An email went out today announcing that the vast library of books belonging to Christian History & Biography, part of the Christianity Today International family, was up for grabs. We rushed over to the other building to find people already hauling away the goods. I took a stack of works on American church architecture and African slave religion–two of my interests since studying comparative religion at Miami University years ago.

Carrying the books back to my office, I recalled another really cool bookshelf I’d seen. This bookshelf was designed by Bruno Petronzi. It features a metal stick figure with a light fixture for a head. On his back the figure carries a large bookshelf. Apart from the integration of bookshelf and scupture, one is amazed at how the weight…

Chapter 3 of my upcoming book, The Divine Commodity, explores the connection between religion and branding. In the chapter I quote Douglas Atkins, author of The Culting of Brands: Turn Your Customers Into True Believers, who says, “Brands are the new religion…They supply our modern metaphysics, imbuing the world with significance…. Brands function as complete meaning systems.”

Now there is more research that shows some brands do in fact have the same impact on the brain as religion. Martin Lindstrom is the author of Buyology. He says:

“Apple is (as we’ve proven using neuroscience)…a religion. Not only that–it is a religion based on its communities. Without its core communities, Apple would die–it is already facing strong pressure as the brand simply is becoming too broad (losing) its magic. What’s holding it…

The Rt Rev Nick Baines, Bishop of Croydon, has written a new book advocating the use of pop music in churches to help explain the Bible to a generation of irreligious people. The book, Finding Faith, has been supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams who called it “profound and challenging.” In it, Bishop Baines explains how music from artists like The Beatles and U2 helped him articulate and express his faith.

Transmitting popular music into the church isn’t new. It’s widely known that Martin Luther used the melodies of popular pub tunes for a number of his hymns, and the Wesleys used folk tunes during their revivals in England. But what are we to make of contemporary secular pop music? Does it have religious value?

Leadership journal columnist, Rich…

Another day, another manifesto. Last year a group of pomo-friendly folks published An Emergent Manifesto of Hope. Earlier this summer a group of influential Christian leaders published An Evangelical Manifesto. Now Rob Bell joins the trend with his latest book: Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile (Zondervan, 2008).

Let’s start with first impressions-whoever is responsible for the cover design deserves an award. I challenge anyone to look at the cover and not be intrigued. When an advanced copy arrived on my desk, I couldn’t stop staring at it. Two days later I finally deciphered what the boxes on the cover meant. (I won’t ruin it for those who like to solve puzzles.) Literally dozens of books cross my desk every week from publishers.…