Download or read book Mere Churchianity written by Michael Spencer and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2010-06-01 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you left the church in search of Jesus? Studies show that one in four young adults claim no formal religious affiliation, and church leaders have long known that this generation is largely missing on Sunday morning. Hundreds of thousands of “church leavers” have had a mentor and pastor, however, in Michael Spencer, known to blog readers as the Internet Monk. Spencer guided a vast online congregation in its search for a more honest and more immediate practice of Christian faith. Spencer discovered the truth that church officials often miss, which is that many who leave the church do so in an attempt to find Jesus. For years on his blog Spencer showed de-churched readers how to practice their faith without the distractions of religious institutions. Sadly, he died in 2010. But now that his last message is available in Mere Churchianity, you can benefit from the biblical wisdom and compassionate teaching that always have been hallmarks of his ministry. With Mere Churchianity, Spencer’s writing will continue to point the disenchanted and dispossessed to a Jesus-shaped spirituality. And along the way, his teachings show how you can find others who will go with you on the journey.

Download or read book Churchianity Vs Christianity written by Anthony Bloom and published by SPCK Publishing. This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The expression "churchianity" was coined by C. S. Lewis. It is a word that describes the parable of Christ-or rather, the event-in which the Lord Jesus Christ pronounced his condemnation on the barren fig tree. Had it been barren, leafless, dead, Christ would not have condemned it. He might even have spoken a word of life and brought it into newness. But this tree stood there gloriously adorned with leaves, telling everyone around that that they could come up to it in order to find a harvest of ripe fruits. But there was nothing but leaves. The appearance was there; of reality, there was nothing. The words spoken by Christ are frightening: 'there will never be a fruit on your branches until the end of the world.'" In these nine talks, Metropolitan Anthony challenges us to move beyond mere "churchianity" to a true and living faith. He helps us to find our lofty calling in the familiar words of the creed, and he points to a path forward, both for individual believers and for our communities.

Download or read book Unchurching written by Richard Jacobson and published by . This book was released on 2016-07-12 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Millions of believers are currently leaving the organized church, without giving up their faith. Sadly, many are only defining themselves by what they don't do, as Christians who simply "don't go to church." It's time for these believers to catch a vision for genuine spiritual community, outside the walls of organized Christianity, a way of being the church without going to church. Unchurching: Christianity Without Churchianity will challenge everything you thought you knew about church. Unchurching boldly examines whether organized churches are even biblical. It thoroughly deconstructs the idea of special church buildings, paid pastors, weekly sermons, mandatory tithes and offerings, gender inequality in church leadership, and much more. Unchurching is intended to empower believers who are done with organized church but aren't ready to abandon their faith. It will give non-churchgoing Christians a vision for genuine spiritual community that simply functions like an extended spiritual family. And it will equip them with the language to finally articulate that vision to others. Here's what others are saying about Unchurching: "Lots of books that invite Christians to follow Jesus outside of the four walls of churchianity are filled with harsh judgment and criticism of how others 'do church.' But not this book! Unchurching by Richard Jacobson is full of love and grace. There is no judgment, condemnation, or guilt-casting of any kind. Beginning with the Trinity of God, Jacobson presents a grand vision of what the church can be and how we can truly have community as followers of Jesus. Read this book and be encouraged to take the next step of your journey!" Jeremy Myers, author and blogger at RedeemingGod.com "Unchurching: Christianity without Churchianity validates and empowers the rapidly growing number of people who are in the transition between traditional church and an informal community of disciples meeting outside the four walls of the church building. Richard Jacobson has been on both sides of this shift and is uniquely qualified to write about it-which he does well, with insight, humility, and scholarship. I especially valued his comments on the freedom that women have to do and be everything God is calling them to. Highly recommended." Felicity Dale: author, An Army of Ordinary People; co-author, Small is Big "Unchurching presents us with a picture of a church that is all about one person-Jesus. As I read this book I felt my pulse quicken and my heart leap for joy because everything Richard writes about is centered on, around, and in relation to the One who would rather die than live without us. Anyone who loves Jesus and who longs to take hold of Him in a gathering where He is the focal point will delight in this book. It's truly amazing what happens when we get out of the way and allow Jesus to take center stage. This book shows us what that can look like, if we are willing to let go of our traditions and embrace the living, breathing Christ who longs to share His life with us throughout eternity, starting right now!" Keith Giles, author of This Is My Body: Ekklesia As God Intended; author of Jesus Untangled

