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Embrace the Tension: Choosing the Radical Middle Instead of Picking a Side, By Tommy Nixon alt

Embrace the Tension

Choosing the Radical Middle Instead of Picking a Side

by Thomas Joel Nixon

Embrace the Tension
Ebook
  • Length: 168 pages
  • Published: September 15, 2026
  • Imprint: IVP
  • ISBN: 9781514011294
Other Formats:

Showing Up as a Healing Force in a Fractured World

In a world that's loud, divided, and constantly shifting, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, lost, or cynical. For many, finding a home between the right and the left can seem impossible. But what if this tension isn't something to escape but a space to grow into?

In Embrace the Tension, pastor and trusted ministry voice Tommy Nixon offers a pathway for those feeling untethered in today's divisive landscape. Nixon guides you on the "Radical Middle" pathway, a fresh framework with Jesus as the foundation for navigating complexity not with fear or nostalgia but with courage.

This book is your guide to pressing into the hard stuff, finding clarity in the chaos, and showing up as a healing force in a fractured world. It's not about going back or giving up but becoming who you were created to be.

This book is for you if you are

  • feeling politically or spiritually untethered, identifying with neither left nor the right,
  • searching for a better way to constructively engage with a divided world, or
  • eager to transform the tension you feel into a pathway for personal growth and positive change.

Embrace the Tension is your invitation to find your footing, press into the tension between extremes, and bring healing and light to the world around you. You can thrive in the Radical Middle.

REVIEWS

"Tommy Nixon writes with the trusted and passionate authority of someone who hasn't just studied the way of Jesus—he's lived it, tested it, and invited others into it for decades. In a world obsessed with left and right, Tommy points us to something far more enduring: the Jesus-centered, biblically fueled kingdom of love, justice, and hope. This book doesn't just inform; it calls us all forward."Kara Powell, chief of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary and coauthor of Future-Focused Church
"We all learn to live with varying degrees of tension, some cultures more than others. Tension brings to light everyday issues, both within and outside ourselves. Tommy Nixon presents a practical framework for addressing tension through Scripture. This modern interpretation of a journey of self-discovery is presented through the lens of an urban practitioner theologian. Embrace the Tension invites readers to join Tommy on this transformative journey to the radical middle of tension."Virginia Ward, cofounder of Wards of Wisdom Associates
"In these polarizing times, we desperately need to learn how to disagree well. Drawing from more than two decades of urban ministry experience, Tommy Nixon shows us how to do this—with Jesus at the center."Robert Chao Romero, associate professor in the department of Chicana/o and Central American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles
“What you are holding is a lived theology. For the past twenty-five years, I’ve had a front row seat to how Tommy Nixon has put the message of embodying the radical middle into practice. Embrace the Tension is a book for such a time as this!”Steve Carter, pastor and author of The Thing Beneath the Thing
“Tommy Nixon has been serving as a unifier in the Christian community for multiple decades and has a track record of collaboration and finding ways to serve a bigger purpose. He’s a humble voice calling us all to have a bigger vision, a kingdom mindset, and a generous spirit to work together.”Brad Lomenick, founder of BLINC and author of H3 Leadership and The Catalyst Leader
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Read an Excerpt

CONTENTS

Introduction: The Beginning of the Adventure

1. Enter the Radical Middle
2. This Is the Way
3. The Plains of Truth
4. The Depths of Nuance
5. The Caverns of Identity
6. The Switchbacks of Hypocrisy
7. The Heights of Purpose
8. The Valley of Compassion
9. The Mountaintops of Presence
10. Walking the Path Together

Acknowledgments
Notes

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ABOUT Tommy Nixon

Tommy Nixon is CEO of Urban Youth Workers Institute, empowering leaders to transform the next generation through the gospel. He is the host of The Radical Middle and The Future Is Here podcasts. He cofounded the nonprofit Solidarity, planted One Life City Church, and is a national voice in urban ministry and leadership. Tommy lives in Southern California with Rachael and their five kids.

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