From the creator of the bestseller Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective comes Food & Faith. Food is itself a joyful gift recall how the gift of food so often mediates the sanctity and preciousness of life. This new collection of reflections by Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, Elizabeth Johnson, Alan Durning and others helps you start thinking about the moral, spiritual and economic implications of eating. Readings focus on the enjoyment and spirituality of good food, ways in which eating connects us to the land and to each other, and on the economic, environmental and cultural impacts of daily food choices. Food & Faith includes an eight-week study guide for groups or individuals, which leads to action: setting a table that is healthy, joyful and just. "

A weekly 'class meeting' among Methodists in early 19th-century New York formed the basis for growth and unity in the small Christian sect. Author Rev. Dr. Philip F. Hardt describes these meetings as a means to close personal relationships among class members. They also provided a place in which lay leadership could emerge and monitor behavior among members. Hardt connects the decline in Methodist membership over the years with the dissolution of the weekly meeting. This book advocates a return to the meetings as a means to increase church membership. It is Rev. Hardt's belief that a weekly meeting can revitalize the church's efforts to initiate people into the faith and assimilate them into the body of Christ.

David Rich examines the pervasive influence of organized religion on three vital areas of human behavior - ethics, government, and economics - and argues that the belief systems of all major religions have become a detriment to clear thinking, rational conduct, and wise public policy. Despite the fact that modern society is an outgrowth of the Enlightenment, most of our "tribe" continues to operate on the basis of assumptions and attitudes that have their origin in ancient myths. These myths, still propagated by organized religion, not only hamper efforts to apply reason to our problems, but they can even foster violent conflicts that threaten global security, as witnessed today in the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and many regions of Africa and Asia.
Rich begins his analysis by examining the history of our major world religions and the common mythic elements that they share. He contrasts the figurative picture of the universe presented by religion with the currently accepted scientific facts. He then discusses the link between traditional morality and religious beliefs, demonstrating how obsolete attitudes have led to futile and wasteful government policies in such critical areas of social concern as illegal drugs, abortion, crime, poverty, and environmental abuse.
Rich proposes an essentially libertarian philosophy, which argues for rational analysis of all problems in the light of objective scientific evidence, a system of ethics that allows complete individual liberty constrained only by the principle of harming no one else, taking personal responsibility for one's own welfare and actions, and the absence of government control over the pursuit of happiness. Rich maintains that religion is a private matter and as such should play no part in public policy or internatioal relations. Only by maintaining this distinction can our global community have a chance of achieving its highest rational aspirations.

Biblical scholar Wayne Grudem offers thought-provoking analysis of what the Bible says-and doesn't say-about divorce, bringing much needed clarity to the discussion and guidance to those stuck at a crossroads.

Que impulsa a su iglesia? A cada iglesia la impulsa algo. Tradicion, finanzas, programas, personalidades, acontecimientos, personas e incluso los mismos edificios pueden ser la fuerza que controla una iglesia. Sin embargo, Rick Warren cree que para que una iglesia sea saludable debe convertirse en una iglesia con proposito, edificada sobre la base de los cinco propositos que Jesus dio a la iglesia en el Nuevo Testamento. 'El aspecto importante esta en la salud de la iglesia, no en el crecimiento', declara Warren. 'Si la iglesia es saludable, crecera de manera natural. Crecimiento saludable y constante es el resultado de balancear los cinco propositos biblicos de la iglesia.' En este libro usted conocera el secreto que impulsa a la iglesia bautista de mas rapido crecimiento en la historia de los Estados Unidos. La iglesia Saddleback comenzo con una familia y ha llegado a tener una asistencia de mas de diez mil personas cada domingo en apenas quince anos. Al mismo tiempo, planto veintiseis iglesias adicionales, todo esto sin llegar a poseer un edificio. El pastor fundador Rick Warren nos brinda una estrategia, de probada eficacia, que permitira que su iglesia crezca en afecto mediante la comunion, profundidad mediante el discipulado, fortaleza mediante la adoracion, honor mediante el servicio y numero mediante la evangelizacion. Una iglesia con proposito nos aparta el enfoque de la construccion de edificios y nos lleva a ocuparnos de la edificacion de las personas. Rick Warren sostiene que 'si nos ocupamos de edificar a las personas, Dios edificara su iglesia' Le invitamos a que descubra en estas paginas consejos practicos y principios rectores que Rick Warren ha ensenado en seminario a mas de veintidos mil pastores y lideres de sesenta denominaciones en cuarenta y dos paises diferentes."

