Download or read book The Continuing Conversion of the Church written by Darrell L. Guder and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2000-03-20 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Western society is now a very different, very difficult mission field. In such a situation, the mission of evangelism cannot succeed with an attitude of "business as usual." This volume builds a theology of evangelism that has its focus on the church itself. Darrell Guder shows that the church's missionary calling requires that the theology and practice of evangelism be fundamentally rethought and redirected, focused on the continuing evangelization of the church so that it can carry out its witness faithfully in today's world. In Part 1 Guder explores how, under the influence of reductionism and individualism, the church has historically moved away from a biblical theology of evangelism. Part 2 presents contemporary challenges to the church's evangelical ministry, especially those challenges that illustrate the church's need for continuing conversion. Part 3 discusses what a truly missional theology would mean for the church, including sweeping changes in its institutional structures and practices. Written for teachers, church leaders, and students of evangelism, this volume is vital reading for everyone engaged in mission work.
Download or read book The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert written by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Rosaria, by the standards of many, was living a very good life. She had a tenured position at a large university in a field for which she cared deeply. She owned two homes with her partner, in which they provided hospitality to students and activists that were looking to make a difference in the world. In the community, Rosaria was involved in volunteer work. At the university, she was a respected advisor of students and her department's curriculum. And then, in her late 30s, Rosaria encountered something that turned her world upside down -- the idea that Christianity, a religion that she had regarded as problematic and sometimes downright damaging, might be right about who God was. That idea seemed to fly in the face of the people and causes that she most loved. What follows is a story of what she describes as a train wreck at the hand of the supernatural. These are her secret thoughts about those events, written as only a reflective English professor could."--Back cover.
Download or read book Tilling the Church written by Richard Lennan and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2022-05-14 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tilling the Church is a theology for the pilgrim church. In this book, Richard Lennan shows how the ecclesial community looks toward the fullness of God’s reign but lives within the flux of history, the site of its relationship to the trinitarian God. In this way, God’s grace “tills” the church, constantly refreshing the tradition of faith and prompting the discipleship that embodies the gospel. Tilling the Church explores the possibilities for a more faithful, just, and creative church, one responsive to the movement of grace. Fruitful engagement with grace requires the church’s conversion, the ongoing formation of a community whose words and actions reflect the hope that grace engenders.
Download or read book The Conversion of the Church written by Samuel M. Shoemaker and published by carl (tuchy) palmieri. This book was released on 2009-01-05 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A down to earth yet powerful expression of the true meaning of Fellowship. working with people on the basis of absolute love and honesty
Download or read book A Life of Conversion written by Derek Rotty and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2019-09-13 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.” — Matthew 9:9 Conversion. The word is often associated with a one-time event, such as the call of Saint Matthew. But even for Matthew, that call was only the beginning, the moment when he started following Jesus. For Matthew, as for all the saints, his conversion lasted a lifetime. Real conversion — repentance and turning toward God — is a process that happens daily. It is our continual "yes" to the Lord and the grace he offers us. In A Life of Conversion, Derek Rotty walks through eight Gospel passages that reveal essential lessons about conversion. Through these stories from Scripture, you will encounter Christ again and again, and, with him as your model, you’ll be drawn into a deeper relationship with the master of conversion. Each chapter includes reflection questions that are perfect for both individual and group study. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Derek Rotty is a husband and father. For more than a decade, he has ministered in Catholic parishes, helping children, teens, and adults find deeper encounters and relationships with Jesus. He currently serves as Director of Evangelization and Discipleship at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Jackson, Tennessee. He has written for The Catechetical Review, Crisis Magazine, Catholic Exchange, and the West Tennessee Catholic. To learn more, visit www.derekrotty.com.
