The Center

Centered Set Church by Mark Baker explores a new way of looking at church community that has a directional and relational basis of evaluation, where everything relates to the center rather than the line. The book moves past the more typical bounded and fuzzy set approaches. Baker suggests instead that a church community need not be defined by strict lines and rules, nor be completely without structure, but instead should be focused on a central figure, or idea. Baker uses set theory to examine how churches function and relate to one another and the outside world. Churches that are center focused avoid the problems of creating strict boundaries, and promote a more open community oriented around a shared purpose.

In 'Salvation by Allegiance Alone', Matthew Bates challenges traditional Protestant views of faith and works by arguing that salvation is best understood as allegiance to Jesus as the enthroned King. He emphasizes that faith involves not just mental assent but embodied loyalty, integrating good works into the concept of final salvation. Bates also critiques the 'ordo salutis' and advocates for a corporate understanding of election.