A comprehensive source that demonstrates how 21st century Christianity can interrelate with current educational trends and aspirations The Wiley Handbook of Christianity and Education provides a resource for students and scholars interested in the most important issues, trends, and developments in the relationship between Christianity and education. It offers a historical understanding of these two intertwined subjects with a view to creating a context for the myriad issues that characterize--and challenge--the relationship between Christianity and education today. Presented in three parts, the book starts with thought-provoking essays covering major issues in Christian education such as the movement away from God in American education; the Christian paradigm based on love and character vs. academic industrial models of American education; why religion is good for society, offenders, and prisons; the resurgence of vocational exploration and its integrative potential for higher education; and more. It then looks at Christianity and education around the globe--faith-based schooling in a pluralistic democracy; religious expectations in the Latino home; church-based and community-centered higher education; etc. The third part examines how humanity is determining the relationship between Christianity and education with chapters covering the use of Christian paradigm of living and learning; enrollment, student demographic, and capacity trends in Christian schools after the introduction of private schools; empirical studies on the perceptions of intellectual diversity at elite universities in the US; and more. Provides the breadth and depth of knowledge necessary to gain a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between Christianity and education and its place in contemporary society A long overdue assessment of the subject, one that takes into account the enormous changes in Christian education Presents a global consideration of the subject Examines Christian education across elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels The Wiley Handbook of Christianity and Education will be of great interest to Christian educators in the academic world, the teaching profession, the ministry, and the college and graduate level student body.

Thomas Berry had a gentle yet mesmerizing and luminescent presence that was evident to anyone who spent time with him. His intellectual scope and erudite manner were compelling, and the breadth, depth, clarity, and elegance of his vision was breathtaking. Berry was an intellectual giant and cultural visionary of extraordinary stature. Thomas Berry's vast knowledge of history, religions, and cultural histories is a unique blend revealing a genuine, original thinker. The ecological crisis, in all its manifestations, came to dominate Berry's concerns. He perceived that the greatest need was to offer the possibility of a viable future for an Earth community. Many know of his proposal for a functional cosmology, the need for a new story, and a vital Earth sensitive spirituality. Few know of his rich and varied intellectual journey. The Intellectual Journey of Thomas Berry: Imagining the Earth Community is about the roots and insights hidden within his ecological, spiritual proposal. These essays, written by experts on Thomas Berry's work, probe into, and reveal distinct themes that permeate his work, in gratitude for his contribution to the Earth.

When Dr. Robinson asked her freshman psychology students what today's parents need to know about teens and sex, they said parents do not have a realistic view of the world their children live in. A healthy sexual identity requires more than just a list of what not to do. In today's culture of sexual identity confusion, ubiquitous pornography, and #MeToo, teenagers need to know how to protect themselves as well as how to treat others. Talking with Teens about Sexuality will help you understand your teen's world and give you effective strategies in the midst of cultural pressures. Drs. Robinson and Scott provide scientifically reliable and biblically based information about gender fluidity, types of intimacy, online dangers, setting boundaries, and much more. Along the way, the book provides useful conversation starters and insightful guidance. Don't let fear keep you from engaging in vital conversations. Learn how to talk to your teen with knowledge and confidence, guiding them toward a sexually healthy future.

Healing Conversations brings to life the seven elements of how to have deep and fulfilling conversations so that people can connect in a world with many conversational obstacles. Conversation is the way human beings connect. Great friendships are defined by the way one speaks, listens, and flows through the joy of effortless conversation. As the divisions in culture deepen due to politics, generational misunderstanding, the complexity of gender, the struggle to be politically correct, and every other possible human condition, conversation is becoming more and more dangerous. Most people feel an ever-increasing need to be careful with their words. It may be good to be thoughtful of language, but this is a new kind of carefulness. The anxiety of culture is leading people to communicate less and that leads to isolation and divisiveness. Healing Conversations is a simple way to revolutionize communication. It offers practical help to allow readers to talk their way out of conflict and loneliness. Within Healing Conversations, Dave Roberts helps readers to learn, gain perspective, grow, accomplish real work, come together for a greater good, but even more, helps them to feel intimately connected to the people around them again through the power of conversation.

