Download or read book Lost Faith A Practical Theology for Post Christendom Minisitry written by Seth Bouchelle and published by . This book was released on 2020-06-08 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many people are lost in the sense that they are searching for something. They are searching for a home, for identity, for relationship, for love. They may have a feeling of emptiness and they do not know what to look for to fill it. Whatever it is Lost people are seeking, they have not discovered a way to find it. This searching quality is what makes them Lost, but it is also what qualifies them for discipleship. Seeking tends to make people good soil. It is my hope that, by the end of this work, you are better oriented and equipped to navigate life and ministry among the Lost in our post-Christendom Urban context, and that the thoughts and reflections contained here are a blessing to you and to God's church.
Download or read book For Life Abundant written by Dorothy C. Bass and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2008-04-29 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Bass and Dykstra have written extensively and collaboratively on Christian Practices, arguing that the what Christians have done faithfully over time constitutes a life-giving way of life, and that this living of Christianity is more primary to what it means to be Christian than doctrinal confession, that our confessions spring from faithful living rather than the other way around. This book contains numerous essays that take up the question of Christian Practices and ministry--the preparation of ministers, theological education, etc. in a post-Enlightenment understanding of the relationship of practice and head knowledge. Because the book is the result of a community conversation, it doesn't have a clear thesis, but it models its conviction that reflection on theology arises from community conversation around our life in discipleship together. An extremely helpful beginning to a conversation about ministry, practices of faith, clergy preparation, etc., as the time has come to integrate the kind of learning that comes in the classroom with the kind that only comes from living the faith with others"--Amazon.com.
Download or read book The Globalization of Christianity written by Gordon L. Heath and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2015-01-20 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While Christianity appears to be in decline in the West it is growing robustly in the global South. What does this mean for the Christianity that was once considered to be the religion of the West? The new contexts and trajectories require innovative responses and relevant theological reflection in the church. This volume addresses these changes through identifying and analyzing global shifts, highlighting practical innovations in the church that attempt to deal with new trajectories, and proposing theological positions intended to help face the issues and challenges of the twenty-first century. Contributors to this volume include Philip Jenkins (The Next Christendom, The New Faces of Christianity, God's Continent), Steven M. Studebaker, Gordon L. Heath, Bradley K. Broadhead, Christof Sauer, Lee Beach, Michael P. Knowles, Peter Althouse, Michael Wilkinson, John H. Issak, David K. Taurus, and Seongho Kang.
Download or read book Faith written by Gerrit Immink and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addressing faith as it is lived, rather than as a system of doctrine, F. Gerrit Immink emphasizes that having faith means more than assenting to certain opinions about God; it involves a dynamic relationship, or dialogue, with God. As he investigates the practice of faith, Immink holds together the poles of divine activity and human experience, external Word and indwelling Spirit. At its heart, this book is about God. How can faithful people speak about God and understand God's presence? Well versed in both philosophical analysis and the theological tradition, the author argues for an understanding of God as a speaking, acting person, genuinely experienced in faith. In so doing, he issues a compelling plea to reevaluate the theoretical foundations of practical theology. Applying his work particularly to the theories of preaching and pastoral care, Immink brings to bear insights garnered from years as an academic theologian, as the dean of a theological seminary, and as a minister. Scholars, ministers, and seminary students alike will benefit from his careful reflections on the Christian life of faith.
Download or read book Evangelism after Christendom written by Bryan Stone and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2007-03-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most people think of evangelism as something an individual does--one person talking to one or more other people about the gospel. Bryan Stone, however, argues that evangelism is the duty and call of the entire church as a body of witness. Evangelism after Christendom explores what it means to understand and put to work evangelism as a rich practice of the church, grounding evangelism in the stories of Israel, Jesus, and the Apostles. This thorough treatment is marked by an astute sensitivity to the ways in which Christian evangelism has in the past been practiced violently, intentionally or unintentionally. Pointing to exemplars both Protestant and Catholic, Stone shows pastors, professors, and students how evangelism can work nonviolently.
