Last year, Langham Global Library published a significant new book series titled Rethinking Church in the 21st Century. The General Editors of the series are Riad Kassis and Mark Labberton, with Joshua Robert Barron serving as Series Editor.
Langham has been a long-term partner of REALIS, and we are pleased to share news of this important publication, which addresses key questions and challenges facing churches around the world today. The series is the result of several years of collaborative work undertaken by three distinct yet interconnected groups: faculty and staff of Fuller Theological Seminary, a national group from across the United States, and an international group representing countries from around the globe.
Although these groups brought together people from very different backgrounds, experiences, and social contexts, their work revealed a striking commonality: shared concerns about the crises that arise where faith intersects with culture in the twenty-first century. These shared insights form the foundation of the series, which has been published in three volumes:
- Suffering and Persecution
- Metaphors the Church Lives By
- Faith and Public Life
One of the chapters in the series was written by Dr. Sergiy Tymchenko, Rector of the REALIS Christian Center. His chapter, titled “Light: The Guiding Force of God’s Kingdom,” appears in the second volume, Metaphors the Church Lives By. In it, Dr. Tymchenko explores one of the seven key New Testament metaphors for the church—light—and reflects on its theological depth and practical significance for the church’s life and witness today.
About the Volumes
Suffering and Persecution
In this first volume, scholars and church leaders from around the world respond to lived realities of suffering and persecution. Contributors engage universal themes such as violence, natural disasters, and religious oppression through contextually grounded perspectives. The result is a richly diverse and authentic collection of essays that invites the global church to reflect together on suffering and faithfulness.
Metaphors the Church Lives By
The second volume examines seven biblical metaphors foundational to understanding the church today: yeast, salt, light, people, temple, body and ambassadors, and the people of God. Drawing from the Gospels, the Pauline epistles, and the Petrine letters, the authors explore how these metaphors shape Christian identity, imagination, and practice. Rather than focusing on the shortcomings of the church, this volume nurtures hope by reminding readers who the church is and calling it to live out that identity in the twenty-first century.
Faith and Public Life
The third volume addresses the role of the church in the public sphere amid new opportunities and profound global challenges. Contributors explore issues such as missional expansion, persistent barriers to human flourishing, shifts in the global center of Christianity, and the call to a radically different way of life. With careful biblical grounding and critical reflection, the volume offers a vision for authentic Christian public witness and mission, demonstrating how the gospel of Jesus Christ continues to speak to the reconciliation of the whole world with God.
We warmly invite you to read Rethinking Church in the 21st Century in the REALIS Library at the Vorzel campus near Kyiv.
To arrange a visit or learn more, please contact us at +38 067 324 41 39 (available via any messenger).