Attention to embodiment and the religious significance of bodies is one of the most significant shifts in contemporary theology. In the midst of this, however, experiences of disability have received little attention. This book explores possibilities for theological engagement with disability, focusing on three primary alternatives: challenging existing theological models to engage with the disabled body, considering possibilities for a disability liberation theology, and exploring new theological options based on an understanding of the unsurprisingness of human limits.
The overarching perspective of this book is that limits are an unavoidable aspect of being human, a fact we often seem to forget or deny. Yet not only do all humans experience limits, most of us also experience limits that take the form of disability at some point in our lives; in this way, disability is more "normal" than non-disability. If we take such experiences seriously and refuse to reduce them to mere instances of suffering, we discover insights that are lost when we take a perfect or generic body as our starting point for theological reflections. While possible applications of this insight are vast, this work focuses on two areas of particular interest: theological anthropology and metaphors for God.
This project challenges theology to consider the undeniable diversity of human embodiment. It also enriches previous disability work by providing an alternative to the dominant medical and minority models, both of which fail to acknowledge the full diversity of disability experiences. Most notably, this project offers new images and possibilities for theological construction that attend appropriately and creatively to diversity in human embodiment.

This book examines how the early Christian elite articulated and cultivated the affective dimensions of compassion in a Roman world that promoted emotional tranquillity as the path to human flourishing. Drawing upon a wide range of early Christians from both east and west, Wessel situates each author in the broader cultural and intellectual context. The reader is introduced to the diverse conditions in which Christians felt and were urged to feel compassion in exemplary ways, and in which warnings were sounded against the possibilities for distortion and exploitation. Wessel argues that the early Christians developed literary methods and rhetorical techniques to bring about appropriate emotional responses to human suffering. Their success in this regard marks the beginning of affective compassion as a Christian virtue. Comparison with early modern and contemporary philosophers and ethicists further demonstrates the intrinsic worth of the early Christian understanding of compassion.

In a world of war, terrorism, and other geopolitical threats to global stability, how should committed Christians honor Jesus Christ and his Word? How should Christians think and act when it comes to church-state relations, the preservation of order, the practice of just peacemaking, and the use of coercive force? In this volume in IVP Academic's Spectrum series, four contributors-experts in Christian ethics, political philosophy, and international affairs-offer the best of current Christian thinking on issues of war and peace. They present four distinct views: Eric Patterson, just war view Myles Werntz, nonviolence view A. J. Nolte, Christian realist view Meic Pearse, church historical view Each contributor makes a case for his own view and responds to the others, highlighting complexities and real-world implications of the various perspectives. Edited and with an introduction and conclusion by the philosopher Paul Copan, this book provides a helpful orientation to the key positions today. Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.

During the last three decades of the twentieth century, evangelical leaders and conservative politicians developed a political agenda that thrust "family values" onto the nation's consciousness. Ministers, legislators, and laypeople came together to fight abortion, gay rights, and major feminist objectives. They supported private Christian schools, home schooling, and a strong military. Family values leaders like Jerry Falwell, Phyllis Schlafly, Anita Bryant, and James Dobson became increasingly supportive of the Republican Party, which accommodated the language of family values in its platforms and campaigns. The family values agenda created a bond between evangelicalism and political conservatism. Family Values and the Rise of the Christian Right chronicles how the family values agenda became so powerful in American political life and why it appealed to conservative evangelical Christians. Conservative evangelicals saw traditional gender norms as crucial in cultivating morality. They thought these gender norms would reaffirm the importance of clear lines of authority that the social revolutions of the 1960s had undermined. In the 1970s and 1980s, then, evangelicals founded Christian academies and developed homeschooling curricula that put conservative ideas about gender and authority front and center. Campaigns against abortion and feminism coalesced around a belief that God created women as wives and mothers-a belief that conservative evangelicals thought feminists and pro-choice advocates threatened. Likewise, Christian right leaders championed a particular vision of masculinity in their campaigns against gay rights and nuclear disarmament. Movements like the Promise Keepers called men to take responsibility for leading their families. Christian right political campaigns and pro-family organizations drew on conservative evangelical beliefs about men, women, children, and authority. These beliefs-known collectively as family values-became the most important religious agenda in late twentieth-century American politics.

