Download or read book The Jesus of Suburbia written by Mike Erre and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2006-10-08 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like the first-century Pharisees, we've reduced Christianity to a set of propositional beliefs. Truth is, we've gotten away from what it really means to be a Christian. In The Jesus of Suburbia, Mike Erre reveals that we've created a Jesus in our own image. In a fresh, startling manner, Erre helps us understand that the real Jesus is calling us to live, act, and think in ways that overturn the status quo. "Expect no sugar-coated sweetness about 'felt needs' and in-church coffee bars from Erre, pastor of teaching at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa, Calif. Expect instead compelling discussion of how the Christian church has lost sight of the revolutionary teaching and love of Jesus. 'Much of the message of American Christianity presents Jesus as the purveyor of the American Dream,' he says. American Christians, he claims, have reduced Jesus to a study of risk management; we want him to be 'predictable and safe.' Erre also uses the adjectives 'insecure, threatened, naive, simplistic, mean and shortsighted' to describe many of today's churches. He lambastes our love of theology instead of Jesus, our contentment with 'simply knowing about him instead of knowing him.' While this protest continues in the vein of other recent books that take a hard look at Jesus and the church (Jesus Mean and Wild; Out of Your Comfort Zone), it offers a fresh look at how the American church must begin 'demonstrating the message of Christ,' not merely explaining it. After all, says Erre, 'if you follow Jesus, you follow the most radical man who ever existed.'"--Publishers Weekly

Download or read book The Jesus of Suburbia written by Mike Erre and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2006 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Jesus of Suburbia paints a disturbing picture of an imitation Jesus many have been taught to worship, one that little resembles the revolutionary, life-transforming Jesus of Nazareth. It asks whether we want to be swept up by the real Jesus into a culture-impacting movement of God, or are we satisfied with merely living for comfort and financial success in the status quo?"--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book Jesus Saves written by Darcey Steinke and published by Grove/Atlantic, Inc.. This book was released on 2012-11-27 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From one of the most daring and sensuous young writers in America, Jesus Saves, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, is a suburban gothic that explores the sources of evil, confronts the dynamic shifts within theology, and traces the consequences of suburban alienation. Set in the modern launch pads of adolescent ritual, the strip malls and duplexes on the back side of suburbia, it’s the story of two girls: Ginger, a troubled minister’s daughter; and Sandy Patrick, who has been abducted from summer camp and now smiles from missing-child posters all over town. Layering the dreamscapes of Alice in Wonderland with the subculture of River’s Edge, Darcey Steinke’s Jesus Saves is an unforgettable passage through the depths of the literary imagination.

Download or read book Suburbianity written by Byron Forrest Yawn and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2013-04-01 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rick Warren famously wrote, “It’s not about you.” But much of the Western church seems to disagree, having settled for a self-centered message of personal fulfillment. With incisiveness and a passionate love for the church, pastor and author Byron Forrest Yawn offers a compelling call away from narcissism and back to the powerful and transforming gospel of Jesus. He shows the difference between... Sunday-morning life coaches selling self-help seminars, and preachers proclaiming God’s redemptive work through Christ promises of prosperity and comfort, and a realistic and helpful perspective on suffering escape from unbelievers and their godless world, and redemptive engagement with people As Byron exposes the false gospel of “suburbianity,” he offers readers a better alternative: to look beyond themselves and embrace God’s call to be His image-bearers and ambassadors, partnering with Him as He restores people and all creation to His original design.

Download or read book Gentle Dove written by Douglas Cooper Ph. D. and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2010-11 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WARNING: This book may be hazardous to your religious lethargy! No one reads this book without being changed! No one reads this book without being incredibly challenged and blessed! Why? because the topic of the Holy Spirit carries with it a powerful transforming energy which renews the soul of anyone who approaches it. After the cross, the most important teaching in all of Christendom is the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John said that he baptized with water, but the one who was to come after him would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit! This sacred fire, the fire of love, is here. Now. A gift. A treasure for you. The purpose of this book is to demonstrate that the filling of the Spirit is not merely an idea to believe in but an enlightening, empowering encounter to be experienced each day. It is the throbbing heart of a vital, dynamic Christianity. Consciousness is rising as Christians move the foundation of their spiritual lives from law to grace, from rules to relationship, from dogma to devotion from belief to experience. This book invites you to be part of this exciting journey, part of the new Pentecost. It is designed to move you from a traditional doctrinal paradigm as the foundation of your religious experience to a new, relational-spiritual paradigm which recognizes that connection in the now, moment by moment intimate connection with the Divine through the in-dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, is everything. "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us." Romans 5:5

