Glocal: Following Jesus in the 21st Century

by Rick Love

Three far-reaching global trends--terrorism, pluralism, and globalization--have irrevocably altered how we live, think, and communicate in the twenty-first century. We now live in a ""glocal"" world: what happens globally impacts us locally, and what happens locally impacts things globally. These changes have profound implications for followers of Jesus. Rick Love offers biblical wisdom and practical insights on how to navigate the complexities of communication in this interconnected world. He also invites you to an inward journey that helps you better discern how the things of the heart relate to the work of the ministry. Glocal: Following Jesus in the 21st Century is a call to be a faithful follower of and a winsome witness for Jesus. Love will help you better embody and communicate a core message worth dying for, an integrated identity worthy living for, and a global dream worth suffering for. ""Rick Love has done what I thought was impossible--synthesized and made sense of several of the most complex issues facing followers of Jesus in the twenty-first century. Not only that, he provides a vision for moving forward with sensitivity and compassion for 'the other' while holding firm to biblical truth. This is a must-read for any and every follower of Jesus who desires to engage the world as Jesus did."" --Carl Medearis, author of Speaking of Jesus, Muslims Christians and Jesus, and Adventures in Saying Yes ""My heart resonates strongly with the message of this book. It packs a powerful prophetic critique, but does so with the gentleness of Christ. At the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town 2010, I pleaded for a twenty-first century reformation through a return to humility, integrity, and simplicity, renouncing the idolatries of power, success, and greed. Rick Love calls for a reformation in very similar terms, urging churches, individuals, and agencies who are committed to serving the mission of God in the world to seek a restored integrity, identity, and authenticity in their witness to Jesus in our 'glocal' world."" --Christopher J. H. Wright, Langham Partnership; Author of The Mission of God and The Mission of God's People ""Rick Love expresses in this book the both-and approach that he has modeled in his life with great cultural relevance and complete biblical faithfulness. Rick has performed an enormous service to the church. . . . He forces us to humbly consider how our words and actions either attract or alienate listeners. This book is filled with wisdom and practical models for what winsome, Christ-honoring communication sounds like in our globalized world."" --Rich Nathan, Senior Pastor, Vineyard Columbus; conference speaker; author of Both-And: Living the Christ-Centered Life in an Either-Or World ""In many respects, the Great Commission in the twenty-first century remains more a set of problems to be resolved than a task to be achieved. Rick Love both explains why the challenges exist and how to begin reconceiving Christian witness afresh. Some evangelicals will think he has gone too far in reconstructing mission, others will think he has not gone far enough in deconstructing it. It is precisely a book's capacity to elicit both kinds of responses that mark Glocal as a must-read for anyone with any stake in these issues in the present time."" --Amos Yong, Professor of Theology & Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA ""All of those who 'follow Jesus' have to follow him in the real world. Today, questions and concerns abound. In this world of growing complexity, we need direction. We need guidance that will provide the wisdom and strength to love. This book does that. And it will make you wiser and bolder in love. Rick Love has the experience and expertise to pen this book."" --Tyler Johnson, Lead Pastor, Redemption Church AZ ""This is a book about integrity, meaning one who is the same in public as in private. Rick Love helpfully and so necessarily removes the masks that

144 pages, Paperback

Published July 14, 2017

Reviews

[John Sagherian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Love has written a very thought-provoking book; is our Message worth dying for? Worth Living for? For suffering for? Have we institutionalized the Christian faith so that it's safe for us, but not very effective? I liked the chapter on work, worship and witness; may we be challenged enough to make some changes in ourselves first...

[Steve Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly a thought provoking book but hardly “reformational” as Love seems to hope it will be. Seems that he makes many assumptions and seeks to interpret motives of many faithful servants of Christ in building his case for ministry in a ‘glocalized’ world.