Six New Things – Week of August 15, 2022

Diana Butler Bass’s Bad Blood: Christian Theology and Civil War highlights how what we believe and how we live it out is essential for the wellbeing of the world – these days perhaps more than ever before. As some voices call for division, fear, hatred and war, let your communities become increasingly safe sanctuaries with healthy, respectful, loving relationships at their center.

ONE

Accepting ‘no’ is a key foundation of consent, which is a key foundation of healthy, respectful, loving relationships. Start children young (ages 3-5) in learning how to look for permission, respect ‘no’, and handle rejection, with We Accept No (Free Spirit).

TWO

Guide your tweens toward healthy boundaries with You Got a Phone! (Now Read This Book) (Free Spirit). Build an entire tech us and healthy boundaries discussion series off of it with support from our Tech Boundaries lib guide. If you’ve got suggestions for additional resources, share them with us here.

THREE

Develop your own tech skills and savvy, along with healthy personal and professional boundaries, with wisdom from John Roberto’s Digital Ministry and Leadership in Today’s Church (Liturgical).

FOUR

If team-building savvy is what you’re after, try Saving Your Church from Itself: Six Subtle Behaviors That Tear Teams Apart and How to Stop Them (Baker); stop division before it starts.

FIVE

Help your youth develop greater tools for the work of antiracism Me and White Supremacy, Young Reader’s Edition (Sourcebooks) and watch your community flourish!

SIX

In the ever-increasing divisions around race, gender, disability, immigration, the environment, food scarcity, and more – whether within your congregation, community, or the world at large – find encouragement from The Gospel of Peace in a Violent World: Christian Nonviolence for Communal Flourishing (IVP Academic) and discover ‘a holistic shalom that is evidence of God’s presence’.