Download or read book The Pretend Christian written by Deirdre Reilly and published by Crosslink Publishing. This book was released on 2020-12-20 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is your faith on life support, or do you ever wonder if you even deserve to call yourself a Christian? Guess what? You don't have to be a perfect, "churchy" person to experience God's love! In "The Pretend Christian," author Deirdre Reilly takes the reader on her personal journey to find authentic Christian faith, winding through common questions, doubts, and both negative and positive experiences that all lead to the stunning, life-changing reality of Christ's presence. Filled with raw honesty, sincere doubts, genuine searching, and moving, often-humorous insights, "The Pretend Christian" is a candid and bracing modern-day search for the one true God. "'The Pretend Christian' introduces the reader to the reality of relationship over religion. A 'now generation' message of great value; a pearl of great price." --Alveda King, evangelist In her easy-to-read, relatable narrative, Reilly explores: How judgmental Christians hurt the case for ChristHow a focus on being a "cookie-cutter" Christian or belonging to the "correct" denomination can interrupt a personal relationship with GodHow God powerfully handles our doubts and fearsThe evidence of God available to every searcherCan it really all be true -- did Christ come to save us? What does that mean for each one of us?
Download or read book Life s Too Short to Pretend You re Not Religious written by David Dark and published by Broadleaf Books . This book was released on 2022-12-13 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We can't just be done with religion, argues David Dark. The fact of religion is the fact of us. Religion is the witness of everything we're up to--for better or worse. David Dark is one of today's most respected thinkers, public intellectuals, and cultural critics at the intersection of faith and culture. Since its original release, Dark's Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious has become essential reading for those engaged in the conversation on religion in contemporary American society. Now, Dark returns to his classic text and offers us a revised, expanded, and reframed edition that reflects a more expansive understanding, employs inclusive language, and tackles the most pressing issues of the day. With the same keen powers of cultural observation, candor, and wit his readers have come to know and love, Dark weaves in current themes around the pandemic and vaccine responses, Black Lives Matter, the #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements, Critical Race Theory, and more. By looking intentionally at our weird religious background (we all have one), he helps us acknowledge the content of our everyday existence--the good, the bad, and the glaringly inconsistent. When we make peace with the idea of being religious, we can more practically envision an undivided life.
Download or read book No More Faking Fine written by Esther Fleece Allen and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2017-01-10 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scripture reveals a God who meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be. No More Faking Fine is your invitation to get honest with God through the life-giving language of lament. If you've ever been given empty clichés during challenging times, you know how painful it is to be misunderstood by well-meaning people. When life hurts, we often feel pressure--from others and ourselves--to keep it together, suck it up, or pray it away. But Scripture reveals a God who lovingly invites us to give honest voice to our emotions when life hits hard. For most of her life, Esther Fleece Allen believed she could bypass the painful emotions of her broken past by shutting them down altogether. She was known as an achiever and an overcomer on the fast track to success. But in silencing her pain, she robbed herself of the opportunity to be healed. Maybe you've done the same. Esther's journey into healing began when she discovered that God has given us a real-world way to deal with raw emotions and an alternative to the coping mechanisms that end up causing more pain. It's called lament--the gut-level, honest prayer that God never ignores, never silences, and never wastes. No More Faking Fine is your permission to lament, taking you on a journey down the unexpected pathway to true intimacy with God. Drawing from careful biblical study and hard-won insight, Esther reveals how to use God's own language to come closer to him as he leads us through our pain to the light on the other side, teaching you that: We are robbing ourselves of a divine mystery and a divine intimacy when we pretend to have it all together God does not expect us to be perfect; instead, he meets us where we are There is hope beyond your heartache, disappointment, and grief Like Esther, you'll soon find that when one person stops faking fine, it gives everyone else permission to do the same.
Download or read book God Loves Broken People written by Sheila Walsh and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2017-05-16 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In twelve stirring, insightful, and deeply revealing chapters, Sheila Walsh shows how personal brokenness can open doors of intimacy with Jesus Christ that might never open in any other way. Now in trade paper. The other side of brokenness "If I could write only one book in my lifetime, I would ask God to make it this one, the very book you now hold in your hands. . . ."?Sheila Walsh God loves broken people. And when weary, wounded men and women find a way to open their bruised hearts and somehow welcome Him into their personal darkness, they will find a love beyond anything they have ever known. When the glass house Sheila had lived in for so many years came crashing to the ground, she began a new life outside the safety of those walls. No, it didn't feel good, nor safe'not at all. But it felt true. Sheila saw herself as a broken lamb limping after the Shepherd, not knowing where He was going, but knowing that wherever He went, she wanted to go with Him. In twelve stirring, insightful, and deeply revealing chapters, Sheila Walsh shows how personal brokenness can open doors of intimacy with Jesus Christ that might never open in any other way. It's not that God loves broken people more than those who imagine themselves to be whole'it's simply that they know they are loved. They dare to believe it . . . and through such trust, a new wholeness emerges from yesterday's broken pieces.
