Download or read book Faith Styles written by John R. Mabry and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2006-10-01 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A noted spiritual director suggests new ways of looking at how different people understand and relate to the divine. Explores the many styles of faith that characterize believers in all religions, examines the various modes of believing, and offers ways for spiritual directors to use this knowledge as they work with their clients. Includes illustrative case studies and practical suggestions for offering spiritual direction. The Spiritual Directors International Series – This book is part of a special series produced by Morehouse Publishing in cooperation with Spiritual Directors International (SDI), a global network of some 6,000 spiritual directors and members.
Download or read book Serving God with Style written by Ronald C. Williams and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2002-05-01 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every church is driven by its faith in God, and seeks to grow that faith by guiding its members toward fruitful ministry. But in the face of accelerating change, congregations often find themselves spinning their wheels, exerting great amounts of energy to little effect: the faith is willing, but, faced with uncertainties, the results are weak. How can faith be transformed into productive ministry? Ron Williams, a recognized expert in ministry organization and development, has observed that as individuals better understand their own behavioral tendencies when dealing with uncertainties and exercising their "faith styles," the more intentional - and thus, more productive - they will be. To that end, Williams has created the "Servant Resource Faith-Style Inventory" that congregations can use as a tool in training ministry volunteers, developing ministry teams, educating ministry leaders, developing Christ-centered work-ethic training, empowering Christians in the secular workplace, and other ministry development interventions. Deeply informed by evangelical faith yet useful in a broad variety of ministry settings and traditions, the Inventory provides a useful instrument for congregations which have found that other self-evaluation tools borrowed from secular sources do not meet the particular needs of Christian churches. Dynamic and personal in tone, and faith-based in the deepest sense, Serving God with Style will help every congregation enhance ministry effectiveness for the glory of God.
Download or read book Faith based Radicalism written by Christiane Timmerman and published by Peter Lang. This book was released on 2007 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Terror attacks against Western symbols of power, suicide terrorism in Chechnya, or bombing of abortion clinics in the United States: these are a few of the violent religious outbursts that the media never seem to stop broadcasting. While these outbursts are mostly linked to Islamic extremism, it should however be acknowledged that every religion has its own violent side. Despite all the events the media are too prompt to show us, it would be dishonest and insensible not to accept that every religion has also a potential for religious peace building and communal renewal. How, can it be explained then, that religions sometimes react violently against the society surrounding them by trying to overthrow it, while at some other times they willingly help and try to build a better world for everyone? The University Centre Saint-Ignatius Antwerp organised an interdisciplinary summer seminar in September 2005 and gathered senior scholars - all experts in their own fields - and junior scholars - who will be the experts of tomorrow - from all over the world, to discuss these burning issues. The seminar focused on miscellaneous topics all pointing towards the question of religion and society; like literalism and the Holy texts, the ambivalence of faith-based radicalism, the psychology of religion and terrorism, nationalism and religion and religious social movements. - Publisher.
Download or read book International Handbook of Education for Spirituality Care and Wellbeing written by Marian de Souza and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 1222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Acknowledging and understanding spiritual formation is vital in contemporary education. This book explores the dynamic relationship between education and wellbeing. It examines the theory underpinning the practice of education in different societies where spirituality and care are believed to be at the heart of all educational experiences. The book recognizes that, regardless of the context or type of educational experience, education is a caring activity in which the development of the whole person - body, mind and spirit - is a central aim for teachers and educators in both formal and informal learning. The chapters in this handbook present and discuss topics that focus on spirituality as an integral part of human experience and, consequently, essential to educational programs which aim to address personal and communal identity, foster resilience, empathy and compassion, and promote meaning and connectedness.
Download or read book The Psychology of Religion Fourth Edition written by Ralph W. Hood, Jr. and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2009-07-15 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholarly and comprehensive yet accessible, this state-of-the-science work is widely regarded as the definitive graduate-level psychology of religion text. The authors synthesize classic and contemporary empirical research on numerous different religious groups. Coverage includes religious thought, belief, and behavior across the lifespan; links between religion and biology; the forms and meaning of religious experience; the social psychology of religious organizations; and connections to morality, coping, mental health, and psychopathology. Every chapter features thought-provoking quotations and examples that bring key concepts to life. New to This Edition *Revised and updated with the latest theories, methods, and empirical findings.*Many new research examples.*Restructured with fewer chapters for better “fit” with a typical semester.*More attention to the differences between religion and spirituality*Covers emerging topics: genetics and neurobiology, positive psychology, atheism, and more.
