Grounded in the Gospel

Author: J. I. Packer
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441207597
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Book Description
Historically, the church's ministry of grounding new believers in the essentials of the faith has been known as catechesis--systematic instruction in faith foundations, including what we believe, how we pray and worship, and how we conduct our lives. For most evangelicals today, however, this very idea is an alien concept. Packer and Parrett, concerned for the state of the church, seek to inspire a much needed evangelical course correction. This new book makes the case for a recovery of significant catechesis as a nonnegotiable practice of churches, showing the practice to be complementary to, and of no less value than, Bible study, expository preaching, and other formational ministries, and urging evangelical churches to find room for this biblical ministry for the sake of their spiritual health and vitality.

Grounded in the Gospel

Author: J. I. Packer
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 9780801068386
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Almost Christian

Author: Kenda Creasy Dean
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199758662
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

Book Description
Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.

Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful

Author: Gary A. Parrett
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830884351
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 463

Book Description
With the decline of traditional Sunday school and education programs in recent years, many Christians have not learned the fundamental doctrinal content of the faith. In this text Gary Parrett and Steve Kang set forth a thoroughly biblical vision for intentional teaching of the Christian faith that attends to both the content and process of educational and formational ministries.

#Occupy the Bible

Author: Susan Thistlethwaite
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1625644728
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 155

Book Description
Jesus of Nazareth said and did a lot about money and power in his own time. But Jesus wasn't a "free market capitalist," despite what some conservative Christians would like us to believe in the twenty-first century.--Jesus occupied the Temple in Jerusalem--effectively the national bank of his time--and threw out those who were exploiting the poor.--Jesus organized fishermen whose industry had been wrecked by the Roman Empire.--His followers included powerful "women of means," who were last at the cross, first at the tomb, and who went on to become missionaries.--Jesus taught "in the streets," preaching that God's "side" is not that of the wealthy and powerful and that all believers need to confront inequality now.#Occupy the Bible is an eye-opening, no-holds barred look at the real message of Jesus, using the Scriptures that are foundational for the Christian faith. #Occupy the Bible is also a practical "how to" guide for potential Christian "occupiers"--people sincerely committed to confronting the rising poverty and economic inequality in the United States using the powerful, unvarnished message of Jesus of Nazareth.

Baptismal Imagery in Early Christianity

Author: Robin M. Jensen
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441236279
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
What can we learn from early Christian imagery about the theological meaning of baptism? Robin Jensen, a leading scholar of early Christian art and worship, examines multiple dimensions of the early Christian baptismal rite. She explores five models for understanding baptism--as cleansing from sin, sickness, and Satan; as incorporation into the community; as sanctifying and illuminative; as death and regeneration; and as the beginning of the new creation--showing how visual images, poetic language, architectural space, and symbolic actions signify and convey the theological meaning of this ritual practice. Considering image and action together, Jensen offers a holistic and integrated understanding of the power of baptism. The book is illustrated with photos.

Exploring Ecclesiology

Author: Brad Harper
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1587431734
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Book Description
This evangelical and ecumenical ecclesiology survey text provides a comprehensive biblical, historical, and cultural perspective and addresses contemporary issues in church life.

Crushing

Author: T. D. Jakes
Publisher: FaithWords
ISBN: 9781455595372
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description
Follow God's process for growth and learn how you can benefit from life's challenging experiences with this book by bestselling inspirational author T.D. Jakes. In this insightful book, #1 New York Times bestselling author T.D. Jakes wrestles with the age-old questions: Why do the righteous suffer? Where is God in all the injustice? In his most personal offering yet, Bishop Jakes tells crushing stories from his own journey-the painful experience of learning his young teenage daughter was pregnant, the agony of watching his mother succumb to Alzheimer's, and the shock and helplessness he felt when his son had a heart attack. Bishop Jakes wants to encourage you that God uses difficult, crushing experiences to prepare you for unexpected blessings. If you are faithful through suffering, you will be surprised by God's joy, comforted by His peace, and fulfilled with His purpose. Crushing will inspire you to have hope, even in your most difficult moments. If you trust in God and lean on Him during setbacks, He will lead you through.

The Juvenilization of American Christianity

Author: Thomas Bergler
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 0802866840
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Book Description
Pop worship music. Falling in love with Jesus. Mission trips. Wearing jeans and T-shirts to church. Spiritual searching and church hopping. Faith-based political activism. Seeker-sensitive outreach. These now-commonplace elements of American church life all began as innovative ways to reach young people, yet they have gradually become accepted as important parts of a spiritual ideal for all ages. What on earth has happened? In The Juvenilization of American Christianity Thomas Bergler traces the way in which, over seventy-five years, youth ministries have breathed new vitality into four major American church traditions -- African American, Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic. Bergler shows too how this "juvenilization" of churches has led to widespread spiritual immaturity, consumerism, and self-centeredness, popularizing a feel-good faith with neither intergenerational community nor theological literacy. Bergler s critique further offers constructive suggestions for taming juvenilization. Watch the trailer:

True Bud

Author: Scott Gillet, LCSW; CRNC
Publisher: BIRD
ISBN: 057817376X
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
As legalization of recreational marijuana spreads across America, more and more young people will be smoking weed, with the belief that it’s harmless fun, with no detrimental side effects and little or no risk of addiction. True Bud will open your eyes to the truth: in this country, where almost no attention is given to quality regulation, origin, or growing practices, weed can be highly unsafe. Even medical marijuana may be laced with pesticides and other chemicals dangerous for human consumption. Learn how gang-distributed bud is trying to compete with medical weed, leading to cutting the product with K2 and other deadly substances. Many adults still have the idea that marijuana is completely benign, remembering the comparatively safe weed they bought in the 1970s or earlier. But now THC percentages have skyrocketed, the product is corrupted with toxins, and teenagers are experimenting with dabs, wax, and synthetics. True Bud will explain to you the brain chemistry of chronic weed use and particularly how it impacts the developing brain. You’ll learn about the amazing potential of marijuana in the treatment of ADD, chronic pain, trauma, and PTSD—and how Israel has led the world in development of clean, healthy weed. Eye-opening, surprising, and potentially life-saving, True Bud is the book you need to make informed decisions for yourself and your family.