Download or read book The Buddha of Suburbia written by Hanif Kureishi and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1991-05-01 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Whitbread Prize for Best First Novel "There was one copy going round our school like contraband. I read it in one sitting ... I'd never read a book about anyone remotely like me before."-- Zadie Smith "My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost..." The hero of Hanif Kureishi's debut novel is dreamy teenager Karim, desperate to escape suburban South London and experience the forbidden fruits which the 1970s seem to offer. When the unlikely opportunity of a life in the theatre announces itself, Karim starts to win the sort of attention he has been craving - albeit with some rude and raucous results. With the publication of Buddha of Suburbia, Hanif Kureishi landed into the literary landscape as a distinct new voice and a fearless taboo-breaking writer. The novel inspired a ground-breaking BBC series featuring a soundtrack by David Bowie.

Download or read book Death by Church written by Mike Erre and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining how materialism and consumerism have made their way into the church, a teaching pastor and author of Jesus of Suburbia reveals how Christians can more effectively demonstrate Christ's presence and how the church can cooperate with Jesus in the world in which they live. Original.

Download or read book Death by Suburb written by Dave L. Goetz and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2006-01-24 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Takes a critical look at the spiritually corrosive influence of suburbia and suburban life, identifying eight toxic elements in the suburban lifestyle and introducing eight corresponding disciplines designed to nurture one's spiritual life.

Download or read book Astonished written by Mike Erre and published by David C Cook. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Astonished, Pastor Mike Erre calls Christians away from simplistic formulas to honest and rugged faith in the mysterious and unpredictable God. God is more about deepening the mystery of faith, not removing it. Jesus should get bigger the longer we walk with him. Life and faith should grow to be more profound and wondrous, not less. In Astonished, you will see how we are far more comfortable with tips, steps and techniques for living, than we are with ruthlessly trusting the mysterious God of the Bible. God asks us to follow him into tension, frustration, and difficulty because he wants our trust, not just our intellectual agreement. He calls us to seek Him even as we live in awe of all that is yet to be known about Him. Astonished is an invitation to question in a culture that wants answers, to wonder in a world with little mystery left, and to believe in what is unseen and find it beautiful.

Download or read book With My Eyes Wide Open written by Brian "Head" Welch and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: He left KoRn to help himself. He went back to help others. And along the way, he nearly lost everything. A life-changing spiritual awakening freed Brian “Head” Welch from a stranglehold of drugs and alcohol and prompted him to leave the highly successful nu-metal band KoRn in 2005. What followed was a decade-long trial by fire, from the perils of fathering a teen lost in depression and self-mutilation to the harsh realities of playing solo and surviving the shattering betrayal of a trusted friend. In this intensely inspiring redemption saga, perhaps most inspiring is Brian’s radical decision to rejoin KoRn and reconcile with the tribe of people he once considered family in the metal music scene. Brian returned to his musical roots with a clear head and a devoted heart. Though his story is wild, hilarious, and deeply poignant, the message is simple: God will love you into the freedom of being yourself, as long as you keep the relationship going and never, ever quit.

Download or read book Cross Purposes written by Kevin Carey and published by Sacristy Press. This book was released on 2018-02-01 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of thought-provoking reflections inviting us to contemplate the events of Good Friday in new ways. The reflections are diverse, from Peter’s clumsy fear to the Seven Last Words.

Download or read book Ordinary Preacher Extraordinary Gospel written by Chris Neufeld-Erdman and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2014-03-27 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it mean to preach the gospel today? How do we shape vibrant congregations? How do we preachers not merely survive, but thrive? For nearly a quarter century, Chris Neufeld-Erdman has preached the gospel--sustaining congregational life and emboldening Christian witness in the midst of this turbulence. He's also taught seminarians and mentored working pastors. His theology and practice of preaching is hammered out on the anvil of real life. It's tested. True. Useful. In this book, a veteran pastor meditates on everything from exegesis and sermon preparation to the way preachers might preach after tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes. He reflects on what it means, for example, to host the text in the midst of what feels like a terminal state of war and violence, both abroad and at home, as well as the task of preaching in the midst of the massive anxiety produced by economic uncertainty and political gridlock. Here's a book that will inspire and guide you as a wise, empowered preacher--an ordinary agent of the extraordinary gospel.