Download or read book Churchless Christianity written by Herbert E. Hoefer and published by William Carey Library. This book was released on 2001 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this book is to describe a fact and reflect upon it theologically. The fact is, there are thousands of people who believe solely in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior but who have no plans to be baptized or to join the local church. Churchless Christianity is based on research from the early 1980s among non-baptized believers in Christ in Tamil Nadu, India. This revised edition includes all the original text plus five additional chapters and a new foreword.

Download or read book Learning to Follow Jesus written by Daniel McNaughton and published by Morning Joy Media. This book was released on 2020-07-01 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: LEARNING TO FOLLOW JESUS will help you develop seven essential attributes of a disciple of Jesus Christ. You will learn how to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus by reading the Scripture passages, answering the questions, applying the attributes to your life, and sharing your journey with a spiritual coach.

Download or read book Church Shift written by Sunday Adelaja and published by Charisma Media. This book was released on 2008 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nigerian-born Adelaja, pastor of the largest charismatic church in Europe, shares his remarkable life story, including how he has overcome prejudice and persecution in predominantly white, Orthodox Ukraine, and how his church members influenced the regime change during the Orange Revolution in 2004.

Download or read book Quitting Church written by Julia Duin and published by Rosetta Books. This book was released on 2017-03-08 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Every pastor should read this. . . . Every believer who has ever despaired of church, been tempted to quit, or struggled with guilt over leaving should, too” (Rod Dreher). Americans still believe in God, but they are leaving the church in record numbers. Why are the faithful fleeing? Julia Duin, a veteran journalist and a Christian, has collected the research and added insights from interviews with disillusioned followers, as well as from her own story. In this engrossing account of churches in decline, Duin visits numerous churches and explores a number of factors underlying the social shift away from church: irrelevant teaching, the neglect of singles, the marginalization of women, and a lack of authentic spiritual power. She also journeys into house churches and emergent congregations. Duin’s careful analysis is sure to help church leaders and churchgoers examine how they might better serve their communities and create inviting spiritual homes for people of all kinds. “Engaging . . . as religion editor for the Washington Times, [Duin] is in her element marshaling statistics, interviewing authors and clergy, and commenting on the trend of faithful evangelicals who increasingly vote with their feet by leaving their churches.” —Publishers Weekly

Download or read book God s Only Gospel written by Moreno Dal Bello and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are so many different 'gospels' today, each presenting significantly different views about the Messiah (Who He is and what He has done), that clearly the questions which should be asked by everyone who professes to be a Christian (that is, a follower of Jesus Christ) are, "How will I know a false minister from a true one?" and "How can I know whether or not I have believed a false gospel or God's Gospel?" How is a man saved? How can we know if we are true Christians believing in the only Gospel that saves? What is God's only Gospel? Jesus Himself asked the religious leaders of His day, "...What think ye of Christ?..." (Matt. 22:42). These are vital questions about which every professing believer should be concerned. With all the lies that abound in our day concerning the Gospel and true salvation the question should not be whether we have faith but are we in THE Faith: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in THE Faith..." (2 Cor. 13:5).