Download or read book Ministry on the Fireline written by Ray S. Anderson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-07-12 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The best theory for fighting fires comes from actually engaging in the battle against the flames," Ray Anderson writes. "For the thousands of pastors and church leaders who are on the 'firelines' of God's mission in the world, we need a theology that sings, even as it stings, igniting the mind and stirring the heart."In these pages, then, Anderson passionately sets forth a vision of the church's work and mission based on its birthday: Pentecost. At Pentecost, Christians were given the Holy Spirit in order to understand the incarnation and come alive to God. So this key event directs and empowers the church in its service to the world.In the light of Pentecost we learn that we can come to know God only in praxis -- truth discovered through action. In the process of elucidating this praxis, Anderson seeks to construct a theology that not only truly respects and aids ministers on the firelines, but will also heal the breach between Pentecostal and mainline church theology.
Download or read book Understanding Faith Formation written by Mark A. Maddix and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2020-10-27 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three leading Christian educators offer a survey of faith formation from various perspectives: biblical, theological, pastoral, practical, and global. They present a biblical theology of faith formation for individual and congregational life and show how faith can be formed through the life and mission of the local church through practices such as communal worship, Bible study, and mission. They also explore the faces of faith formation in multicultural and global contexts. The book includes practical exercises for those beginning in ministry and reflection questions.
Download or read book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome written by R. Kent Hughes and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2008-01-07 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view. This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome"-the misguided belief that success in ministry means increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seduced by the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But the authors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers but in several key areas: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts will encourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and lead them to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christian ministry. This book was originally published by Tyndale in 1987 and includes a new preface.
Download or read book Resilient Faith written by Gerald L. Sittser and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In our Western, post-Christendom society, much of Christianity's cultural power, privilege, and influence has eroded. But all is not lost, says bestselling author Gerald Sittser. Although the church is concerned and sobered by this cultural shift, it is also curious and teachable. Sittser shows how the early church offers wisdom for responding creatively to the West's increasing secularization. The early Christian movement was surprisingly influential and successful in the Roman world, and so different from its two main rivals--traditional religion and Judaism--that Rome identified it as a "third way." Early Christians immersed themselves in the empire without significant accommodation to or isolation from the culture. They confessed Jesus as Lord and formed disciples accordingly, which helped the church grow in numbers and influence. Sittser explores how Christians today can learn from this third way and respond faithfully, creatively, and winsomely to a world that sees Christianity as largely obsolete. Each chapter introduces historical figures, ancient texts, practices, and institutions to explain and explore the third way of the Jesus movement, which, surprising everyone, changed the world.
Download or read book Pentecostal Preaching and Ministry in Multicultural and Post Christian Canada written by Steven M. Studebaker and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2019-11-07 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past forty years, Canada has become an increasingly secular, multicultural, and religiously plural society. Indeed, the church in Canada, and Pentecostals in particular, face a challenging context for responding to the call to bear witness to Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Like the disciples on the day of Pentecost, however, we need the Holy Spirit to come upon us and liberate us from our post-Christian pessimism. We need the Holy Spirit to enable us to proclaim the gospel to the nations, people that are no longer at the ends of the earth, but making their home in Canada. This book engages this new context, and considers and proposes ways that pentecostal Christians and churches can respond to the challenges of the increasingly post-Christian, multicultural, secular, and religiously plural context of Canadian society.
Download or read book A Fundamental Practical Theology written by Don S. Browning and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 1995-12-01 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On congregational care, religious education, theological education, clinical pastoral education and church consultation.
