Ben Wright

The predominant religion in many parts of the world today is expressive individualism. It shapes the religious intuitions of our non-Christian neighbors, our children, and even ourselves in the church. Understanding expressive individualism and how it has impacted the church is crucial for pastoral ministry. Table of Contents Editor's Note Introducing Expressive IndividualismWhy Pastors Need to Understand an Abstract Topic Like "Expressive Individualism" by Justin HarrisDo 9Marks Churches Foster Expressive Individualism? by Ben WrightSummary of Carl Trueman's, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution by John BentonBook Review: Carl Trueman's Strange New World reviewed by Allen DutyHow Do We Find Our Identity in Christ? - An excerpt from Brian Brosner's How to Find Yourself Expressive Individualism and the ChurchExpressive Individualism and the Church by Carl TruemanPreaching in the Age of Expressive Individualism: Telling the Story of Our New Identity by Michael LawrencePastoring Singles in the Age of Self by Sam AllberryYouth Ministry and the Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Walt MuellerYou're a Pastor, Not a Therapist by Jeremy PierreChurch Discipline and Expressive Individualism by Jonathan ParnellThe Ordinances: A True and Better Identity Politics by Bobby JamiesonRaising Children in an Age of Expressive Individualism by Abigail DoddsThe Pastor and an Unmessianic Sense of Non Destiny by Carl Trueman Expressive Individualism and the Internet"You've Got Self: " How the Internet Cultivates Expressive Individualism in All of Us by Samuel D. JamesSocial Media Is Designed to Divide Churches-So What Do We Do? by Clare Morell Gender, Sexuality, and Expressive IndividualismQuestions about Gender Should Send Us to Scripture by Tom SchreinerIf You Want to Address LGBTQ, Address Expressive Individualism by Ryan FullertonExpressive Individualism, Embodied Telos, and How to Be an Anti-Winfrey by Andrew Walker Elder Meditation: An Elder Must Not Be QuarrelsomeAre You Principles or Just a Contentious Jerk? by Paul MartinAre You Contending for the Truth or Quarrelsome? by Paul AlexanderWhat Does Proverbes Teach about Being Quarrelsome? by Mark RedfernWhat Does Paul Mean by Quarrelsome? by Will McKinneyHow Do We Recognize Quarrelsome People? by Nathan LoudinWhat Is the Root of Quarrelsomeness and How Does It Get Fixed? by David Dunham About 9MarksAt 9Marks, we help pastors, future pastors, and church members see what a biblical church looks like, and help them take practical steps toward becoming one. We believe every local church should be characterized by expository preaching, biblical theology, a biblical understanding of the gospel and of conversion, biblical evangelism, church membership, church discipline, discipleship, and a biblical model of leadership. In order to inform and influence churches, 9Marks creates a wide variety of practical resources including books, articles, podcasts, book reviews, and a quarterly Journal. We also host regular events around the world-almost all of them geared toward equipping and encouraging pastors.

Ben Wright's Bonds of Salvation demonstrates how religion structured the possibilities and limitations of American abolitionism during the early years of the republic. From the American Revolution through the eruption of schisms in the three largest Protestant denominations in the 1840s, this comprehensive work lays bare the social and religious divides that culminated in secession and civil war. Historians often emphasize status anxieties, market changes, biracial cooperation, and political maneuvering as primary forces in the evolution of slavery in the United States. Wright instead foregrounds the pivotal role religion played in shaping the ideological contours of the early abolitionist movement. Wright first examines the ideological distinctions between religious conversion and purification in the aftermath of the Revolution, when a small number of white Christians contended that the nation must purify itself from slavery before it could fulfill its religious destiny. Most white Christians disagreed, focusing on visions of spiritual salvation over the practical goal of emancipation. To expand salvation to all, they created new denominations equipped to carry the gospel across the American continent and eventually all over the globe. These denominations established numerous reform organizations, collectively known as the ""benevolent empire,"" to reckon with the problem of slavery. One affiliated group, the American Colonization Society (ACS), worked to end slavery and secure white supremacy by promising salvation for Africa and redemption for the United States. Yet the ACS and its efforts drew strong objections. Proslavery prophets transformed expectations of expanded salvation into a formidable antiabolitionist weapon, framing the ACS's proponents as enemies of national unity. Abolitionist assertions that enslavers could not serve as agents of salvation sapped the most potent force in American nationalism Christianity and led to schisms within the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist churches. These divides exacerbated sectional hostilities and sent the nation farther down the path to secession and war. Wright's provocative analysis reveals that visions of salvation both created and almost destroyed the American nation.

Britain's first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, smuggled wine up the Thames with the help of the Navy. Tony Blair confessed that a stiff drink and half a bottle of wine a night had become a helpful crutch while in office. Joseph Stalin flushed out traitors with vodka. The disintegration of Richard Nixon and Boris Yeltsin was largely down to drink. Winston Churchill was famous for his drinking, often taking a whisky and soda first thing in the morning and champagne ritually with dinner. But why did these politicians drink and what was their tipple of choice? How did drinking shape the decisions they made? Ben Wright, political correspondent for the BBC, explores the history of alcohol within politics, from the debauched drinking practices of eighteenth-century ministers to today, often based on his own experiences supping with politicians in Westminster bars. With exclusive interviews and in-depth research, Order, Order! uses alcohol as a lens through which to meet a remarkable cast of politicians, to understand their times and discover what drove them to drink. A story of boozy bon viveurs - but with many casualties too - and the complexity of the human condition and the pull of the bottle.

One of golf's preeminent commentators with more than fifty years of experience, Ben Wright relates the wealth of experiences he's gained from writing and broadcasting about the world's greatest golfers and courses, and his take on the infamous interview that cost him his twenty-three-year career as a golf announcer with CBS Sports. In Good Bounces and Bad Lies, Wright brings the reader into the world of professional golf—and professional golf broadcasting—depicting in equal measure the game's grace and tradition as well as its often raucous behind-the-scenes character. Wright tells of the ups and downs of his expansive career, relating dozens of funny and outrageous anecdotes along the way. Having known such greats as Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, and many other prominent figures in the world of golf, Wright gives the true insider's perspective. Although controversial, Wright is an entertaining and engaging figure who personifies the elegance and audacity of the game of golf. This Bison Books edition features a new afterword by the author.