Renaissance - by Os Guinness (Paperback)

About the Book

Is society beyond all hope of redemption as the Christian faith seems more and more irrelevant in our modern world? In Renaissance, Os Guinness declares that the church can once again change the world and become a renewing power in our society if we answer the call to a new Christian renaissance.

Book Synopsis

Logos Bookstores' Best Book in Christianity and Culture

Honorable Mention, Best Book of the Year from Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds Bookstore

We live in dark times. Christians wonder: Are the best days of the Christian faith behind us? Has modernity made Christian thought irrelevant and impotent? Is society beyond all hope of redemption and renewal?

In Renaissance, Os Guinness declares no. Throughout history, the Christian faith has transformed entire cultures and civilizations, building cathedrals and universities, proclaiming God's goodness, beauty and truth through art and literature, science and medicine. The Christian faith may similarly change the world again today. The church can be revived to become a renewing power in our society--if we answer the call to a new Christian renaissance that challenges darkness with the hope of Christian faith.

In this hopeful appeal for cultural transformation, Guinness shares opportunities for Christians, on both local and global levels, to win back the West and to contribute constructively to the human future. Hearkening back to similar pivotal points in history, Guinness encourages Christians in the quest for societal change. Each chapter closes with thought-provoking discussion questions and a brief, heart-felt prayer that challenges and motivates us to take action in our lives today.

Review Quotes

"Renaissance balances realism about our precarious cultural situation with a hope grounded in the continuing sovereignty of God and his promises."--Christianity Today, October 2014

"[A] well-constructed, fun to read, challenging, and hopeful book. I highly recommend it."--Robert E. Cranston, Ethics Medicine 31, no. 2, Summer 2015

"Guinness has written an eminently readable book with nuanced criticism and observations on the times that we are living in and how we as a church can best work as a body in living out our Christian mandate of being salt of the earth and light of the world."--Ian A. Whytock, Haddington House Journal, 2015

"Guinness is a profound thinker, weaving historical analysis, biblical insights, psycho-social understanding, and cultural awareness into deeply insightful conclusions. Recommend to pastors and ministry leaders."--David Mundt, CBA Retailers + Resources, August 2014

"Os Guinness has written another terrific book, at once a zinging indictment of cultural idolatry in the Christian West and a clarion call to renewal on the model of Christ in the Gospels and the witness of the apostles. This is a highly readable, big-picture book, eminently suitable for discussion in groups, not least because it calls for a collective examination of conscience. His incisive eloquence and lucid prose, his witty, trenchant turn of phrase and zest for critical and theological realism mark this little volume as vintage Guinness; his call to a renaissance of authentic evangelical Christianity will renew in many their will to hope in a dark time, spero in Deo."--David Lyle Jeffrey, Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities, Honors College, Baylor University

"This marvelous book represents a summation of the years of study, reflection, and engagement that Os Guinness has lived. I would urge everyone concerned about the trends in the world, in the church, and in their souls, to read it and find themselves galvanized by Christian hope."--William Edgar, Ordained Servant Online, January 2015

About the Author

Os Guinness (DPhil, Oxford) is the author or editor of more than thirty books, including A Free People's Suicide and The Global Public Square. A frequent speaker and prominent social critic, he was the founder of the Trinity Forum and a drafter of The Global Charter of Conscience and An Evangelical Manifesto. He lives near Washington, D.C.