Download or read book Theology and Joy written by Juergen Moltmann and published by SCM Press. This book was released on 2013-08-13 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this provocative study, Dr Moltmann develops his interest in political theology with particular reference to the questions of liberation, joy and the glory of God. How, he asks, can we laugh and rejoice when there are still so many tears to be wiped away and when new tears are being added every day? He cites the recent musical Fiddler on the Roof. Are the Jewish congregation here singing just to forget, or is there really such a thing as freedom in the midst of slavery, joy in the midst of suffering ? The rest of his extended essay investigates the possibility that in playing we can anticipate our liberation and with laughter rid ourselves of the bonds which alienate us from real life. David Jenkins, who writes an extended introduction and comment, takes up two points from Dr Moltmann's work. Moltmann argues that instead of using God to enjoy the world, men can now use the world to enjoy God. Furthermore, this development liberates the concept of 'God' to become what it really is, free and sovereign, instead of an idea enmeshed in our own plans and purposes.
Download or read book A Theology of Joy written by Matthew Everhard and published by Jesociety Press. This book was released on 2018-04-27 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The quest for joy is as universal as it is elusive. Happiness is that which all human beings desire; yet only few ever discover it in deeply personal and lasting experiences. Among the theologians and philosophers who sought to apprehend a personal experience of joy, the great colonial thinker Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) stands out as a brilliant voice from the past, speaking boldly on what constitutes the true nature of joy, as well as identifying the sad and deceiving counterfeits to real happiness. In A Theology of Joy: Jonathan Edwards and Eternal Happiness in the Holy Trinity, Reformed pastor and Edwards scholar Matthew Everhard studies the primary works of the puritan sage, combing through his many sermons, manuscripts, and major treatises to uncover and systematize the primary concepts, images, and motifs related to joy. This book works through such important pieces as Edwards' The Religious Affections, The End for Which God Created the World, and The Miscellanies; as well as some of Edwards lesser-known writings such as his "Treatise on Grace" and his "Essay on the Trinity." These literature studies identify important strands of Edwards' public teaching and private musings on the concept of happiness. As the book progresses, Everhard begins to group together Edwards' thoughts on joy and happiness into several major categories; especially as they relate to the doctrine of the Trinity, salvation, the holy life, and the believer's final estate in Heaven. Concluding the study, Everhard makes several practical applications that are especially relevant to ministers of the gospel, as well as to all Christians generally.
Download or read book Joy and Human Flourishing written by Miroslav Volf and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2015-11-01 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joy is crucial to human life and central to God’s relationship to the world, yet it is remarkably absent from contemporary theology and, increasingly, from our own lives! This collection remedies this situation by considering the import of joy on human flourishing. These essays—written by experts in systematic and pastoral theology, Christian ethics, and biblical studies—demonstrate the promise of joy to throw open new theological possibilities and cast fresh light on all dimensions of human life. With contributions from Jurgen Moltmann, N. T. Wright, Marianne Meye Thompson, Mary Clark Moschella, Charles Mathewes, and Miroslav Volf, this volume puts joy at the heart of Christian faith and life, exploring joy’s biblical, dogmatic, ecclesiological, and ethical dimensions in concert with close attention to the shifting tides of culture. Convinced of the need to offer to the world a compelling Christian vision of the good life, the authors treat the connections between joy and themes of creation, theodicy, politics, suffering, pastoral practice, eschatology, and more, driven by the conviction that vital relationship with the living God is integral to our fullest flourishing as human creatures.
Download or read book Prophetic Witnesses to Joy written by Juliet Mousseau and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2021-11-08 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A life of consecration prefigures what Christians hope for by calling into question the value of power, sexuality, and material possessions. Religious life challenges the idea that these things alone bring happiness and shows that we can be more fulfilled, happier, and more whole without being attached to them. Furthermore, detaching ourselves from these desires allows others to live with more dignity and greater ease, as well. Consecrated life, then, is a prophetic witness to the joy of the eschatological call of Christianity. In the words of Pope Francis to religious men and women leading up to the Year of Consecrated Religious, “Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living!”