Download or read book Exiles on Mission written by Paul S. Williams and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many Christians in the West sense that traditional Christian teaching is losing traction in the public square. What does faithful Christian witness look like in a post-Christian culture? Paul Williams, the CEO of one of the world's largest and oldest Bible societies, interprets the dissonance Christians often experience while trying to live out their faith in the 21st century. He provides constructive tools to help readers understand culture in myriad contexts and offer a missional response. Williams calls for a truly missional understanding of post-Christendom Christianity whereby local churches are reimagined as embassies of the kingdom of God and Christians serve as ambassadors in all spheres of life and work. This book invites readers to embrace the language of exile and imagine a hopeful mission of the scattered and gathered church in the post-Christian West. It shows a clear pathway for fruitful missional engagement for the whole people of God, helping Christians make sense of the world in which they live, more authentically integrate faith with everyday life, and orient all of their efforts within God's missional purpose for the world.
Download or read book Practicing Theology written by Miroslav Volf and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2001-10-26 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a time when academic theology often neglects the lived practices of the Christian community, this volume seeks to bring balance to the situation by showing the dynamic link between the task of theology and the practices of the Christian life. The work of thirteen first-rate theologians from several cultural and Christian perspectives, these informed and informative essays explore the relationship between Christian theology and practice in the daily lives of believers, in the ministry of Christian communities, and as a needed focus within Christian education. Contributors: Dorothy C. Bass Nancy Bedford Gilbert Bond Sarah Coakley Craig Dykstra Reinhard Hütter L. Gregory Jones Serene Jones Amy Plantinga Pauw Christine Pohl Kathryn Tanner Miroslav Volf Tammy Williams
Download or read book Making Faith sense written by Robert L. Kinast and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Making faith-sense is a new term for an ancient practice. It is what the early Christians called mystical or wisdom theology: understanding life in the light of God's participation recorded in the Gospels, recognizing the signs of God's presence in everyday events and shaping one's life accordingly. In Making Faith-Sense, Robert Kinast shows all who seek to unify their life experience around their belief in God how to follow that ancient practice. Drawing upon the award-winning process he has used with students for the ministry, Father Kinast explains how to make sense of family, work, and cultural experience from the perspective of Christian faith. Each chapter contains numerous real-life examples and practical guidelines that can be used privately or with a group.
Download or read book The Shape of Practical Theology written by Ray S. Anderson and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2001-01-31 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ray S. Anderson lays out a new and renewing theological foundation for engaging in Christian ministry. Illuminated by discussion and case studies, he shows how a biblically informed approach addresses real issues in Christ's power.
Download or read book Prodigal Christianity written by David E. Fitch and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An engaging and thoughtful book that guides readers into the frontiers of being a missional Christian Prodigal Christianity offers a down-to-earth, accessible, and yet provocative understanding of God's mission of redemption in the world, and how followers of Christ can participate in this work. It speaks into the discontent of all those who have exhausted conservative, liberal, and even emergent ways of being Christian and are looking for a new way forward. It offers building blocks for missional theology and practice that moves Christians into a gospel-centered way of life for our culture and our times. Offers a compelling and creative vision for North American Christians Puts forth a theology and ten critical signposts that must be observed to follow a missional way of life: post-Christendom, missio Dei, incarnation, witness, scripture, gospel, church, sexuality, justice, pluralism Asks questions and points to issues that trouble many leaders in the post-modern, post-denominational, post-Christendom church This book can fill the gap for the average Christian left discontented with the current options "after evangelicalism."
Download or read book A Practical Theology of Missions written by Eric E. Wright and published by Dayone C/O Grace Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the church's work of missions, and how should we carry it out? In this thorough study, Eric Wright roots missions solidly in the biblical text while giving modern, real-life examples of how missionary principles can be applied practically. He covers subjects such as missions and God's kingdom, the validity of mission boards, the role of providence, the necessary spiritual gifts, the multi-ethnic nature of ideal churches, how to avoid dependency, the priority of church planting versus humanitarian ministries, and short-term versus life-long missionary commitment. This book reverses the drift away from theology into pragmatics, without denying the importance of a dynamic methodology that responds to changing conditions. Regular snapshots of missionary life as it is being or has been played out in real situations ground the whole book in reality. Book jacket.