Download or read book Faker written by Nicholas T. McDonald and published by . This book was released on 2015-08-04 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Stuff Christians Like written by Jon Acuff and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using the same humor and honesty that galvanized more than a million online readers from more than 200 countries, speaker Jon Acuff brings his insightful take on Christianity to the book world with this new edition of Stuff Christians Like. Do you constantly find yourself towing the fine line between praying before certain types of meals and not others? This book is for you. Have you fallen in love on a mission trip, just to break up when you get home? This book is for you. Are you a unicorn of purity who ranks honeymoon sex slightly higher than the second coming of Christ? Guess what – this book is for you, too. It’s time to shake off Somber Christian Syndrome and embrace the quirks of being a member of God’s kingdom. This book will teach you how to: Break up with your small group Subtly find out if your new Christian friends drink beer too Recognize the shame grenade that is a Jesus Juke Avoid a prayer handholding faux pas Say something Christian-y without looking like a snake handler From prayer shot blocks to metro worship leaders, no stone is left unturned in this hilarious look at faith. “I never knew how much I needed Jesus until I found out I was judging people who use the table of contents in their Bible. This book saved me from looking like a bad Christian.” – Sister Mary Francis, Rhode Island. “It’s such a time saver to know that my Chick-fil-a from the drive-thru comes pre-blessed. I always knew I was making the right choice by choosing the Lord’s chicken.” – Dave L., South Carolina.
Download or read book You Can t Pretend the Truth Away written by Cheryl Roach Thorpe and published by Outskirts Press. This book was released on 2013-07 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After reading this book, it becomes obvious why my sister would make her life "bare" to the world. It is recommendable that she would "chart" her life for all to see, so perhaps other readers with similar situations could also see a way out of their "dark places" and be guided into light, regaining their love, trust and hope." - Merlyn Roach. "An honest account of love gained, love lost and self-renewal. I recommend this book to the young and old. It will assist marriage counselors, pastors, those who are married as well as individuals contemplating marriage. The ending will surprise everyone. The writer demonstrates what David expressed, "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth." -(Psalm 145: 18 AMP) - Dr. Wesley A. Plummer. "It is as if your entire life involved God allowing you to go through this because He could trust you being able to tell this story. Thank You! Thank You! It's not just for women but also for men to hear the kind of grief we cause by some of our actions." - Conrad Ruben
Download or read book The Fake Jesus Fallen Angels Among Us written by Pamela Sheppard and published by . This book was released on 2015-04-15 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2007, the author received a revelation that compared the church to a condemned building. Pam was asked, ""would you put up curtains at the windows of a condemned building?"" With that revelation came the understanding that the organized church was judged 3 decades ago. Not believing this word, Pam set out to disprove it by doing a study of church history. She also reviewed various occult, new age websites of mediums or channels who have been communicating with beings who first identified themselves as UFO's and then ultimately called themselves ""ascended masters."" The Fake Jesus is a record of what Pam discovered once she tried the spirits to see if they be of God. This book will open your eyes to the truth as to ""who the fallen angels are, who sent them, what is their agenda, and how to recognize if your church is under their influence. The hour is late. This book has traced that fallen angels have been among us since about 1830. Don't YOU be deceived by a fallen angel.
Download or read book Jordan Peterson God and Christianity written by Chris Kaczor and published by Word on Fire Institute. This book was released on 2021-06-28 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jordan Peterson's lectures and writings on psychology, philosophy, and religion have been a cultural phenomenon. Yet Peterson's own thought is marked by a tensive suspension between archetype and reality--between the ideal of Christ and the God who acts in history. Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life is the first systematic analysis, from a Christian perspective, of both Peterson's biblical series on YouTube and his bestselling book 12 Rules for Life, with an epilogue examining its sequel, Beyond Order. Christopher Kaczor and Matthew R. Petrusek draw readers into the depths of Peterson's thought on Scripture, suffering, and meaning, exploring both the points of contact with Christianity and the ways in which faith fulfills Peterson's project.