Download or read book Style and Faith written by Geoffrey Hill and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2003-04-24 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seven essays on the moral life of literature and the moral burden of the poet seek to rescue key literary works from misinterpretation, in a collection that covers such texts as the Oxford English Dictionary, Tyndale's Bible, and poems by Henry Vaughan and T.S. Eliot. In this, his first collection of essays in more than a decade, Geoffrey Hill again returns to "the Enemy's country, " that fallen world where both scholarship and ignorance lie in ambush of Truth, to rescue inspired literature from misreading. His texts include the Oxford English Dictionary, Tyndale's Bible, and poems by Henry Vaughan and T. S. Eliot, as well the vast apparatus of opinion about them. Style and Faith--seven essays in the moral life of literature and the moral burden of the poet--will interest anyone who values precision and concision, and literary criticism in the service of the commonweal.
Download or read book Becoming a Contagious Christian written by Bill Hybels and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2008-09-09 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evangelism doesn't have to be frustrating or intimidating. Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg believe that effectively communicating our faith in Christ should be the most natural thing in the world. We just need encouragement and direction. In Becoming a Contagious Christian, Hybels and Mittelberg articulate the central principles that have helped the believers at Willow Creek Community Church become a church known around the world for its outstanding outreach to unchurched people. Based on the words of Jesus and flowing from the firsthand experiences of the authors, Becoming a Contagious Christian is a groundbreaking, personalized approach to relational evangelism. You will discover your own natural evangelism style, how to develop a contagious Christian character, to build spiritually strategic relationships, to direct conversations toward matters of faith, and to share biblical truths in everyday language. This landmark book presents a blueprint for starting a spiritual epidemic of hope and enthusiasm for spreading the Gospel.
Download or read book Spiritual Direction written by Sue Pickering and published by Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd. This book was released on 2008 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spirituality.
Download or read book Reimagining Christian Education written by Johannes M. Luetz and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-07-04 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an arresting interdisciplinary publication on Christian education, comprising works by leading scholars, professionals and practitioners from around the globe. It focuses on the integrated approaches to Christian education that are both theoretically sound and practically beneficial, and identifies innovative pedagogical methods and tools that have been field-tested and practice-approved. It discusses topics such as exploring programmes and courses through different lenses; learning challenges and opportunities within organisational management; theology of business; Christian models of teaching in different contexts; job preparedness; developing different interpretive or meaning-making frameworks for working with social justice, people with disability, non-profit community organisations and in developing country contexts. It offers graduate students, teachers, school administrators, organisational leaders, theologians, researchers and education practitioners a fresh and inspiring reimagining of Christian education perspectives and practices and the ramifications of their application to life-long learning.
Download or read book Engaging a New Generation written by Frank Mercadante and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2012-05-31 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Engaging a New Generation critically examines our commonly held assumptions as well as our often-used models and methodologies initially developed to reach late Baby Boomer and Generation X teens. It then introduces you to the core characteristics of the Millennial Generation teens and the pastoral implications, where the operational and ministerial borders are expanding far beyond traditional youth ministry. "This text fills a great need." -- Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson "If you want to help young people develop a vibrant, life-transforming faith, read this book!" -- John Roberto, LifelongFaith Associates "Engaging a New Generation is as much about vibrant parish faith as it is about our young people." -- Bishop Timothy Doherty, Lafayette, Indiana "A modern manifesto for reaching young people today." -- Jim Beckman, Director of Youth Evangelization and Leadership, Augustine Institute "Frank Mercadante's passion for the young Church and his commitment to a comprehensive approach to pastoral ministry is evident on every page." -- Bob McCarty, D.Min., Executive Director, National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry "This book comes from deep inside the field of youth ministry. It is theological, sociological, practical, pastoral, and scriptural." -- Dr. Mike Carotta, author, national consultant "This book is the most significant resource I have read, not only for youth ministry but for parish ministry, in the last ten years." --Peter Denio, Standards for Excellence Coordinator, The National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management "Frank Mercadante is in it to win it for today's teens." -- Randy Raus, Life Teen President/CEO "Masterfully and succinctly outlines some of the big shifts that have taken place within culture and the Church." -- Mike Patin, International Catholic Speaker and "Faith Horticulturist" "Whoever wants the next generation of Catholic youth the most will get them. Let Frank Mercadante show you how!" -- Matthew Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Rediscover Catholicism and founder of Dynamiccatholic.com "We as a Church often hope to reach today's young people with yesterday's approach - and then wonder why they don't respond. This book is a must read." -- Bob Rice, Speaker, Author, Musician, and Professor of Catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville "Clearly identifies these cultural shifts and shares important current research on youth and families." -- Jeffrey Kaster, Ed.D, Saint John's University School of Theology and Seminary, Collegeville
