Samuel Wells vividly paints the stories surrounding Jesus’ cross and resurrection. We see the weakness of Pontius Pilate and Barabbas, and the compromised character of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. We discover the subtle power of Pilate’s wife. And in Peter and Mary Magdalene we find the true power of resurrection, bringing forgiveness and ending the stranglehold of death, thus transforming all human passion. Through close readings of the gospel texts, Wells demonstrates the significance of these characters for faith and life today. In this book, structured with one chapter for each week of Lent, Wells guides us from the deathly power that put Jesus on the cross to the new power brought by Jesus’ resurrection. The book offers opportunities at the end of each chapter for prayer and discussion. The Archbishop of Canterbury has selected Power and Passion as his Lent book for 2007.

Power and Passion: Six Characters in Search of Resurrection

History

Wells, Samuel

World

Zondervan

A Nazareth Manifesto: Being with God

A Nazareth Manifesto is an eloquent and impassioned ecumenical proposal for re-envisioning Christianity’s approach to social engagement away from working “for” the people to being “with” them. 
<ul>
<li>Questions the effectiveness of the current trend of intervention as a means of fixing the problems of people in distressed and disadvantaged circumstances</li> <li>Argues that Jesus spent 90% of his life simply being among the people of Nazareth, sharing their hopes and struggles, therefore Christians should place a similar emphasis on being alongside people in need rather than hastening to impose solutions</li> <li>Written by a respected priest and broadcaster and renowned Christian ethicist and preacher</li> <li>Supported by historical, contemporary, exegetical and anecdotal illustrations</li> </ul>

Religion & Spirituality

wiley

A Nazareth Manifesto is an eloquent and impassioned ecumenical proposal for re-envisioning Christianity’s approach to social engagement away from working “for” the people to being “with” them. <ul>
<li>Questions the effectiveness of the current trend of intervention as a means of fixing the problems of people in distressed and disadvantaged circumstances</li> <li>Argues that Jesus spent 90% of his life simply being among the people of Nazareth, sharing their hopes and struggles, therefore Christians should place a similar emphasis on being alongside people in need rather than hastening to impose solutions</li> <li>Written by a respected priest and broadcaster and renowned Christian ethicist and preacher</li> <li>Supported by historical, contemporary, exegetical and anecdotal illustrations</li> </ul>

"Truth” is a difficult subject in this pluralistic culture, and “the truth” is even more troublesome. Speaking the truth from the pulpit can result in an invitation to speak it at your next church. Speaking it in the community can earn you the label of narrow, intolerant, or irrelevant. Yet the preacher’s call is to be a speaker of truth–the truth of God in Jesus Christ. What does it take to speak the truth faithfully as a preacher of the gospel, and for that truth to be heard? You can assume the role of the angry prophet, starting every sentence with “Thus says the Lord” . . . and insure that your hearers push the “off” button in their heads within two minutes. Or you can become the pronouncer of soothing religious platitudes, and insure that nothing you say will ever have any impact on anyone’s life. Or you can learn, as Samuel Wells has learned, that speaking the truth to a reluctant culture means telling the Christian story alongside the contemporary American story. It means helping your hearers perceive both the harmonies and the dissonance between the two. Finally it means inviting them, with both conviction and humility, to decide how their own story is going to be shaped by this truth. Wells shows all preachers how to remain true to their calling as speakers of truth, while being actually heard at the same time.

Speaking The Truth: Preaching in a Pluralistic Culture

Christian Books & Bibles

Churches & Church Leadership

ABINGDON PRESS *

Meditations that beautifully articulate a contemporary Christian wisdom Through a series of short, thoughtful meditations, Learning to Dream Again shows what true wisdom -- wisdom shaped by Jesus' earthy humility, shameful suffering, and effervescent joy -- might look like for Christians today. Through the lens of this Christian wisdom, Samuel Wells addresses a number of difficult personal and social issues, including taxes, abortion, torture, hunger, and Christian engagement with broader culture in the arts, sciences, athletics, and medicine. As he seeks to present a faithful rendering of the mind of Christ, Wells deftly ties abstract ideas to everyday Christian living. He groups his meditations thematically into these six chapters:<ul>
<li>Learning to Love Again</li>
<li>Learning to Live Again</li>
<li>Learning to Think Again</li>
<li>Learning to Read Again</li>
<li>Learning to Feel Again</li>
<li>Learning to Dream Again</li>
</ul>Beautifully written and extraordinarily insightful, Learning to Dream Again is both for Christians who have been to church for years but long to ponder the ambiguities and hard questions of faith and life and for new Christians who are just beginning to investigate how the gospel connects to their most searching questions.