Download or read book Born Fundamentalist Born Again Catholic written by David Currie and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2009-09-03 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Currie was raised in a devout Christian family whose father was a fundamentalist preacher and both parents teachers at Moody Bible Institute. Currie's whole upbringing was immersed in the life of fundamentalist Protestantism - theology professors, seminary presidents and founders of evangelical mission agencies were frequent guests at his family dinner table. Currie received a degree from Trinity International University and studied in the Masters of Divinity program. This book was written as an explanation to his fundamentalist and evangelical friends and family about why he became a Roman Catholic. Currie presents a very lucid, systematic and intelligible account of the reasons for his conversion to the ancient Church that Christ founded. He gives a detailed discussion of the important theological and doctrinal beliefs Catholic and evangelicals hold in common, as well as the key doctrines that separate us, particularly the Eucharist, the Pope, and Mary.
Download or read book A History of Christian Conversion written by David W. Kling and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conversion has played a central role in the history of Christianity. In this first in-depth and wide-ranging narrative history, David Kling examines the dynamic of turning to the Christian faith by individuals, families, and people groups. Global in reach, the narrative progresses from early Christian beginnings in the Roman world to Christianity's expansion into Europe, the Americas, China, India, and Africa. Conversion is often associated with a particular strand of modern Christianity (evangelical) and a particular type of experience (sudden, overwhelming). However, when examined over two millennia, it emerges as a phenomenon far more complex than any one-dimensional profile would suggest. No single, unitary paradigm defines conversion and no easily explicable process accounts for why people convert to Christianity. Rather, a multiplicity of factors-historical, personal, social, geographical, theological, psychological, and cultural-shape the converting process. A History of Christian Conversion not only narrates the conversions of select individuals and peoples, it also engages current theories and models to explain conversion, and examines recurring themes in the conversion process: divine presence, gender and the body, agency and motivation, testimony and memory, group- and self-identity, "authentic" and "nominal" conversion, and modes of communication. Accessible to scholars, students, and those with a general interest in conversion, Kling's book is the most satisfying and comprehensive account of conversion in Christian history to date; this major work will become a standard must-read in conversion studies.
Download or read book A History of Christian Conversion written by David W. Kling and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 853 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conversion has played a central role in the history of Christianity. In this first in-depth and wide-ranging narrative history, David Kling examines the dynamic of turning to the Christian faith by individuals, families, and people groups. Global in reach, the narrative progresses from early Christian beginnings in the Roman world to Christianity's expansion into Europe, the Americas, China, India, and Africa. Conversion is often associated with a particular strand of modern Christianity (evangelical) and a particular type of experience (sudden, overwhelming). However, when examined over two millennia, it emerges as a phenomenon far more complex than any one-dimensional profile would suggest. No single, unitary paradigm defines conversion and no easily explicable process accounts for why people convert to Christianity. Rather, a multiplicity of factors-historical, personal, social, geographical, theological, psychological, and cultural-shape the converting process. A History of Christian Conversion not only narrates the conversions of select individuals and peoples, it also engages current theories and models to explain conversion, and examines recurring themes in the conversion process: divine presence, gender and the body, agency and motivation, testimony and memory, group- and self-identity, "authentic" and "nominal" conversion, and modes of communication. Accessible to scholars, students, and those with a general interest in conversion, Kling's book is the most satisfying and comprehensive account of conversion in Christian history to date; this major work will become a standard must-read in conversion studies.
Download or read book Ongoing Conversion From Good to Better written by Fr. Henry J. Charles and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2014 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a compilation of homilies of Fr. Henry Charles composed and delivered over a period of at least twenty years. The homilies were written out and were eventually typed up and it is possible that Fr. Henry had himself thought about publishing them, though we do not know this for sure. While many persons were privileged to receive emailed copies and others actually heard his preaching, the homilies were thought to be deserving of a wider audience. The underlying message of his preaching is that discipleship of Jesus Christ requires not only the grace of faith but also demands perseverance, courage and discipline, critical elements of the process he terms "ongoing conversion." In addition, Fr. Henry advocates moral excellence, not settling for the merely moderate or the mediocre, but striving always to "be perfect." Fr. Henry faces up to and wrestles with the "perplexities" of the Gospel and he believed that one of the keys to overcoming these is an appreciation of its many paradoxes and that as a consequence, we are required to see things from a different perspective, not as we are normally inclined to see them, but as God sees them. The homilies have been arranged thematically On God; On Jesus; What Jesus Calls Us To Be; What Jesus Calls Us To Do; Faith; Hope; Love; Loss, Suffering, Death and Heaven; Virtues and Vices; Human Dignity; Spirituality; Church, Liturgy and Ritual and Culture Society and Leadership. There is of course considerable overlap among the various themes. The subjects he refers to and the examples he gives are contemporary and relevant, not only to a Caribbean audience, but we think to audiences globally. The style is informal and conversational for the most part and this quality of the writing has been maintained. The homilies have been edited for clarity and for obvious errors and omissions in the transcripts, and some have been retitled, but they have otherwise been reproduced and stand as he wrote them.
