Soul Salsa: 17 Surprising Steps for Godly Living in the 21st Century - Hardcover

As American culture attempts to find its footing during the transition into postmodernism, Leonard Sweet, dean of the Theological School of Drew University and author of Soul Tsunami, attests that Christians must do the same thing. Soul Salsa is a "lifeware design package" that "enrolls you in a lifestyle seminary where you can get a life degree in artful, soulful living." With ultramodern packaging (Christians are called soul artists and even Leon@rd's name has a postmodern addition), the book introduces practical ideas about how to integrate one's faith into daily life in a changing, postmodern culture. Through clever chapter titles, Sweet gives profound biblical mandates new catch phrases to make them applicable to our society: "Make a Moment" (turn everyday events into memories to cherish), "Never Graduate" (always keep learning and growing), and "Give History a Shove" (make a difference in the world). In doing this, he modernizes Scripture that has previously withstood cultural turbulence.

Sweet's premise that "friendship with Jesus is a lot less rigorous than discipleship with Jesus" is a true call to biblical obedience, whether or not the reader is struggling to accept postmodernism. In fact, the sweeping assertion that postmodernism is a universal struggle is a grand generalization that does not address the fact that truth's anchor will hold no matter what context or culture the Christian is placed in. Practical advice and guidance does abound for the reader looking for direction, however, from Web site references for further study (and a few just for laughs!) to probing questions at the end of each chapter. By the end of the book, the Christian reader will want to strive to make worship a way of life, the outworking of grace a visible commodity, and his or her allegiance to Christ the revolutionary factor that causes the soul to dance. --Jill Heatherly

Getting a Christian worldview is the rage these days. But how about a Christian worldlife? Got one of those? Leonard Sweet wants to show you the ins and outs of living an old-fashioned faith in these newfangled times. In his engaging, symphonic, thought-bytes style, Sweet invites you to . . . Mezuzah your universe * Do dirt and do the dishes * Cycle to Church * Give history a shove * Cheer rivals from the bench * Dance the salsa Soul Salsa unpacks biblical faith in ways that can change how you live in the real world. You can be a man or woman who walks the ancient path of a disciple in the world of the future. Because the NEW future is NOW -- and now is the time to practice the "17 Lifestyle Requirements for Membership in the Postmodern Body of Christ." It's no longer enough to "Say Amen, Somebody." It's time to "Dance the Salsa, Everybody!" -- in a culture that desperately needs to see your moves.