New and Noteworthy, June 2015
Playdates with God Laura J. Boggess. Playdates with God: Having a Childlike Faith in a Grownup World
. Abilene, Texas: Leafwood Publishers, 2014. 208 pages. $14.99.
In the style of Ann Voskamp’s poetic bestseller “One Thousand Perfect Gifts,” Boggess shares how she let go of her list-making, controlling checklist faith and learned how to take leaps of faith. Doing so helped her husband make the decision to become a Christian — answering 12 years of prayer — and helped her enjoy her relationship with God.
HISTORY 
Simply Good News
N.T. Wright. Simply Good News: Why the Gospel Is News and What Makes It Good 
How would first-century people have received the Gospel, had an apostle come preaching it in their streets and places of worship? That’s what Wright, one of today’s leading New Testament theologians, sets out to illustrate.
He contends that many churches present the Gospel as good advice, not a celebratory exclamation that “The war is over!” Everyone should know and care about this, he writes.
CHRISTIAN LIVING 
Unoffendable
Brant Hansen. Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better 
Christians have no right to be angry with anyone, Hansen contends. The radio host works for CURE International, a Christian network of hospitals that serves the poor. He encourages readers to practice daily gratitude and shun entitlement. The book’s epigraph is a quote from Christian philosopher Dallas Willard: “Anger is the most fundamental problem in human life.”
GENDER ISSUES 
God’s Design for Man and Woman
Andreas J. Kostenberger and Margaret E. Kostenberger. God’s Design for Man and Woman: A Biblical-Theological Survey 
This husband-and-wife team, both professors at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, explores men’s and women’s roles throughout history — and what God intends for these to look like today. Helpful appendices include information on women’s rights movements since biblical times and the importance of hermeneutics.
