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We've got a #ThoughtfulThursday book recommendation for you! A Church Called TOV: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing inspired our sermon series "Life in a Good Place" and we are so grateful for the opportunity to dig in together.

Scot McKnight and his daughter Laura Barringer co-wrote this book out of their desire to forge forward in a good way from the many revelations of abuse in our churches. They're asking great questions: how do we keep abuses of power in the church from continuing to happen? How do we nurture a culture of goodness in our churches? How can churches rise up and fulfill their true calling as imitators of Jesus?

"A Church Called TOV" is available at our local Christian Book & Music Store.

Here's a quote from the book to ponder today:

"The bad news and the good news about culture can be summed up in the same statement: A rooted culture is almost irresistible. If the reinforcing culture is toxic, it becomes systematically corrupted and corrupts the people within it. Like racism, sexism, political ideologies, and success-at-all-costs business, a corrupted culture drags everyone down with it. On the other hand, if the reinforcing culture is redemptive and healing and good (tov), it becomes systematically good. A tov church culture will instinctively heal, redeem, and restore."

-A Church called Tov, pg 17