New and Noteworthy, January 2016

faith and culture We Cannot Be Silent
Albert Mohler. We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, and the Very Meaning of Right and Wrong . Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson Books, 2015. 216 pages. $24.99. 

 Part cultural history, part social commentary and part Bible study, this book, by the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, confronts same-sex marriage, transgender issues and cohabitation with love, grace and brutal, Biblical honesty. 
Christian living The Grand Paradox
Ken Wytsma. The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, the Mystery of God and the Necessity of Faith . Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2015. 224 pages. $22.99.
 
Many of Jesus’ teachings were based on contradictions (the meek will inherit the earth, for example). Wystma, president of Kilns College in Bend, Ore., explores the doubt, difficulty and confusion associated with a life of faith.
for women Brave Enough
Nicole Unice. Brave Enough: Getting Over Our Fears, Flaws, and Failures to Live Bold and Free . Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale Momentum, 2015. 240 pages. $15.99.

Using quotes from friends and theologians alike, Unice, a counselor and mom, encourages women to develop “spiritual survival skills” — the Word, worship, prayer and partnership with Christian friends — to get in the race, love grace, give grace and know their limits.
bible study On This Foundation
Lynn Austin. On This Foundation (The Restoration Chronicles) . Bloomington, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers, 2015. 480 pages. $14.99.

This final book in a series about the Israelites’ Babylonian captivity brings to life the rebuilding of the wall from the book of Nehemiah. 

Austin, who also authored the bestselling “Gods and Kings” series, uses multiple characters’ points of view to tell these compelling tales.