Kingdom Conspiracy: Returning to the Radical Mission of the Local Church

Over the past decade, McKnight (The Jesus Creed) has emerged as America’s theologian, a breezier, more down-home version of the British N.T. Wright. His works provide an extra layer of theological undergirding for pastors and lay people who wish to go deeper in Bible study and live more consciously under the rule of “King Jesus,” as he refers to Jesus Christ. McKnight’s writing is vivid, occasionally a little quirky. His book is valuable because he begins with the present state of churches: divided between what he calls the “skinny jeans” and “pleated pants” approaches. The skinny-jeans types want to present everything in terms of social activism and justice—“kingdom work for the common good”—but they often miss the boat when calling people to do everything under King Jesus. The pleated-pants crowd wants to understand everything as related to personal salvation, but they too miss the larger picture of the implications for the saved life under King Jesus. This is a must-read for church leaders today. Agent: Greg Daniel, Daniel Literary Group. (Oct.)