Download or read book Sacred Subdivisions written by Justin Wilford and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2012-11-19 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In an era where church attendance has reached an all-time low, recent polling has shown that Americans are becoming less formally religious and more promiscuous in their religious commitments. Within both mainline and evangelical Christianity in America, it is common to hear of secularizing pressures and increasing competition from nonreligious sources. Yet there is a kind of religious institution that has enjoyed great popularity over the past thirty years: the evangelical megachurch. Evangelical megachurches not only continue to grow in number, but also in cultural, political, and economic influence. To appreciate their appeal is to understand not only how they are innovating, but more crucially, where their innovation is taking place. In this groundbreaking and interdisciplinary study, Justin G. Wilford argues that the success of the megachurch is hinged upon its use of space: its location on the postsuburban fringe of large cities, its fragmented, dispersed structure, and its focus on individualized spaces of intimacy such as small group meetings in homes, which help to interpret suburban life as religiously meaningful and create a sense of belonging. Based on original fieldwork at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, one of the largest and most influential megachurches in America, Sacred Subdivisions explains how evangelical megachurches thrive by transforming mundane secular spaces into arenas of religious significance.

Download or read book Regenerate written by Tony Scarcello and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-09-24 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Loss. Fear. Doubt. What does anything mean when your ground of being is stripped away?” Tony met God when he was four years old through the love of his mother. When he was twelve, he realized he had a crush on one of his male friends and grew convinced God would have nothing to do with him. At sixteen, Tony reencountered God who affirmed that nothing stood between them but love. When he was twenty-three, married to the girl of his dreams, and on staff at a church, Tony’s secret came out, and he came close to losing it all. What followed was arduous years of deconstruction, losing everything he thought he knew about God, only to rediscover God in the mystery. This God was not a new God—it was the same one as before, just seen with regenerated faith. This God was more beautiful and restorative than Tony could have ever imagined. Tony’s story is not uncommon in the modern evangelical landscape. Thousands of people throughout the West are experiencing a crisis of faith that is commonly referred to as “deconstruction.” With raw honesty, Tony uses his own story as a starting point for a dialogue on the deconstruction process. Tony unpacks what the deconstruction process is, why it happens, and how the church can help people experiencing a crisis of faith without worsening it along the way. In this memoir, Tony candidly pleads for the church to make a turn: not to a trendier, “progressive” version of Christianity, nor to a stricter form of fundamentalism, but to the revolutionary, Jesus-centered movement that changed the face of the earth. A movement once better known for its society of healing love than its dogma.

Download or read book Green Day written by William. E Spevack and published by Sonicbond Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2023-09-11 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Green Day are one of rock history’s greatest and most successful bands. Singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool have been together creating rock music with a punk heart for over three decades. The trio has reigned supreme, shattering previously conceived notions of how commercially successful a punk rock band can be, by helping extend the boundaries of the genre by adding excellent pop/rock songwriting. Green Day harnessed alternative music’s creativity with a passion and fire that ignited two of rock’s best albums, the influential Dookie, which sold 20 million copies, and the culturally important rock opera American Idiot, which sold 16 million and went on to become a Broadway show. In their 30-plus years, Green Day revolutionized rock musically and lyrically, inspiring countless bands. During the 1990s, they lead the pop-punk charge, and in the 2000s, they inspired a second generation of fans and bands through a lyrically intelligent and musically complex style of hard rock. Green Day: On Track takes a journey through the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame band’s career, analyzing every album and song in their remarkable catalogue. William E. Spevack has been published in the magazines Laptop, CPU, and PC Upgrade as well as the music website AlternativeNation.net. His first book, Keep On Shining: A Guide Through the Music of Love & Arthur Lee, was published in December 2021. He is a Bard graduate and a passionate music fan, who enjoys writing about music, playing sports, playing keyboards and reading music history books that focus on the music specifically. He lives in New York City.

Download or read book The 33 1 3 B sides written by Will Stockton and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2019-09-05 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If given another chance to write for the series, which albums would 33 1/3 authors focus on the second time around? This anthology features compact essays from past 33 1/3 authors on albums that consume them, but about which they did not write. It explores often overlooked and underrated albums that may not have inspired their 33 1/3 books, but have played a large part in their own musical cultivation. Questions central to the essays include: How has this album influenced your worldview? How does this album intersect with your other creative and critical pursuits? How does this album index a particular moment in cultural history? In your own personal history? Why is the album perhaps under-the-radar, or a buried treasure? Why can't you stop listening to it? Bringing together 33 1/3's rich array of writers, critics, and scholars, this collection probes our taste in albums, our longing for certain tunes, and our desire to hit repeat--all while creating an expansive "must-listen" list for readers in search of unexplored musical territories.

Download or read book Green Day written by and published by PediaPress. This book was released on with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: