Download or read book The Irrational Jesus written by Ken Evers-Hood and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-11-10 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Behavioral science books are popping up on bestseller lists: Predictably Irrational; Thinking, Fast and Slow; Nudge; Decisive. Even the White House launched a Behavioral Insights Team to match the British Ministry of Nudges. Conspicuously absent from this conversation is the church. The Irrational Jesus bridges this gap. Ken Evers-Hood looks at Jesus through the lens of cognitive heuristics (mental shortcuts) and biases (blind spots) and makes the case that a fully human Jesus is predictably irrational--just like all of us. Find out how the Apostle Paul's community building mirrors a prisoner's dilemma game and how this makes Paul an irrational leader, too. Discover how playing better games in church can foster hopeful, flourishing communities. Improve your decision-making; learn when to plan for irrationality and when to live into it. The Irrational Jesus addresses these issues and more. Integrating the insights of behavioral economists such as Dan Ariely, the gameful thinking of Jane McGonigal, and cutting-edge ideas from decision theory, Evers-Hood articulates a behavioral theology for fully human pastors of fully human congregations--a fresh perspective that will change how pastors and other church leaders see themselves, the institutions they serve, and the scriptural and theological tradition.
Download or read book The Pursuing God written by Joshua Ryan Butler and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2016-05-03 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is God lost? Many of us feel that way. It’s as if God’s gone missing, out in the universe somewhere—and we must pick up the hunt, following any trail of breadcrumbs he may have left to go out and find him. We speak of “searching for God,” “exploring spirituality,” and “finding faith.” But what if we have it backward? What if God is the one pursuing us? What if our job is not to go out and find God, but simply to stop running and hiding? Not to earn God’s love, but to receive it? Not to turn on the light, but to step out of the shadows? Jesus reveals a God on the prowl, pursuing us, hunting down his world for reconciliation. And the question we’re left with is not whether we’ve pursued hard enough, searched long enough, or jumped high enough . . . The question is, “Do we want to be found?”
Download or read book The Irrational David written by Ken Evers-Hood and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Irrational Jesus: Leading the Fully Human Church, Ken Evers-Hood explored how our predictable irrationality can trip us up and how we can adjust for biases. But irrationality isn’t all bad. Leaders who live in their heads will never connect deeply with the hearts of those they serve. Because we are like small rational riders astride enormous emotional elephants, leaders must learn how to sing to elephants even as they speak to riders. In The Irrational David: The Power of Poetic Leadership, Ken invites you to sing. Through his work with poet David Whyte, Ken explores poetic leadership in King David, a fully human, irrational leader who knew how to stir people with song. In four sections, The Irrational David observes King David the believer, the beloved, the beautiful mess, and the broken-hearted. Offering his own poetry as a lens, Ken enters into scripture and creates a conversation between the spoken word and sacred text. Discover how irrationality and poetry can prepare us for the real conversations for which our communities are so hungry. Find new layers of meaning in familiar Scriptures. And welcome a fellow traveler into your life who has found strength through vulnerability and is willing to share his journey on the beautiful and messy road of faith with you.
Download or read book The Irrational Season written by Madeleine L'Engle and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-11-29 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bestselling author of A Wrinkle in Time contemplates the true meaning of faith in the third installment of her series of memoirs. Upon her death, the New York Times hailed Madeleine L’Engle as “an author whose childhood fables, religious meditations and fanciful science fiction transcended both genre and generation.” L’Engle has long captivated and provoked readers by exploring the intersection of science and religion in her work. In this intimate memoir, the award-winning author uncovers how her spiritual convictions inform and enrich the everyday. The Irrational Season follows the liturgical year from one Advent to the next, with L’Engle reflecting on the changing seasons in her own life as a writer, wife, mother, and global citizen. Unafraid to discuss controversial topics and address challenging questions, L’Engle writes from the heart in this compelling chronicle of her spiritual quest to renew and refresh her faith in an ever-changing world and her ever-changing personhood. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Madeleine L’Engle including rare images from the author’s estate.
Download or read book Jesus Was Not Crucified written by I. D. Campbell and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2013-03-30 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did you know that many early Christian groups did not believe that Jesus (pbuh) was crucified or resurrected? These early Christians heard the message of Jesus (pbuh) and they concluded that his resurrection was not necessary for salvation and in fact, he did not die. Almost 2000 years ago, Christian leadership decided that these early Christian groups' understanding of Jesus' (pbuh) life and mission were incorrect and they declare it heresy. Well 600 years after Jesus (pbuh), a man born in Arabia made a proclamation that was in agreement with the claim that Jesus (pbuh) was not crucified. Today at least 1.8 billion people believe that Jesus (pbuh) was not crucified, while at least 2.1 billion people believe that he was crucified. How do we come to the truth? Do we accept the verdict made 2000 years ago or do we start a new investigation? Today using the same evidence available to those of the past, we can come to our own conclusion on this matter. The Bible contains the key witnesses to this case and I will use their testimony to prove that “Jesus was not Crucified.”
Download or read book Irrational Faith written by Anthony L. Taylor and published by Xulon Press. This book was released on 2014-03 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life definitely comes with its difficulties, uncertainties and questions of what the next step will be for you and your family. Some people choose to rely on their own strength and understanding to overcome the challenges in their way, while others may just let despair take over and convince themselves no solution is available. However, true believers in Jesus Christ know that through their salvation in Him, God hears, recognizes and will bless those who love and trust in Him. These believers have what author Anthony Taylor calls Irrational Faith, the title of his newest book that focuses on keeping believers' eyes on God while in complicated situations. Irrational faith comes through in heartfelt, groundbreaking decisions that a believer makes in order to surpass their negative outlook on their situation while faithfully seeking the will of God. From making the decision to accept Jesus as their savior to being tireless in prayer and patience, believers will become acquainted to God's voice and direction for their journey through life. Our attitude alone cannot define our faith. Faith must be developed by obeying God's word through the storms of life. It is during these times that we rely on God's provision, promises and overall concern for us revealed in His word. Anthony uses the familiar life stories of Rahab, Noah, Abraham and others to exemplify how each were faced with similar opposition in different scenarios, and received God's abundant blessings when they relinquished their lives to Him. By allowing God to take over the reins of your life, you, as the believer, are ready to face the obstacles in your path, with the full force of the Savior and Heavenly Father in front. Seeing follows believing when you give everything over to God, and find freedom in your breakthrough from sin. Anthony L. Taylor is a U.S. Army Chaplain, and one of today's dynamic speakers on the themes of faith development, spiritual resilience, empowerment, goal-setting, marriage and family wellness. He previously served as a senior pastor in Norfolk, Virginia from 1992 to 2000. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University, a MFT degree from Texas A&M Central TX, a CPE Certification from Riverside Regional Medical Center and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary. Anthony and his wife, Paula, are the parents of three grown children, and reside in Central, Texas.
Download or read book American Jesus written by Stephen Prothero and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2004-09-18 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Deep Dive into America's Complex Relationship with Jesus There's no denying America's rich religious background–belief is woven into daily life. But as Stephen Prothero argues in American Jesus, many of the most interesting appraisals of Jesus have emerged outside the churches: in music, film, and popular culture; and among Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and people of no religion at all. Delve into this compelling chronicle as it explores how Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, has been refashioned into distinctly American identities over the centuries. From his enlistment as a beacon of hope for abolitionists to his appropriation as a figurehead for Klansmen, the image of Jesus has been as mercurial as it is influential. In this diverse and conflicted scene, American Jesus stands as a testament to the peculiar fusion of the temporal and divine in contemporary America. Equal parts enlightening and entertaining, American Jesus goes beyond being simply a work of history. It’s an intricate mirror, reflecting the American spirit while questioning the nation's socio-cultural fabric.
Download or read book The Rational Bible Deuteronomy written by Dennis Prager and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-10-11 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is the Bible, the most influential book in world history, still relevant? Why do people dismiss it as being irrelevant, irrational, immoral, or all of these things? This explanation of the Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible, will demonstrate how it remains profoundly relevant—both to the great issues of our day and to each individual life. Do you doubt the existence of God because you think believing in God is irrational? This book will cause you to reexamine your doubts. The title of this commentary is The Rational Bible because its approach is entirely reason-based. The reader is never asked to accept anything on faith alone. In Dennis Prager’s words, “If something I write is not rational, I have not done my job.” The Rational Bible is the fruit of Prager’s forty years of teaching to people of every faith and no faith at all. On virtually every page, you will discover how the text relates to the contemporary world in general and to you on a personal level. His goal: to change your mind—and, as a result, to change your life.
Download or read book God Is Not Great written by Christopher Hitchens and published by McClelland & Stewart. This book was released on 2008-11-19 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as “one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time” takes on his biggest subject yet–the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world. In the tradition of Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris’s recent bestseller, The End Of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope’s awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix.
Download or read book An Outlaw Named Jesus written by Thaddeus Blake and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2021-02-17 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thought-provoking collection takes aim at the dark, irrational, immoral, and dangerous elements of religion; Televangelists preying on elderly victims, extant misogyny and witch-burning practices, racism, slavery and violence defended in holy books, wars justified, soldiers recruited in the name of “God,” pedophile priests and assaults on free expression. Sometimes satirical and humorous, sometimes tragic and impassioned, these poems are for anyone with a dark sense of humour, a belief in free expression, or simply a love of poetry. In the same way that religion often uses guilt, fear, and shame to restrain the mind against any criticism, this collection uses humour and pathos to free it up and elicit passion and laughter in those who find beauty and humour in the irreverent.
