Download or read book The Resilient Pastor written by Glenn Packiam and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2022-02-15 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can pastors become resilient in a rapidly changing world? Is it possible to love well and lead faithfully? In the wake of crises that have exposed and accelerated massive cultural shifts, we see more clearly the seismic shifts of post-Christendom, the surging storms of a new paganism and pluralism, and the scattered debris of the cultural aftermath. Drawing on new research from the Barna Group, Scripture, and church history, pastor, theologian, and researcher Glenn Packiam addresses some of the most pressing questions for today's leaders, including - What is a pastor's calling and vocation? - How do church leaders regain credibility in a disillusioned world? - How do church leaders cultivate a deeper life with God? - How do pastors develop meaningful relationships? - Why does the church gather in worship? Does it still matter if we do? - How do we actually make disciples in this new landscape? - How can we face the challenges to unity presented by nationalism and racism? - What is the church's mission in the world? - How do we welcome the presence and power of God in our churches? This book is for all who are burdened by the challenges facing the church as well as the turbulence of our times. With infographics, enlightening data, and insights from other ministry leaders, this book is the perfect resource for church leaders who want to cultivate resilience in their ministry today.

Download or read book The Christian Priest Today written by Arthur Michael Ramsey and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2012-01-20 with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of all the late Michael Ramsey's many books, The Christian Priest Today is perhaps the best loved and most enduring. In this new edition, the central part remains unaltered and is composed of charges to ordination candidates, with an emphasis on the intellectual and devotional life of the minister in an increasingly self-sufficient world. The first chapter has been rewritten and two new chapters added to incorporate recent alterations in the life of the Church: the ministry of the laity, the theology of priesthood, and the roles of bishop and presbyter in the context of the practical meaning of divine vocation.

Download or read book Finding Organic Church written by Frank Viola and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2009-09-15 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of Reimagining Church comes an essential guide that provides practical, effective tools for finding vibrant Christian communities. Driven by a passion for the body of Christ, Frank Viola has written some of today's most authoritative and celebrated works on the growing home, organic, and missional church movements. Now Viola shares practical keys to a healthy and successful church plant. Viola contends that many congregations today are struggling to survive, not because of bad planning, but poor planting. He presents an essential guide for starting and nourishing organic churches in any culture. Drawing from both Scripture and a wealth of experience, Viola offers real-world tools, insights, and practical suggestions so churches won't just grow, but thrive.

Download or read book Introducing Christian Mission Today written by Michael W. Goheen and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Goheen gives us a full-scale introduction to mission studies today in its biblical, theological and historical dimensions. Goheen covers the full horizon of major issues in mission, including its global, urban and holistic contexts. This text shows how the missional church encounters the pluralism of Western culture and global religions.

Download or read book The Christian Story written by Patricia Pongracz and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This colourful catalogue features paintings and statements by five leading contemporary Asian artists, Sawai Chinnawong (Thailand), He Qi (China), Nalini Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Nyoman Darsane (Bali) and Wisnu Sasongko (Thailand), which highlight the very different ways artists of diverse cultures today perceive Biblical tales. Over 40 new paintings are explored showing how the Judeo-Christian narrative has been adapted for both western and indigenous audiences. Though greatly influenced by regional and cultural traditions, many of these artists have also been exposed to western Judeo-Christian teachings, and it is this mixture of influences which is so striking in their work. The book considers the importance of these works to the development and exportation of Asian Biblical Art to the West and its reception, audience and patronage.

Download or read book The End of the Christian Life written by J. Todd Billings and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We're all going to die. Yet in our medically advanced, technological age, many of us see death as a distant reality--something that happens only at the end of a long life or to other people. In The End of the Christian Life, Todd Billings urges Christians to resist that view. Instead, he calls us to embrace our mortality in our daily life and faith. This is the journey of genuine discipleship, Billings says: following the crucified and resurrected Lord in a world of distraction and false hopes. Drawing on his experience as a professor and father living with incurable cancer, Billings offers a personal yet deeply theological account of the gospel's expansive hope for small, mortal creatures. Artfully weaving rich theology with powerful narrative, Billings writes for church leaders and laypeople alike. Whether we are young or old, reeling from loss or clinging to our own prosperity, this book challenges us to walk a strange but wondrous path: in the midst of joy and lament, to receive mortal limits as a gift, an opportunity to give ourselves over to the Lord of life.

Download or read book The Myth of a Christian Nation written by Gregory A. Boyd and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2009-05-18 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The church was established to serve the world with Christ-like love, not to rule the world. It is called to look like a corporate Jesus, dying on the cross for those who crucified him, not a religious version of Caesar. It is called to manifest the kingdom of the cross in contrast to the kingdom of the sword. Whenever the church has succeeded in gaining what most American evangelicals are now trying to get – political power – it has been disastrous both for the church and the culture. Whenever the church picks up the sword, it lays down the cross. The present activity of the religious right is destroying the heart and soul of the evangelical church and destroying its unique witness to the world. The church is to have a political voice, but we are to have it the way Jesus had it: by manifesting an alternative to the political, “power over,” way of doing life. We are to transform the world by being willing to suffer for others – exercising “power under,” not by getting our way in society – exercising “power over.”

Download or read book Suffering Glory written by Christianity Today and published by Lexham Press. This book was released on 2021-03-24 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reflections on the wonder of EasterSuffering & Glory recovers some of the best Holy Week and Easter articles from half a century of Christianity Today. Guiding readers from Palm Sunday to Pentecost and including contributions from Tish Harrison Warren, J. I. Packer, Nancy Guthrie, and Eugene Peterson, Suffering & Glory will remind readers of the beauty of Christ's death and resurrection.

