Winsome Persuasion: Christian Influence in a Post-Christian World

How are Christians to engage the broader culture? How might we be both persuasive and civil, and both challenge the beliefs of others and offer love and respect? The task of bearing faithful witness to Jesus is complicated by persistent—and not altogether baseless—cultural stereotypes. In our post-Christian society, thoughtful Christians are considering again how to engage the dominant culture as a minority, a counterpublic, amid varying perceptions and misperceptions. Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer’s Winsome Persuasion presents a model for cultural engagement that integrates communication theory, theology, and Scripture. Penetrating, wise, and relentlessly practical, this timely book includes test cases and historical examples, such as William Wilberforce and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Author: Richard Langer Format: Paperback Pages: 219 Publisher: IVP Academic Date: 2017 Category: Christianity & Culture

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Richard Langer

Mission-Driven Colleges: Keeping First Things First in Christian Higher Education

ByRichard Langer, Scott Rae

In Mission-Driven Colleges: Keeping First Things First in Christian Higher Education, Scott Rae and Rick Langer argue that a successful Christian university goes beyond simply incorporating religious studies. They propose that the entire institution, from its leadership to its curriculum, must be designed to nurture a distinctive Christian worldview. Through four foundational questions, Rae and Langer demonstrate how to build the structural framework that empowers a Christian university to thrive. They guide educators and administrators in strategizing, planning, and implementing practices that ensure both a deep Christian identity and academic rigor. Mission-Driven Colleges is a vital resource for anyone committed to the success of Christian universities, offering a clear path to realizing their full educational mission.

Release date: February 1, 2025

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The Call to Follow: Hearing Jesus in a Culture Obsessed with Leadership

ByJoanne J. Jung, Richard Langer

Authors Richard Langer and Joanne J. Jung teach that “followership” is essential to both organizational and spiritual flourishing, reexamining the nature of leadership and followership in light of the life-transforming power of following Jesus Christ.

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Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church

ByRichard Langer

We generally assume that those sitting around us in church share our beliefs. But when our personal convictions are contested by fellow Christians, everything changes. We feel attacked from behind. When other Christians doubt or deny our convictions, we don’t experience it as a mere difference of opinion, but as a violation of an unspoken agreement. Tim Muehlhoff and Rick Langer offer a guide to help Christians navigate disagreements with one another.

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Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year Award of Merit – Apologetics/Evangelism

How are Christians viewed in the broader culture? We blush at the possibilities. Brainwashed fanatics? Out-of-touch dogmatists? Buffoons? The task of bearing faithful witness to Jesus is complicated by persistent—and not altogether baseless—cultural stereotypes. In our post-Christian society, thoughtful Christians are considering again how to engage the dominant culture as a minority, a counterpublic, amid varying perceptions and misperceptions. In this timely book, Timothy Muehlhoff and Rick Langer ask what our interactions with the dominant cultural ethos should look like. How might we be persuasive and civil at the same time? How should we respond to those who ridicule and caricature us? How can we challenge the beliefs of other communities with love and respect? Muehlhoff and Langer present a model for cultural engagement that integrates communication theory, theology, and Scripture. Penetrating, wise, and relentlessly practical, it includes test cases and examples from history, such as William Wilberforce and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Now more than ever, Christians need what Winsome Persuasion offers: a compelling vision of public engagement that is both shrewd and gracious.