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 Pretend You Don t See The Elephant written by Carol-Ann Medina and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2005-09 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pretend You Don''''t See The Elephant is a personal memoir about the author''''s life growing up in the 1950s. Throughout the narrative, the elephant represents the silence surrounding familial dysfunctional behavior. Christian Science provided the background of denial in a home where physical, emotional, and verbal abuse ran rampant. The severity of the abuse and the denial of it destroyed the author''''s desire to live and at the age of twelve, she tried to commit suicide. Failing to die, she was exiled to an alcoholic uncle''''s home, barely escaping sexual molestation before being returned home to her parents. The Christian Science religion of her mother was responsible for the refusal of medical attention, leaving her to die after a ruptured appendix. The author was told every day of her life that she was a failure as a Christian Scientist and her illnesses were her fault. From her father she was told she was so clumsy and ugly that no one would ever marry her. Don''''t talk, don''''t tell was a way of life, and she spent a lifetime living under this code of silence. The effects of Christian Science denial, coupled with the physical and emotion abuse would ride on her shirt tail for the rest of her life. This then is the story of a victim who became victorious. The memoir continues on as she faces a tragic automobile accident. Accepting medical assistance removed her from the Christian Science Church at a time when she needed her faith the most. The success of her story is celebrated when she comes to terms with ''''who God is'''' in her life. It is with peace of mind that she now shares her story, lifting the veil of silence from the little girl, to tell the story that she was told never to tell.
Download or read book Just Pretend written by Dan Barker and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Compares concepts of God to concepts of other mythological beings and stories.
Download or read book Kierkegaard Anthology written by Søren Kierkegaard and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1946 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronicles Kierkegaard's intellectual and spiritual development through selected writings
Download or read book A Manual for Creating Atheists written by Peter Boghossian and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For thousands of years, the faithful have honed proselytizing strategies and talked people into believing the truth of one holy book or another. Indeed, the faithful often view converting others as an obligation of their faith—and are trained from an early age to spread their unique brand of religion. The result is a world broken in large part by unquestioned faith. As an urgently needed counter to this tried-and-true tradition of religious evangelism, A Manual for Creating Atheists offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith—but for talking them out of it. Peter Boghossian draws on the tools he has developed and used for more than 20 years as a philosopher and educator to teach how to engage the faithful in conversations that will help them value reason and rationality, cast doubt on their religious beliefs, mistrust their faith, abandon superstition and irrationality, and ultimately embrace reason.
Download or read book The Fake Christian written by Jamie Sims and published by . This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "All news that's fit to print" professionalism was fading - as this country began to experience a new tabloid-level fascination of themselves - and single mom's went to work. Sex, alcohol, drugs, and rock-and-roll was beginning to take prisoners by the thousands, but this eyewitness noticed a type of "religious covering" that shielded the advertising of those, and other activities to the masses. By the late 1960's the political and social climate in America changed forever. Something referred to as, "The Jesus movement," also made it's way into the fabric of society during the early 1970's and was occasionally tolerated in certain songs on the radio, but mostly regarded as a variation of something performed by "flower children and hippies." The ministry's of Billy Graham and Oral Roberts were evident, and the first Assembly of God liberal arts college was being attended. At age twelve, this observer received his first rebuke for commenting on the false pretenses displayed by "adults" and told, "You're too young to be saying such things." Forty years later, these observations of Christianized American life have become too much to bear. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob won't have anything to do with it. Born during an era of transition to parents who were sons and daughters of America's "greatest generation," this author watched nightly newscasts that included Walter Kronkite and John Chancellor reporting on the Vietnam war and other cultural happenings during the 1960's and 1970's.
Download or read book Compassion Conviction written by Justin Giboney and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2020-07-21 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever felt too progressive for conservatives, but too conservative for progressives? It's easy for faithful Christians to grow disillusioned with civic engagement or fall into tribal extremes. Representing the AND Campaign, the authors of this book lay out the biblical case for political engagement and help Christians navigate the complex world of politics with integrity.
Download or read book Fake Christianity written by C. B. Matthews and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author C.B. Matthews shares a passionate and clear vision for what is lacking in the majority of Christian people today. Fake Christianity is a challenging and inspiring book for any Christian. In the center of cultural decay, blurred ethics, and a church that lacks the knowledge of God, this book shines out like a beacon. If you want to learn how a genuine Christian should think, feel, act, and believe in the world today, this book is for you.