Download or read book The Gravity of Joy written by Angela Williams Gorrell and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “My vocation was supposed to be joy, and I was speaking at funerals.” Shortly after being hired by Yale University to study joy, Angela Gorrell got word that a close family member had died by suicide. Less than a month later, she lost her father to a fatal opioid addiction and her nephew, only twenty-two years old, to sudden cardiac arrest. The theoretical joy she was researching at Yale suddenly felt shallow and distant—completely unattainable in the fog of grief she now found herself in. But joy was closer at hand than it seemed. As she began volunteering at a women’s maximum-security prison, she met people who suffered extensively yet still showed a tremendous capacity for joy. Talking with these women, many of whom had struggled with addiction and suicidal thoughts themselves, she realized: “Joy doesn’t obliterate grief. . . . Instead, joy has a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside sorrow and even—sometimes most especially—in the midst of suffering.” This is the story of Angela’s discovery of an authentic, grounded Christian joy. But even more, it is an invitation for others to seize upon this more resilient joy as a counteragent to the twenty-first-century epidemics of despair, addiction, and suicide—a call to action for communities that yearn to find joy and are willing to “walk together through the shadows” to find it.
Download or read book The Joy of Hearing written by Thomas R. Schreiner and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2021-11-17 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Join New Testament scholar Thomas Schreiner as he explores the meaning and purpose of the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation can feel more intimidating to read than other books of the Bible. It invites readers into a world that seems confusing and sometimes even strange: golden lampstands, seven seals, a dragon, and a rider on a white horse. But at its core, Revelation is a message of hope written to Christians facing hardship, and it's worth the effort to read it and understand it. In this first volume in the New Testament Theology series, trusted scholar Thomas Schreiner walks step-by-step through the book of Revelation, considering its many themes—the opposition believers face from the world; the need for perseverance; God as sovereign Creator, Judge, and Savior—as well as its symbolic imagery and historical context. The Joy of Hearing brings clarity to the content and message of Revelation and explores its relevance for the church today.
Download or read book Joy in Our Weakness written by Marva J. Dawn and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Neither a commentary on the book of Revelation nor a devotional work -- though it offers aspects of both -- Joy in Our Weakness is instead a theological and practical guide that ushers readers into the very presence of Christ and His Lordship over the powers of evil. Marva Dawn writes compassionately for those who suffer, for this book was born out of her own struggles with physical limitations and chronic illness, and it is intended to help the whole Church learn how to find Joy in every circumstance of life, especially in trials and sufferings. After outlining some important foundational principles in three introductory chapters, Dawn guides readers through the whole book of Revelation, pointing out the errors of those who try to calendarize the end of the world and instead delineating how The Revelation reveals Christ's Lordship, exposes the workings of the powers, and sustains those who suffer until evil is ultimately defeated. Now thoroughly revised for a wider readership, Joy in Our Weakness highlights The Revelation's original purpose -- to comfort afflicted, suffering believers -- and spells out a biblically grounded "theology of weakness," offering a rare gift to the Church today. A wealth of insight and encouragement truly awaits the reader of these pages. Book jacket.
Download or read book Happiness written by Randy Alcorn and published by NavPress. This book was released on 2015-09-17 with total page 575 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you ever wonder whether God even cares if we’re happy? This world can be so hard, and we aren’t promised an easy road. But that’s not the whole story. The Bible is filled with verses that prove that ours is a God who not only loves celebrations but also desperately wants his children to experience happiness. Why else would he go to the lengths he did to ensure our eternal happiness in his presence? We know that we will experience unimaginable joy and happiness in heaven, but that doesn’t mean we can’t also experience joy and happiness here on earth. In Happiness, noted theologian Randy Alcorn (bestselling author of Heaven) dispels centuries of misconceptions about happiness, including downright harmful ideas like the prosperity gospel, and provides indisputable proof that God not only wants us to be happy, he commands it. Randy covers questions like: How can I cultivate happiness in my life? What’s the difference between joy and happiness? Can good things become idols that steal our happiness? Is seeking happiness selfish? How can I achieve happiness through gratitude? What does it look like to receive God’s grace? The most definitive study on the subject of happiness to date, this book is a paradigm-shifting wake-up call for the church and Christians everywhere.