Author and pastor David Kim shares his experiences with loneliness as a Korean American immigrant and delivers compelling research about belonging that includes the revolutionary five anchors for developing meaningful relationships. Even though we are connected more than ever--through social media, video calls and texts, and advanced travel opportunities--we're also drowning in loneliness and isolation. As discipleship pastor of WestGate Church in Silicon Valley, David Kim decided to research the reasons why--and uncovered surprising answers. When Kim moved to America from South Korea as a child, he experienced isolation during his school years. Differences in language, food, and culture spiked an immense desire for an accepting, supportive community. As an adult, he read widely about belonging, and in his survey of more than 1,300 Christians, he discovered that the number-one struggle shared by them is loneliness. Left to ourselves, Kim says, we naturally drift away from God and others, and we begin to believe the lies of the enemy: You are all alone. No one else feels this way. No one cares about you. How could they? God has abandoned you. You were just imagining things before. In Made to Belong, Kim combats those lies with the incredible hope found in the revolutionary Five Practices for Meaningful Connection: Priority: People first, no regrets. Chemistry: What, you too? Vulnerability: Dangerously safe. Empathy: I hear and see you. Accountability: I can't carry it, but I can carry you. True belonging takes intentional effort, but Kim reminds us that we are made to belong--to each other and to Jesus. Through sound wisdom from the Bible, proven research from the social sciences and his own data, and examples from his pastoral ministry and moving personal anecdotes, Kim shows us that we are uniquely designed by God to belong to one another for our flourishing.

Dewi Hughes' conviction is that the suffering through poverty of such a vast number of people in our day is overwhelmingly the result of the misuse of power by others. Hence, the underlying theme of this wide-ranging, challenging study is that poverty has to do with the way in which we human beings use and abuse the power God gave us when he created us.

The damage done by hatred and prejudice -- based on race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender -- runs very deep. The damage is often invisible, but it simmers beneath the surface anyway. In Race and Prayer, Malcolm Boyd and Chester Talton have collected poems, prayers, and prose that bring the anger and frustration to light, and ultimately, they hope, to a place of reconciliation and healing.

Race and Prayer is divided into five sections: Suffering and Anger; Prejudice and Hatred; Diversity; Reconciliation and Healing; and Growth in Understanding and Sharing. Contributors to this collection range in age from teenagers to the elderly, and include men and women from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, all of whom speak honestly of their own experiences, heartbreaks, and hopes. Twelve cartoons from three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Conrad, editorial cartoonist at the Los Angeles Times, add to the power of this collection.

It's time to take back what the devil has stolen and put God back into our culture. The Theft of America's Soul is a prophetic wake-up call for all who desire to see our nation thrive, challenging readers to exchange these ten lies for truths that will bring peace of mind, harmony, and prosperity back to our country--an invitation to experience the life-giving, peace-filling, wholly-transforming love of God. Phil Robertson, patriarch of A&E's Duck Dynasty and one of the most recognized voices of conservative Christianity in America, believes that little by little, generation by generation, America has allowed the lines of morality, decency, and virtue to be erased. Our values have disappeared as we began to believe lies--such as that God is dead, truth is relative, and unity is impossible--that have brought discord, division and protest. But Phil also believes that things can change. Writing with captivating storytelling and unflinching honesty, Phil shows how to make America a God-honoring nation once more: by dropping the ten central lies that rule our day, including God is dead There is no Devil Truth is relative Sex is for self-gratification

"There are no words foul and filthy enough to describe war." So declared Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (1883-1929), the cigarette-smoking padre "Woodbine Willie" whose battlfield experiences in World War I made him his generation's most eloquent defender of Christian pacicism. A tireless champion of the social gospel, he wrote a dozen books, scores of articles, hundreds of poems, and promoted economic justice in Britain and America by preaching. Studdert Kennedy's writing and preaching influenced an entire generation. Archbishop William Temple described him as a "true prophet." Although he has fallen into obscurity over the years, Studdert Kennedy's message has helped inspire the likes of Desmond Tutu and Jurgen Moltmann. This collection of his work, the first in sixty years, introduces this most relevant of thinkers to new readers. The book pulls together Studdert Kennedy's most important writings on war and peace, poverty, the problem of evil, the church's role in the world, sin and atonement, the suering God, love versus force as world powers, and the beloved community. Kerry Walters, the editor, introduces the texts with a biographical and thematic essay. "Kerry Walters deserves thanks for his accessible presentation of Studdert Kennedy's religious thought on war and its aftermath. Earning the nickname 'Woodbine Willie' from the British soldiers he served as chaplain in the 'Great War to end all wars', the knew first-hand the unspeakable horrors of war. He also knew that faith was not only possible after the hostilities ceased; it was necessary. His was not a disembodied or privatized faith. He is especially helpful in linking the Eucharist with social justice. Readers will appreciate his passionate love for the poor, wounded, and dying Christ and his commitment to the church, where he and others can insist that, indeed, after war faith is possible." -John Perry, SJ Associate Professor, Arthur V. Mauro Center for Peace and Justice, St. Paul's College, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg KERRY WALTERS is William Bittinger Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Peace and Justice Studies at Gettysburg College. He is the author of 19 previous books on philosophy, theology, and peace, and has been a peace activist since the Vietnam War era.

