “good trouble” of Jesus and his soul-shaking Sermon on the Mount.
Friends Journal
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There are no words more important than the Sermon on the Mount. And I can think of no better cloud of witnesses to reflect on those words than the people in this book. It is a gift to the world.
Shane Claiborne, author, activist, and co-founder of The Simple Way and Red Letter Christians
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A treasure chest of wisdom drawn from some of the greatest thinkers and saints the church has known.
Greg Boyd, Senior Pastor, Woodland Hills Church
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From Teresa of Avila to Mother Teresa, from Martin Luther to Martin Luther King, from Francis of Assisi to Francis Chan, from Dorothy Day to Dorothy Sayers, these excerpts can deeply enrich personal study and devotion. But they are also meant to be read and discussed in community and then acted on. Prepare yourself for a healthy feast, but then prepare yourself for obedience and service in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Craig L. Blomberg, Denver Seminary
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Beautiful and challenging? Yes, indeed. Ecumenical and faithful? Certainly so. This book... is the most delightfully curated, fully inter-denominational book we’ve seen in a long time.
Hearts & Minds Bookstore
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As I read this collection, I tried to imagine the authors of the various reflections in conversation. What would Leo Tolstoy say to Karl Barth, or Francis of Assisi to Wendell Berry? The more I read, though, the more I started to imagine all of them in one place—listening to Jesus give the Sermon on the Mount. And, before long, I found myself blending into the crowd with them, hearing these strange, arresting, upending words of life. This book will prompt you to surprise, to delight, to melancholy, to argument, and, at every turn, will lead you back to Jesus.
Russell Moore, Christianity Today
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Moore has brought together compelling selections from more than a hundred writers to call for the formation of a fellowship of disciples who will simply live as Jesus taught us to live. I strongly recommend this book for study, reflection, and prayerful living.
Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline
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A magnificent collection of reflections on Jesus's most familiar, and most radical, teaching.
James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
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By far the best introduction to Kierkegaard that I have seen.
Vernard Eller
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In a culture awash in religious silliness, Kierkegaard’s bracing metaphors expose our mediocrities and energize us with a clarified sense of what it means to follow Jesus.
Eugene H. Peterson
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Kierkegaard has taught me, moved me, perplexed me, and always provoked my thinking in new directions. I’m delighted to see his work in such an accessible form.
Philip Yancey
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A treasure chest of powerful insights…Those who do not already know Kierkegaard will surely be led by these selections to read the whole works from which they are taken.
C. Stephen Evans, Calvin College
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One of the top ten books of the year. Readable and spiritually vibrant.
Christianity Today
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Kierkegaard’s writing is rich in content but can be tough ploughing for many. This book is an amazing compilation of hard-hitting, devotionally-catalytic writings from the Melancholy Dane. I was delighted as I started reading this book that I could give it out to friends who would enjoy it and benefit from it. It wasn’t long though before I found myself laughing out loud at insights, convicted of my own sin, and driven to prayer. This is one of the best devotional books I’ve read in years.
Russell D. Moore
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Bearing Witness shouldn’t be classified as a good book or an important book – it’s a necessary book. Through thirty-six accounts gleaned from two millennia of Christianity, the book provides much-needed reminders of what religious oppression can really be like for followers of the Prince of Peace and how they should respond.
Mennonite World Review
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This book is both informative and practical – written with a short chapter for each week of the year. Designed to spark conversation within a group devotion setting, readers can dive deep into community together.… This book delves into the nitty-gritty details of Christian community living and encourages readers to confront the dissatisfaction stirred up by its challenging pages. Though not a light text by any means, this book is ideal for those seeking to approach Christian community more intentionally and comprehensively.
Evangelical Church Library Association
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…Drawn from the full sweep of church history and an impressive range of ecumenical voices.
Mennonite Quarterly Review
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A 2016 Englewood Honor Book – one of the thirty best books of the year for the life and flourishing of the church.
Englewood Review for Books
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This is a stellar contribution to our understanding of the whys and wherefores of Christian community. The 52 selections seem perfect for a year of weekly group study and the detailed discussion guide in the appendix is particularly useful for this purpose. Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People is a thoughtfully compiled and well edited guide to the subject.
Nancy Roberts, Catholic Sentinel
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To listen to those who have lived community across the centuries is to drink at a deep well of wisdom. The call to community is challenging, and yet the recognition of the real challenges of community both tempers naive enthusiasm and offers wise counsel to those who pursue intentional communities out of faithfulness to Christ.
InterVarsity Emerging Scholars Network
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Called to Community is an extraordinary and welcome addition to personal reading lists, as well as church, seminary, community, and academic library Christian Studies collections
Midwest Book Review
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As with the Bible, this book is not to be read alone, or lived alone, but embodied in community. Will we take up and read – and live?
Paul Louis Metzger, Patheos
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This book functions as a guide to community: to understanding the true nature of community, to cultivating a spirit and heart that is prepared to live in community, to learning how to desire the right kind of community, in the first place.
Kyle Roberts, Patheos
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This is one meaty, yet very accessible, book for those who love the Church enough to give it some serious thought, knowing that serious thought can lead to serious action. Whether in small groups or individually, as we read Called to Community, we will be hearing voices from the road, people with trail dust on their faith. They know what they’re talking about. And this invitation to come alongside them is a great place to start finding some new roads in an old faith of our own.
David Swartz, Patheos
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I can only hope that it will be widely read, because I am certain that contained in this book is the future of being Christian.
Stanley Hauerwas
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Christian martyrdom and costly discipleship are not confined to some legendary past. With vivid storytelling and reliable sources, this book teaches us about nonviolent love in the face of opposition and challenges us to take risks for the gospel today.
J. Nelson Kraybill, President, Mennonite World Conference
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In a world where people of faith are tempted to take up violence to protect their convictions and cultures, these martyrs show how genuine power is made perfect in weakness. This book is a gift to the entire church.
Gerald J. Mast, Bluffton University
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Provocations brings Søren Kierkegaard, a fountain of deep wisdom and radical faith, to readers who might otherwise have difficulty understanding him. Here one finds many solid and well-chosen excerpts from across the entire literary corpus of this most paradoxical prophet and insightful philosopher.
Clark H. Pinnock, author, Flame of Love
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Moore has done us a great service in sifting through Kierkegaard and giving us his essential writings. Here is a book to be savored, enjoyed, and yes, provoked by.
William Willimon, Duke University Chapel