Learning to Dream Again: Rediscovering the Heart of God

Christian Living

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

This book offers a model of profound and accessible congregational prayer. At once inspirational and practical, it will empower and equip laypeople and clergy alike to offer heartfelt, informed, and appropriate prayers on behalf of the people of God. As Samuel Wells and Abigail Kocher say, "Interceding in public worship is a duty. This book is intended to make it a joy." Shaping the Prayers of the People begins by considering what public prayer is and offering practical guidelines for avoiding common pitfalls. It explores prayer as an integral part of worship and discusses the language we need (and don't need) to address God. Significantly, the book also provides an array of example prayers along with commentary.

Shaping the Prayers of the People: The Art of Intercession

Kocher, Abigail

Eerdmans

Eucharistic Prayers

Academy of Parish Clergy’s Top Ten Books for Parish Ministry Elegant volume of liturgical prayers that tie sacrament and Word together theologically This unique, elegant resource for ministers and worship planners provides a beautifully crafted Eucharistic prayer for every Sunday of the three-year Revised Common Lectionary cycle, also including prayers for special holy days and other occasions. In a helpful introduction Samuel Wells and Abigail Kocher offer guidance on how to make the Eucharistic prayer a congregational highlight. Too often, they say, what should be the most dynamic moment of a congregation's liturgical life becomes a low-energy, low-engagement event. Closely tying the sacramental rite to the words of Scripture for the day, these theologically appropriate, pastorally fitting, and linguistically satisfying prayers change the Great Thanksgiving prayer from a lull in the liturgy to a focused, fresh, and engaged moment for the congregation.

Worship & Devotion

With may be the most important word in the Christian faith. In the Trinity, as Samuel Wells points out, we see the eternal persons of the Godhead being with each other. In the Gospels we see Jesus being with the people he encounters, mediating God's grace to them with his own incarnational presence. Those in ministry are likewise called to the task of being with—with God, with the church, and with the created world and those who dwell in it. In Incarnational Ministry Wells elaborates on the concept of being with in eight dimensions: presence, attention, mystery, delight, participation, partnership, enjoyment, and glory. His vivid narratives and wise reflections will challenge readers to deeper discipleship and more vital ministry as they explore what it means to be with the troubled, the hurt, the afflicted, the challenged, the dying—and all who are embraced by the church's incarnational ministry.

Incarnational Ministry: Being with the Church

A bold new way of thinking about Christian mission“With,” says Samuel Wells, “is the most important word in the Christian faith.”In this compelling follow-up to Incarnational Ministry: Being with the Church, Wells explores what it means for mission-minded Christians and churches to be with the world.Drawing on the Gospels, Acts, and personal insights gleaned from his more than two decades in ministry, Wells elaborates on the concept of being with in eight dimensions: presence, atten-tion, mystery, delight, participation, partnership, enjoyment, and glory. His vivid narratives and wise reflections will help Christian readers better understand how to be with all kinds of people outside the church, both individually and collectively.CONTENTSPrologue: Not of This FoldIntroduction: The Mission of Being With1. Being with the Lapsed2. Being with Seekers3. Being with Those of No Professed Faith4. Being with Those of Other Faiths5. Being with the Hostile6. Being with Neighbors7. Being with Organizations8. Being with Institutions9. Being with Government10. Being with the ExcludedEpilogue: Are You Hungry?

Incarnational Mission: Being with the World

Max Ehrmann’s prose poem “Desiderata,” with its direct instructions —“go placidly,” “enjoy your achievements,” and others— has inspired millions of readers.
In the spirit of Ehrmann’s “Desiderata,” world-renowned ethicist, theologian, and preacher Samuel Wells offers eight encouragements to readers in Walk Humbly, his own more extended prose poem. Each simple, direct exhortation—be humble, be grateful, be your own size, be gentle, be a person of praise, be faithful, be one body, be a blessing—is accompanied by thought-provoking, insightful comments.
Drawing on startlingly perceptive observations of contemporary life and reflecting a deep knowledge of philosophical and religious wisdom, Wells’s Walk Humbly will inspire readers to stop, reflect, and think deeply about essential existence.

Walk Humbly: Encouragements for Living, Working, and Being

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wells, Samuel. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Wells, Samuel

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wells, Samuel. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Power and Passion: Six Characters in Search of Resurrection

A Nazareth Manifesto: Being with God

A Nazareth Manifesto: Being with God

Speaking The Truth: Preaching in a Pluralistic Culture

Learning to Dream Again: Rediscovering the Heart of God

Shaping the Prayers of the People: The Art of Intercession

Eucharistic Prayers

Incarnational Ministry: Being with the Church

Incarnational Mission: Being with the World

Walk Humbly: Encouragements for Living, Working, and Being