World on Fire

Does it feel like no matter where you look or what the issue is, everyone seems to be fighting about everything?
 
We live in the information age, with more access to knowledge than ever before, flowing to us in a never-ending digital stream of updates, statistics, polls, opinions, news, and narratives from those on opposing sides of any issue. And while we’d assume this influx of information would help us find a good, informed way forward in our culture, it actually stirs up all sorts of anger, anxiety, and even loneliness. This all contributes to an increasingly defensive society that feels like it’s not only fracturing, but could go up in flames at any moment.
 
If you’re anything like the contributors to World on Fire, you’ve realized that all this knowledge isn’t the same thing as wisdom. While our world relies on expected, reflexive, status-quo, earthly wisdom to make a way forward or take a side on any given issue, Christ would rather us rely on his unexpected, counterintuitive, going-against-the- grain, heavenly wisdom as outlined in his famous Beatitudes. This surprising wisdom is not a call to be removed from the fire we feel blazing around us, but one to engage and tame it—beginning with our own hearts.
 
Whatever those nearest you seem to be arguing about today, and no matter what the fire looks like in your neck of the woods, Jesus has an answer for the ways his kingdom citizens should walk as they navigate the flames in his power and posture. In their own unique voice and in their own unique way, each contributor in World on Fire welcomes you to come explore not only some of the polarizing issues of our day, but how the unexpected wisdom of Jesus might help us be more discerning and Christlike amidst them. 

Hannah Anderson is an author and Bible teacher who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband, Nathan, and three children. Her books include All That’s Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment and Turning of Days: Lessons from Nature, Season, and Spirit. She also cohosts the Persuasion podcast, which addresses cultural, theological, and more mundane issues from a Christian perspective. Hannah’s goal is to encourage believers to think deeply and broadly about how the gospel transforms every area of life.

Jada Edwards is a Bible teacher and discipler. She has committed her life to equipping women of all ages, at all stages, with practical, biblical truth to help them live authentic and transparent lives. Jada has always had a passion for ministry and sharing God’s Word and has served in various directional capacities within the local church as well as with numerous nonprofit organizations. Jada holds an MBA with an emphasis in Organizational Strategy, but her most significant education has come from the study of God’s Word. The unsearchable riches of the Scriptures are her inspiration. In addition to her ministry in the local church and her teaching ministry, Jada works with Caribbean Choice for Christ, a U.S.-based nonprofit leadership organization, founded by her and her husband, Conway. Their ministry focuses on developing and equipping Christian leaders throughout the United States and Jamaica. Jada currently serves as the Creative Services Director and the Women’s Director for One Community Church, where Conway serves as the Lead Pastor. Jada and Conway are parents to Joah and Chloe, and live in Allen, Texas. 

Rachel Gilson (MDiv) serves on the leadership team of Theological Development and Culture with Cru, and is the author of Born Again This Way: Coming Out, Coming to Faith, and What Comes Next (The Good Book Company, 2020). Her writing has appeared in Christianity Today and for Desiring God and The Gospel Coalition, and she speaks nationally and internationally at churches and on college campuses. Rachel is pursuing a PhD in public theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter.

Ashley Marivittori Gorman serves as an associate publisher at B&H Publishing Group, an imprint of Lifeway Christian Resources. She holds an MDiv from Southeastern Theological Seminary and has been trained under The Charles Simeon Trust. Her passions are biblical literacy, women’s discipleship, foster care, theology, books, and teaching the Bible. Ashley and her husband, Cole, live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their daughter, Charlie. You can find her writing in various Lifeway Women Bible studies, in books like World on Fire, and in digital venues like The Gospel Coalition, Lifeway Voices, the ERLC, Relevant, and Intersect Project.

Jasmine Holmes is the author of Mother to Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope and her forthcoming book Carved in Ebony. She is also a contributing author for Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Our Identity in Christ and His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God. She and her husband Phillip are parenting two young sons in Jackson, Mississippi.

Rebecca McLaughlin holds a PhD from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College. She is the author of Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion (2019), 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity (2021), and The Secular Creed: Engaging 5 Contemporary Claims (2021). 

Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of Teach Us to Want, Keeping Place and Surprised by Paradox. Her fourth book, A Habit Called Faith, released in February 2021. She holds a BA in French from Wheaton College and an MA in Literature from Northwestern University. An American living in Toronto, Jen is a wife and mother of five. She is the lead editor for Imprint magazine, published by The Grace Centre for the Arts. You can follow Jen on Twitter and Instagram @jenpmichel and also subscribe to receive her letters to readers at jenpollockmichel.com.

Mary Wiley is the author of Everyday Theology, an eight-week Bible study exploring essential doctrines and why they matter in our everyday lives. She holds a BA in Christian Studies and English from the University of Mobile and an MA in Theological Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband, John, have three children and live in the Nashville area. You can follow her @marycwiley.

Elizabeth Woodson is a Bible teacher, writer, and speaker, who is passionate about communicating the rich theological truths of Scripture. She loves helping people internalize their faith and connect it practically to everyday life. Elizabeth works as the Institute Classes and Curriculum Director at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, where she teaches classes on the Bible, theology, and spiritual formation. She formerly worked as the Single Life Coordinator at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship under the leadership of Senior Pastor Dr. Tony Evans. Elizabeth is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary with a Masters in Christian Education and a cohost of the podcast Culture Matters.