Download or read book Thoughtful Theism Redeeming Reason in an Irrational Age written by Fr. Andrew Younan and published by Emmaus Road Publishing. This book was released on 2017-05-25 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Misquoting Jesus written by Bart D. Ehrman and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-06 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When world-class biblical scholar Bart Ehrman first began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of mistakes and intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman tells the story behind the mistakes and changes that ancient scribes made to the New Testament and shows the great impact they had upon the Bible we use today. He frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultraconservative views of the Bible. Since the advent of the printing press and the accurate reproduction of texts, most people have assumed that when they read the New Testament they are reading an exact copy of Jesus's words or Saint Paul's writings. And yet, for almost fifteen hundred years these manuscripts were hand copied by scribes who were deeply influenced by the cultural, theological, and political disputes of their day. Both mistakes and intentional changes abound in the surviving manuscripts, making the original words difficult to reconstruct. For the first time, Ehrman reveals where and why these changes were made and how scholars go about reconstructing the original words of the New Testament as closely as possible. Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our cherished biblical stories and widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself stem from both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes -- alterations that dramatically affected all subsequent versions of the Bible.
Download or read book Was Jesus God written by Richard Swinburne and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2010-01-07 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The orderliness of the universe and the existence of human beings already provides some reason for believing that there is a God - as argued in Richard Swinburne's earlier book Is There a God ? Swinburne now claims that it is probable that the main Christian doctrines about the nature of God and his actions in the world are true. In virtue of his omnipotence and perfect goodness, God must be a Trinity, live a human life in order to share our suffering, and found a church which would enable him to tell all humans about this. It is also quite probable that he would provide his human life as an atonement for our wrongdoing, teach us how we should live and tell us his plans for our future after death. Among founders of religions, Jesus satisfies uniquely well the requirement of living the sort of human life which God would need to have lived. But to give us adequate reason to believe that Jesus was God, God would need to put his 'signature' on the life of Jesus by an act which he alone could do, for example raise him from the dead. There is adequate historical evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. The church which he founded gave plausible interpretations of his basic message. Therefore Christian doctrines are probably true.
Download or read book That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew written by Katherine Sonderegger and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyzes the major phases of Karl Barth's Christological exegesis of Judaism. Contends that despite his lifelong opposition to antisemitism and racism (as a leader of the anti-Nazi Confessing Church and a strong supporter of the State of Israel), Barth represents the broadest tradition of Christian Protestant dogmatic anti-Judaism, preserving and elaborating the controversial theology that has been standard in Christian apologetics since ancient times. Argues that a positive Christian theology of Judaism must begin by acknowledging the irreconcilable differences between the two religions, pleading for a theological recognition of an independent Judaism.
Download or read book The Rational Bible Genesis SAMPLE written by Dennis Prager and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-04-23 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A FREE SAMPLE from Chapter 6 of Dennis Prager's The Rational BIble: Genesis! Why do so many people think the Bible, the most influential book in world history, is outdated? Why do our friends and neighbors – and sometimes we ourselves – dismiss the Bible as irrelevant, irrational, immoral, or all of these things? This explanation of the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, will demonstrate that the Bible is not only powerfully relevant to today’s issues, but completely consistent with rational thought.
Download or read book The Jesus Puzzle written by Earl Doherty and published by . This book was released on 2005-01 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new presentation of the argument that no historical Jesus existed. A full and comprehensive survey of the question through an examination of the early Christian record, canonical and non-canonical, from Q to the Gospels, from the earliest Pauline epistles to the second century apologists, along with Jewish, Gnostic, and Greco-Roman documents of the time. The philosophy of the era, its religious expression in the pagan mystery cults, fascinating glimpses into the historical background of the period, an in-depth consideration of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, are only some of the additional topics covered in the book. A richly-detailed, highly lucid and entertaining account of how Christianity began without an historical Jesus of Nazareth, who came to life only on the pages of the Gospels. While based on the author's work for 'The Jesus Puzzle' website, the book is almost entirely an original writing, not a compilation of website articles. Like the website itself, the book has been styled for the general reader, though the scholarly community will find it of value as well.
Download or read book Jesus of Nazareth written by Pope Benedict XVI and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2012-12-04 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The greatly anticipated third volume of Pope Benedict's already internationally bestselling examination of the life of Jesus Christ and His message for people today. This renowned theologian, biblical scholar and Pastor of over a billion Roman Catholics helps us to rediscover the essence of the Christian Religion.