Download or read book Fingerprints of Fire Footprints of Peace written by Noel Moules and published by John Hunt Publishing. This book was released on 2012-09-16 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christian spirituality with attitude. Fourteen provocative pictures, from Radical Mystic to Messianic Anarchist, that explore identity, destiny, values and activism

Download or read book Quit Church written by Chris Sonksen and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Let's face it. Church isn't working. We hear sermons about the abundant life Jesus promised, but how many of us are actually living it? How many of our churches are thriving? How many people in our congregations are experiencing God's blessings? Maybe it's time to call it quits. Quit church? Well, not exactly. Drawing from his experience coaching hundreds of churches toward true growth, Chris Sonksen calls on us to quit our casual, cultural commitment to church as we know it. No more half-hearted attempts to win the favor of God and other people by doing the right thing. No more doing things out of a sense of duty. Instead, Sonksen reveals the spiritual habits that release the blessings of God, both on each individual and on the church. He explains why we struggle to put these practices into action and gives practical solutions to move us forward into health, growth, and maturity.

Download or read book The Arena written by and published by . This book was released on 1890 with total page 834 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book I Will written by Thom S. Rainer and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2015-07-15 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now is the time to stand up and say, “I Will!”

Download or read book 3D Daily Dose of Discernment 2008 written by Kevin Everett FitzMaurice and published by FitzMaurice Publishers. This book was released on 2013-02-17 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Read this book to discover insight by practicing the discernment of sayings, to exercise your mind for greater openness, flexibility, and creativity, and to increase your mental capability by increasing your capacity for understanding, perception, and wisdom. This book is a collection of sayings for each day of the year, originally created in 2008, but the quotations remain appropriate and relevant for any year. The sayings cover various topics important to your emotional health, including psychotherapy, philosophy, psychological skills, General Semantics, Eastern psychology, Eastern philosophy, meditation, flow, identity, authenticity, responsibility, the nature of self, and social commentary. You will discover sayings useful to understanding Eastern thought and General Semantics. The agreement between General Semantics and Eastern philosophy is profound and illuminating, and understanding that agreement will deepen your understanding of both. You will find the sayings herein amusing, helpful, interesting, and thought-provoking. Enjoy!

Download or read book Complete Works of Swami Abhedananda written by Swami Abhedānanda and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 710 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book That Incredible Christian written by Aiden Wilson Tozer and published by Bromley, Kent : OM Publishing, 1989, reprinted 1991.. This book was released on 1989 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A carefully chosen selection of editorials from Tozer's time as editor of what is now the Alliance Life, with the common theme of recognizing God for who he is and giving him the honour and worship due to him. Tozer tells us that God intends for truth to move us to moral action, that the Holy Spirit is working to bring each believer into a spiritual development according to the Father's nature, and that anything that keeps us from the Bible, no matter how harmless it appears, is our enemy. He reminds us that while we may be in the world, we are not of this world. Each chapter will instruct those who seek to truly know and follow God, showing how heaven's children are to live on earth.

Download or read book When God Comes to Church written by Raymond C. Ortlund (Jr.) and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In "When God comes to church," Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. explores what the Bible teaches about revival. He explains what God can do to revive his people and what we must do to prepare ourselves for revival. Ortlund's conclusions provide solid guidance for church leaders and lay people who long for renewal and revival from God.

Download or read book Grand Theft Jesus written by Robert S. McElvaine and published by Broadway Books. This book was released on 2009 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "We're mad as Heaven, and we're not going to take it anymore!" declares historian Robert McElvaine in this passionate and often hilarious rallying cry for sincere Jesus followers. He lets us know that the extreme right wing won't be allowed to speak for all Christians any longer. This polemic blends outrage and humor to expose the televangelists and the leaders of megachurches as the people Jesus warned us about. The religion McElvaine calls ChristianityLite promises, "Be saved without sacrifice or good works!" Run by a crew of politicians, megachurch preachers, televangelists, hypocrites, and snake-oil salesmen, it has hijacked true Christianity and distorted it into something Jesus wouldn't recognize, a religion that advocates war and intolerance, values money above charity, preaches hatred instead of brotherhood, and promises "true" believers the keys to the gates of the kingdom of God--and to the bank.--From publisher description.