Download or read book The Joy of the Gospel written by Pope Francis and published by Image. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
Download or read book The Conversion Experience written by Donald L. Gelpi and published by Paulist Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using reflections, exercises, and suggestions for prayer and group sharing, this practical book explores five forms of conversion, the seven dynamics that structure the process and the significance for conversion of sacramental worship.
Download or read book Good News Bad News written by C. John Mccloskey and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2011-04-26 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fr. John McCloskey has become a famous "convert maker" in the powerful corridors close to the White House. Having run the Catholic Information Center in the heart of Washington, DC from 1998 to 2004, McCloskey had direct contact with numerous well-known and lesser-known Washington figures. Among well-known Catholic converts instructed by Fr. McCloskey are Senator Sam Brownback, publisher Alfred Regnery, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, journalist Robert Novak and many others. This work is a joint effort of McCloskey and Russell Shaw, the widely read Catholic author, speaker, and former communications director for the U.S. bishops. Drawing on moving, firsthand accounts of conversions, this book combines personal testimony, solid theology, and effective methods of communicating the Catholic Faith. From personal experience, I can testify that Father C. John McCloskey is one of America's great Catholic evangelizers. This book is a unique, fascinating guide of how and why to convert, and it should be must reading for all Catholics. -Robert D. Novak, Syndicated Columnist Mr. Shaw and Fr. McCloskey have written a book about repentance, recovery, conversion, and joy. I recommend it because I have experienced it through Jesus, my Savior. -Lawrence Kudlow, Host CNBC's "Kudlow & Company" Through their friendship and their family life, Catholics converted the Roman Empire, on person at a time. This book shows you how it was done-and how it's still done today. It's a book that can change the world all over again. -Scott Hahn, author Rome Sweet Home This book ranks with Karl Stern's Pillar of Fire and Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain as an indispensable spiritual road map for the perplexed, the sorely bent and the broken.I know: Father John McCloskey was my Virgil, guiding me gently and lovingly through the terrifying jungle of secular success to a place of infinite surcease - God's grace. -Dr. Bernard Nathanson, Pro-Life activist and author Fr. C.J. McCloskey and Russell Shaw are themselves incomparavle evangelists and apologists of the Curch. They are compelling writers. All should study them. -Lewis E.Lehrman, 2005 winner of the National Humanities Medal No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, pick this book up and be transformed both inside and out. -Raymond Arroyo, EWTN News Director and New York times bestselling author When it comes to leading people into full communion with the Catholic Church, Fulton J. Sheen was the John McCloskey of his day. -Robert P. George, Princeton University This book is calling all Catholics to share the gift of faith and shows them how to do so with winsome joy. -Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, Editor-In-chief of First Things Articulate and provocative. This is an important book we all need to read. -Bowie Kuhn, Former Commissioner of Professional Baseball. "There is no more articulate believer in the power and majesty of the Catholic Church than Fr. C. J. McCloskey. Any sincere searcher for Truth who is attracted to Christian--particularly Catholic--faith, will want to read this book. Agree or disagree with Fr. McClosky's unequivocal perspectives, his assertive witness provides much food for thought." -Wesley J. Smith Senior fellow, Discovery Institute and author of Culture of Death: The Assault on Medical Ethics in America. I've often wished that the call to Christian witness could come wi
Download or read book Converting Witness written by John G. Flett and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-06-05 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building on the work and legacy of Darrell L. Guder, Converting Witness: The Future of Christian Mission in the New Millennium, explores key questions and new possibilities in missiology in light of the world Christian context. The conversation around missional theology and the missional church has examined the gap between theology and mission with the intent of fostering renewal within North American Christianity. But this can only fully occur in relation to the reality of world Christianities and the framing significance of global cultural diversity. Many of the classic categories and methods—such as church planting, catholicity, and even the term “world Christianity” itself—are in need of fresh examination and thoughtful analysis. The contributors to this volume address a range of important missiological topics, including globalization, interfaith dialogue, integral mission, intercultural hermeneutics, and church practices.