Download or read book The Hidden Lives of Congregations written by Israel Galindo and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2004-11-30 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faced with crisis, lack of direction, or just plain "stuckness," many congregations and their leaders are content to deal only with surface issues and symptoms—only to discover that the same problems keep recurring, often in different, and more serious, ways. In The Hidden Lives of Congregations, Christian educator and consultant Israel Galindo takes leaders below the surface of congregational life to provide a comprehensive, holistic look at the corporate nature of church relationships and the invisible dynamics at play. Informed by family systems theory and grounded in a wide-ranging ecclesiological understanding, Galindo unpacks clearly the factors of congregational lifespan, size, spirituality, and identity and shows how these work together to form the congregation’s hidden life. He provides useful tools for diagnosing and understanding how one’s congregation fits into the various categories he names and suggests what leadership skills are necessary to get beyond the impasse of surface issues and help the congregation achieve its mission. The Hidden Lives of Congregations provides one of the most far-reaching looks into the invisible nature of faith communities written in recent years. For seminaries and divinity schools, it provides a standard text for getting a solid start in congregational practices; for experienced pastors, it provides support for renewing ministry; for lay leaders and committees, it offers insight to deepening mutual ministry. Israel Galindo has written an indispensable manual that leaders will return to repeatedly for new wisdom and guidance
Download or read book Deconversion written by Heinz Streib and published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. This book was released on 2011-07-12 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents case studies and empirical data of a phenomenon which increasingly gains popularity in Western societies: deconversion. There is, the authors argue, no better word than deconversion to describe processes of disengagement from religious orientations because these have much in common with conversion. Termination of membership may eventually be the final step of deconversion, but it involves biographical and psychological dynamics which can and need to be reconstructed by qualitative approaches and analyzed by quantitative instruments.In the Bielefeld-based Cross-Cultural Study on Deconversion disengagement processes from a variety of religious backgrounds in the USA and in Germany were examined, ranging from well-established religious organizations to new religious and fundamentalist groups. Nearly 1,200 persons participated in thestudy and were interviewed from 2002 to 2005. In the focus of the study are 100 deconverts from the USA and from Germany who were examined with narrative interviews, faith development interviews and an extensive questionnaire. For case study elaboration, the study followed a research design with an innovative triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data. Four chapters, corresponding to four types of deconversion, present 21 case studies. The highlights of the research project are new data on spirituality – the deconverts in particular appear to prefer a »more spiritual than religious« self-identification – and in-depth analyses of a variety of deconversion narratives with special focus on personality factors, motivation, attitudes, religious development, psychological well-being and growth, religious fundamentalism and right-wing authoritarianism. The results of this project which was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft are of special relevance for counselling and pastoral care, for religious education and for people concerned with administration and management of religious groups and churches, but also for a wider audience interested in contemporary changes in the religious fields in the USA and Germany.
Download or read book Faith Beyond Belief written by Margaret Placentra Johnston and published by Quest Books. This book was released on 2012-09-25 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faith Beyond Belief gives a much-needed voice to the “good” people who have left their church but whose spirituality continues to mature. Johnston uses first-person stories as well as known spiritual authorities in describing various stages of religious growth. Some of these real-life accounts are by nonbelievers; others are by those among the growing numbers of the “spiritual but not religious.” All are thoughtful people with too much integrity to live what they consider a lie. The stories of the nonbelievers-including an ex-Catholic, a former Mormon, and a clandestine Muslim apostate who left his community after the attacks of 9/11-show how complete confidence in human reason can lead away from literal religious interpretation. But, while that step is a necessary one on the spiritual path, it is only intermediate. Her second set of stories are of people at the “mystic” level who can tolerate paradox and see truth and reality as multidimensional. Johnston’s book will help doubters to see things in a new light as well as those who are struggling to clarify their own spiritual vision. It also points beyond the atheist/believer controversy wrecking such divisive havoc in our culture today.