Download or read book Poetic Theology written by William A. Dyrness and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the poetics of everyday life ? What can they teach us about God? Art, music, dance, and writing can certainly be poetic, but so can such diverse pastimes as fishing, skiing, or attending sports events. Any and all activities that satisfy our fundamental need for play, for celebration, and for ritual, says William Dyrness, are inherently poetic and in Poetic Theology he demonstrates that all such activities are places where God is active in the world. All of humanity s creative efforts, Dyrness points out, testify to our intrinsic longing for joy and delight and our deep desire to connect with others, with the created order, and especially with the Creator. This desire is rooted in the presence and calling of God in and through the good creation. With extensive reflection on aesthetics in spirituality, worship, and community development, Dyrness s Poetic Theology will be useful for all who seek fresh and powerful new ways to communicate the gospel in contemporary society. William Dyrness s bold invitation to a poetic theology shaped by Scripture, tradition, and imagination one luring us toward a fuller participation in beauty than argument or concept alone allow reminds us that truth itself is beautiful to behold and poetic to the core. . . . If poetry is in its deepest reflex an intensification of life, then Dyrness s call for a poetic theology is one we ignore at our peril, reminding us that faithful living is not only about proper thinking but also and, perhaps, more properly about the texture of our living and the quality of our loving. Mark S. Burrows Andover Newton Theological School Makes a strong case for aesthetics as one of the avenues used by God to draw human beings near to him and his glory. . . . A wonderful journey through Reformed spirituality and a wake-up call for Reformed theology. Cornelius van der Kooi Free University, Amsterdam
Download or read book Theology of Play written by Jürgen Moltmann and published by HarperCollins Publishers. This book was released on 1972 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book For the Life of the World written by Miroslav Volf and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christianity Today 2020 Book Award (Award of Merit, Theology/Ethics) Outreach 2020 Recommended Resource of the Year (Theology and Biblical Studies) The question of what makes life worth living is more vital now than ever. In today's pluralistic, postsecular world, universal values are dismissed as mere matters of private opinion, and the question of what constitutes flourishing life--for ourselves, our neighbors, and the planet as a whole--is neglected in our universities, our churches, and our culture at large. Although we increasingly have technology to do almost anything, we have little sense of what is truly worth accomplishing. In this provocative new contribution to public theology, world-renowned theologian Miroslav Volf (named "America's New Public Intellectual" by Scot McKnight on his Jesus Creed blog) and Matthew Croasmun explain that the intellectual tools needed to rescue us from our present malaise and meet our new cultural challenge are the tools of theology. A renewal of theology is crucial to help us articulate compelling visions of the good life, find our way through the maze of contested questions of value, and answer the fundamental question of what makes life worth living.
Download or read book Joy for the World written by Greg Forster and published by Cultural Renewal. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering an antidote to the church's cultural irrelevance, this book helps us to cultivate and live out the joy of God as the key to having a transformative impact on the world.
Download or read book He s Where the Joy Is Bible Study Book written by Tara-Leigh Cobble and published by . This book was released on 2021-09 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this 7-session study, Tara-Leigh Cobble carefully and biblically pulls back the curtain to help you get a clearer view of the Trinity. You'll look at the Trinity as a whole and examine each of the Persons of God individually--Father, Son, and Spirit. You'll see how knowing God in His three-in-oneness transforms how you relate to Him. A richer understanding of who God is will begin to inform everything about the way you make peace with your past, live in the present, look to the future, and interact with others. What you learn about God will shape you for the rest of your life. He's waiting to delight you with who He is. Features: Personal study segments with homework to complete between 7 weeks of group sessions Leader helps to guide questions and discussions within small groups Weekly teaching videos, approximately 15-20 minutes per session, available for purchase or rent Audio clips, approximately 5-10 minutes each, corresponding with daily study Daily 7-week Bible reading plan Benefits: Learn about each Person of the Trinity of God, both their unity and diversity. Explore the various roles that each Person of the Trinity performs. Unpack theological truths about prayer and how we can commune with and talk to God. Understand how to apply the truth of who God is in the Trinity to your everyday life and how you can relate to Him.
Download or read book Remember Your Joy written by Melissa Kruger and published by . This book was released on 2021-04-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Joy A Bible Study on Philippians for Women written by Keri Folmar and published by . This book was released on 2012-06 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Bible study will not only bring the truths of Philippians to bear upon your life, but will also train you up for better, more effective study of any book of the Bible with consistent use of the three questions needed in all good Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application.
Download or read book For Your Joy written by John Piper and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evangelistic booklet that presents the Gospel of Christ by showing that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
Download or read book No Greater Joy written by Michael Pearl and published by No Greater Joy Ministries. This book was released on 1999-04 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To respond to the many letters that Michael and Debi Pearl received after publishing their first book, To Train Up a Child, they started the No Greater Joy magazine. No Greater Joy Volume Two includes articles from the first two years of publication and covers the subjects of rowdy boys, homeschooling, grief, and much more.
