Gordon Showell-Rogers

Gordon Showell-Rogers

CDI International Director

Articles by Gordon Showell-Rogers

  • [Book review] She Needs: Women Flourishing in the Church

    [Book review] She Needs: Women Flourishing in the Church

    Why does an enthusiastic, passionate, gifted teenage Christian leader lose confidence and stop being able to lead? In what ways have churches drifted a long way from the teaching and practice of Jesus and Scripture, whilst justifying this drift theologically? The research, conversation, reading and personal experience that lie behind this book provide some answers.
  • [Book review] Blood and Water: The Life and Martyrdom of Shahbaz Bhatti

    [Book review] Blood and Water: The Life and Martyrdom of Shahbaz Bhatti

    In an exclusive interview with Christian Daily International, featured in today’s episode of Faith Without Frontiers, Shahbaz Bhatti’s nephew talks about the ways that his life’s direction was set as a child by the example of his uncle, Shahbaz Bhatti. So, the idea of a children’s book about Bhatti’s life makes sense.
  • [Book review] Worthy: Celebrating the Value of Women

    [Book review] Worthy: Celebrating the Value of Women

    The moving twin dedications (both authors contribute) are personal and theological: a foretaste of the direction of travel of the whole book (which is also very practical) as it continually dives into Scripture and to central truths about God and humanity and the Lord’s work in hearts and minds.
  • [Book review] Kwame Bediako: African Theology for a World Christianity

    [Book review] Kwame Bediako: African Theology for a World Christianity

    Hartman summarises the work of Ghanaian theologian Kwame Bediako, drawing on his three books and more than 75 articles, and addressing that cultural baggage from a contemporary African perspective: ‘Bediako asks what it means to be African and Christian after the shortcomings of colonialism.’
  • [Book review] Trouble on the Way: Persecution in the Christian Life

    [Book review] Trouble on the Way: Persecution in the Christian Life

    In the light of the reality of the severe persecution of Christians in many parts of the world, Brobbel suggests to those living comfortably: “Far too often, Christians seem more concerned about preserving our Christian values than willingly living them out and bearing the consequences for doing so.”
  • [Book review] The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation

    [Book review] The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation

    Lots of churches in the Global North are cerebral, shaped by the impact of the Enlightenment on culture. Other churches (non-white, Global South) are often more ‘spiritual,’ prayerful, and expectant. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all learn from each other’s strengths and find more common ground? It’s just possible that this book could help us do that.
  • [Book review] ‘Evangelization or Colonization?’ by Analzira Nascimento

    [Book review] ‘Evangelization or Colonization?’ by Analzira Nascimento

    This serious read, part of Regnum’s Global Voices series, originated as a PhD thesis in Portuguese. It challenges long-held Protestant missiological assumptions and is especially helpful for any church and mission leader, whether from the Global North or the Global South.
  • [Book review] The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account

    [Book review] The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account

    After 2,000 years of retelling, the Jesus story has too often lost its shocking and revolutionary power. Bear Grylls’ book tells the story in the imagined words of 5 Bible characters, re-capturing the powerful drama of the human and the divine encounters. Grylls’ fame, the beautiful presentation, the imaginative first-person narrative, the use of Aramaic and Hebrew names, and the vivid storytelling all serve to remind us that these were real people, in real places, at a real moment in history.