Download or read book From Fire by Water written by Sohrab Ahmari and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sohrab Ahmari was a teenager living under the Iranian ayatollahs when he decided that there is no God. Nearly two decades later, he would be received into the Roman Catholic Church. In From Fire, by Water, he recounts this unlikely passage, from the strident Marxism and atheism of a youth misspent on both sides of the Atlantic to a moral and spiritual awakening prompted by the Mass. At once a young intellectual’s finely crafted self-portrait and a life story at the intersection of the great ideas and events of our time, the book marks the debut of a compelling new Catholic voice.
Download or read book Conversion and Discipleship written by Bill Hull and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2016-01-12 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discipleship occurs when someone answers the call to learn from Jesus how to live his or her life as though Jesus were living it. The end result is that the disciple becomes the kind of person who naturally does what Jesus did. How the church understands salvation and the gospel is the key to recovering a biblical theology of discipleship. Our doctrines of grace and salvation, in some cases, actually prevent us from creating an expectation that we are to be disciples of Jesus. A person can profess to be a Christian and yet still live under the impression that they don’t need to actually follow Jesus. Being a follower is seen as an optional add-on, not a requirement. It is a choice, not a demand. Being a Christian today has no connection with the biblical idea that we are formed into the image of Christ. In this ground-breaking new book, pastor and author Bill Hull shows why our existing models of evangelism and discipleship fail to actually produce followers of Jesus. He looks at the importance of recovering a robust view of the gospel and taking seriously the connection between conversion—answering the call to follow Jesus—and discipleship—living like the one we claim to follow.
Download or read book Evangelical Is Not Enough written by Thomas Howard and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2011-03-18 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this deeply moving narrative, Thomas Howard describes his pilgrimage from Evangelicalism (which he loves and reveres as the religion of his youth) to liturgical Christianity. He soon afterward became a Roman Catholic. He describes Evangelicalism with great sympathy and then examines more formal, liturgical worship with the freshness of someone discovering for the first time what his soul had always hungered for. This is a book of apologetics without polemics. Non-Catholics will gain an appreciation of the formal and liturgical side of Catholicism. Catholics will see with fresh eyes the beauty of their tradition. Worship, prayer, the Blessed Virgin, the Mass, and the liturgical year are taken one after the other, and what may have seemed routine and repetitive suddenly comes to life under the enchanting wand of Howard's beautiful prose. Howard unfolds for us just what occurs in the vision and imagination of a Christian who, nurtured in the earnestness of Protestant Evangelicalism, finds himself yearning for "whatever-it-is" that has been there in the Church for 2000 years. It traces Howard's soul-searching and shows why he believes the practices of the liturgical Church are an invaluable aid for any Christian's spiritual life. Reminiscent of the style and scope of Newman, Lewis and Knox, this book is destined to be a classic. "The question, What is the Church? becomes, finally, intractable; and one finds oneself unable to offer any very telling reasons why the phrase 'one, holy, catholic, and apostolic', is to be understood in any other than the way in which it was understood for 1500 years." -- Thomas Howard
Download or read book On Evangelization in the Modern World written by Catholic Church. Pope (1963-1978 : Paul VI) and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