Download or read book Jesus and John Wayne How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation written by Kristin Kobes Du Mez and published by Liveright Publishing. This book was released on 2020-06-23 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The “paradigm-influencing” book (Christianity Today) that is fundamentally transforming our understanding of white evangelicalism in America. Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism—or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.” As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Trump in fact represented the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values: patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community. A much-needed reexamination of perhaps the most influential subculture in this country, Jesus and John Wayne shows that, far from adhering to biblical principles, modern white evangelicals have remade their faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans.

Download or read book In the Presence of Jesus written by Paul Bane and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-10 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A 40-day journey to calm your restless, anxious thoughts and listen for the voice of Jesus. In the stress, noise, and activity of modern life, there is a way of finding inner peace and contentment. In the Presence of Jesus will help you learn to quiet your mind and focus your attention on the grace and love that is only available in God's presence. Deeply faithful to Scripture and infused with the truth of Christ's unwavering love on every page, In the Presence of Jesus is an easy-to-understand, step-by-step, daily guide that will empower you to transfer the truth of His everlasting love for you from your head to your heart. This 40-day journey will help you focus on the character of Jesus and open your spirit to His presence in your life. Every day, you'll experience: an invocation welcoming Christ's presence into your devotional time a personal note as if it were written by Jesus to you, drawn carefully from Scripture and opening your heart to the grace of Christ Bible verses to meditate on daily prayers, reflection activities, and blessings to help you focus on Christ's presence with you throughout your day. Awaken moment by moment to the presence of a loving God--and find peace for your mind and soul.

Download or read book Who Are the Christians in the Middle East written by Betty Jane Bailey and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2003-03-27 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Points of interest* Presents a unique outlook on the Middle East* Relevant to current events in the world* Useful for the study of religion, politics, and other fields

Download or read book Christianity and Power Politics Today written by E. Patterson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2008-03-03 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume aims to reconstruct and debate a contemporary Christian realist framework, while also applying such a perspective to the issues of contemporary politics such as the Bush Doctrine, the laws of war, democracy and democratization, U.S. participation in international institutions, and apocalyptic terrorism.

Download or read book Pointing to the Pasturelands written by J. I. Packer and published by Lexham Press. This book was released on 2021-11-10 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All theology is doxology. Anglican theologian J. I. Packer was one of the most widely respected Christian writers of the twentieth century. Author of over forty books and named one of the most influential evangelicals by Time magazine and the readers of Christianity Today, Packer's impact is immense. He was known for profound theological writing that was always lively and worshipful. Pointing to the Pasturelands recovers several decades of Packer's contributions to the pages of Christianity Today. This includes his editorial columns, longer articles, and brief answers to readers' theology questions. The book concludes with a profile of Packer from Mark A. Noll. Enjoy timeless insights from a man whose life was devoted to knowing God and making him known.

Download or read book Hipster Christianity written by Brett McCracken and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2010-08-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Insider twentysomething Christian journalist Brett McCracken has grown up in the evangelical Christian subculture and observed the recent shift away from the "stained glass and steeples" old guard of traditional Christianity to a more unorthodox, stylized 21st-century church. This change raises a big issue for the church in our postmodern world: the question of cool. The question is whether or not Christianity can be, should be, or is, in fact, cool. This probing book is about an emerging category of Christians McCracken calls "Christian hipsters"--the unlikely fusion of the American obsessions with worldly "cool" and otherworldly religion--an analysis of what they're about, why they exist, and what it all means for Christianity and the church's relevancy and hipness in today's youth-oriented culture.

Download or read book The Practice of Piety written by Lewis Bayly and published by . This book was released on 1669 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Discerning the Spirits written by Cornelius Plantinga and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2003-11-18 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christian worship in North America has undergone great change in recent years. But change always brings uncertainty -- at times even division -- about what constitutes "authentic worship." This important book reviews a wide variety of current perspectives and offers a fresh outlook on the contemporary practice of Christian worship. In order to provide the widest, most insightful discussion on present-day worship practices yet assembled, the authors gathered a team of church musicians, ministers, worship leaders, and educators from eight church traditions. Discerning the Spirits is the fruit of their work. Shaped by the wisdom of men and women like Marva Dawn, Justo Gonzalez, C. Michael Hawn, and John Witvliet, this book broadens today's "worship wars" into a bigger, richer discussion that moves from arguments over musical tastes to good thinking about the overall purpose of worship in relation to church life and God himself. Sidebar articles and quotes are meant to draw readers and study groups into dialogue on these issues. Whether one plays a leadership role in church worship or is simply grappling with questions about it, Discerning the Spirits is a must-read.

Download or read book Christian Existence Today written by Stanley Hauerwas and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stanley Hauerwas begins this volume with a vigorous response to the charge of sectarianism leveled against his work by James Gustafson, among others. "Show me where I am wrong about God, Jesus, the limits of liberalism, the nature of the virtues, or the doctrine of the church," Hauerwas replies to his critics, "but do not shortcut that task by calling me a sectarian."The essays that follow explore in a lucid, compelling, firm, and provocative way the church's nature, message, and ministry in the world. Hauerwas writes on the church as God's new language, on clerical character, on the pastor as prophet, on the ministry of the local congregation, on grace and public virtue, and on the relation of church and university.Underlying Hauerwas's argument is his conviction that "the most important knowledge Christian convictions involve, and there is much worth knowing for which Christians have no special claim, requires a transformation of the self. Christianity is no 'world view,' not a form of primitive metaphysics, that can be assessed in comparison to alternative 'world views.' Rather, Christians are people who remain convinced that the truthfulness of their beliefs must be demonstrated in their lives. There is a sense in which Christian convictions are self-referential, but the reference is not to propositions but to lives."