Download or read book Contagious Faith written by Mark Mittelberg and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contagious Faith will prepare you to share God's love with others in a way that's authentic, comfortable, and impactful. As disciples of Christ, we are called to share the gospel, but few of us are naturally comfortable with evangelism. We wrestle with internal fears, a lack of preparation, and the sense that reaching out to others might force us to act like someone we're not. What if we could find a way to talk about Jesus that fits our personalities, makes us feel confident, and ignites a fire in others? In Contagious Faith, bestselling author and teacher Mark Mittelberg introduces five approaches to evangelism and helps you determine which of them fit best with your unique personality and style: Friendship-Building Selfless-Serving Story-Sharing Reason-Giving Truth-Telling He also explains in a down-to-earth fashion several key skills that will help you talk about Jesus effectively, illustrating his message with real-life accounts of ordinary believers who applied these principles for extraordinary impact. With inspiring stories, fresh approaches, and timeless biblical wisdom, Contagious Faith will equip you to make a spiritual impact in the lives of the people around you—even in our increasingly resistant culture.
Download or read book Faith and Understanding written by Paul Helm and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 1997 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faith and Understanding is the first book-length study of the age-old effort to understand Christianity from both the sides of faith and reason, looking at the work done by such figures as Augustine, Anselm, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards.
Download or read book Reason to Believe written by Richard Purtill and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2009-09-03 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is religious belief reasonable? Of course the so-called New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, energetically say, "No!," Many others, including some believers, insist that faith is utterly beyond reasoned argument. Faith, they declare, is believing something that reason tells you can't be so. In this way they think they shield belief from rational criticism. But philosopher Richard Purtill will have none of that approach to religion. In this newly updated classic work, Purtill carefully applies the power of the mind to understanding whether there is a rational basis for certain religious beliefs. His focus is on widely held Christian beliefs, although much of what he says applies also to other religious traditions. Purtill assesses the common objections to religious belief the claims that religious tenets are nonsensical, wishful thinking, the result of gullibility, immoral, or refuted by modern discoveries. Then he considers the arguments in favor of Christian belief by studying the nature of faith, of the universe, of morality, of happiness, and the world with God in it. He also scrutinizes certain beliefs involving claims of Christian revelation — the credentials of revelation, the idea of God, Jesus as God's Son, organized religion, and the last things (death, judgment, heaven and hell). The two appendices tackle the Christian doctrine of the Atonement and the influence of certain Christian writers on the revival of Christian belief in the 20th century. An updated For Further Reading section is included. Reason to Believe is not a work of revealed theology or religious devotion; it is a highly readable book on the philosophy of religion, aimed at the reader who wants to think seriously about religion but who doesn't know all the philosophers' and theologians' jargon and who may or may not be a committed believer.
Download or read book Dare to Believe written by Becky Dvorak and published by Destiny Image Publishers. This book was released on 2012-02-21 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Empowered to Heal Where do sickness and disease come from, and what can we do about it? In this book, Becky Dvorak conveys a clear message from Scripture—human beings have been created in the mirror image of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we are a little lower than Elohim; and we’ve been given authority over satan and all of his works by the redeeming Blood of Jesus Christ. Dare to Believe traces sickness and disease from the Garden of Eden through the ascension of Christ and teaches you how to walk in divine healing and miracles. This book will equip the Body of Christ by showing how satan is the one responsible for sickness and disease—and Christians aren’t subject to the devil’s works! You will: Discover where sickness and disease originated from. Be equipped to walk in divine healings and miracles. Learn who you are in Christ and how to put your faith into action. Understand your authority over satan and all of his works, including sickness and disease. Learn how to use the ten faith principals that Jesus Christ put into practice when ministering to the sick. We can live in the manifest presence of God and create miracles if we dare to believe! Take the dare today!