This book examines the speeches of John Paul II to managers and workers. Contents: List of Talks with Themes; Foreword; Preface; Introduction; Chapter 1: Addresses to Managers, Entrepreneurs and Professionals; Chapter 2: Addresses to Managers and Workers; Chapter 3: Addresses to Workers; Chapter 4: Addresses to General Audiences; Glossary; Suggestions for Additional Reading; Index.

The American church is at a critical crossroads. Our witness has been compromised, our numbers are down, and our reputation has been sullied, due largely to our own faults and fears. The church's ethnocentrism, consumerism, and syncretism have blurred the lines between discipleship and partisanship. Pastor Eric Costanzo, missiologist Daniel Yang, and nonprofit leader Matthew Soerens find that for the church to return to health, we must decenter ourselves from our American idols and recenter on the undeniable, inalienable core reality of the global, transcultural kingdom of God. Our guides in this process are global Christians and the poor, who offer hope from the margins, and the ancient church, which survived through the ages amid temptations of power and corruption. Their witness points us to refocus on the kingdom of God, the image of God, the Word of God, and the mission of God. The path to the future takes us away from ourselves in unlikely directions. By learning from the global church and marginalized voices, we can return to our roots of being kingdom-focused, loving our neighbor, and giving of ourselves in missional service to the world.

As society becomes more culturally diverse and globally connected, churches and seminaries are rapidly changing. And as the church changes, preaching must change too. Crossover Preaching proposes a way forward through conversation with the "dean of the nation's black preachers," Gardner C. Taylor, senior pastor emeritus of Concord Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. In this richly interdisciplinary study, Jared E. Alcantara argues that an analysis of Taylor's preaching reveals an improvisational-intercultural approach that recovers his contemporary significance and equips US churches and seminary classrooms for the future. Alcantara argues that preachers and homileticians need to develop intercultural and improvisational proficiencies to reach an increasingly intercultural church. Crossover Preaching equips them with concrete practices designed to help them cultivate these competencies and thus communicate effectively in a changing world.

The first comprehensive analysis of the dynamic interpenetration of religion and war in the West from C4 to early C13. Warfare in all histories and cultures shows evidence of the driving need to sanctify the cause, from the personal devotions of individuals to the grand designs of the architects of battle. In his important study David Bachrach takes a first thorough look at warfare in western Europe and its interaction with Christianity, from the initial appearance of the pacifist sect to the medieval popes' certainty of the crusades as "holy war". Religion played a necessary and crucial role in the conduct of war during late Antiquity and the middle ages. Military discipline and morale depended in significant part on religious rites carried out by priests and soldiers in the field and by their supporters on the home front. Just as importantly, warfare in the late Roman empire and its western successor states had a profound impact on Christian religious practice and doctrine: liturgical developments - in prayer, communion, confession, penance - can be linked to the military needs of the Christian Roman world and the Christian states of medieval Europe. Even more profound was the transformation of Christianity itself from pacifism to a faith which justified and eventually glorified killing on behalf of the Church. This volume provides the first comprehensive analysis of the dynamic interpenetration of religion and war in the West during almost a thousand years, fromthe accession of Constantine the Great in the early fourth century until the eve of the Fourth Lateran Council in the early thirteenth. With its often new interpretations of a vast array of sources, Religion and the Conduct ofWar has much to say to historians and others on the nature of war and its relationship with faith. DAVID S. BACHRACH is Associate Professor of History, University of New Hampshire.

As a teenager, Victor Torres was a gang warlord and heroin addict on New York City's violent streets. Through the ministry of David Wilkerson and Nicky Cruz, Victor had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and came to realize that God had a purpose for his life. Victor has spent the last forty-five years helping tens of thousands of young men and women find freedom from drug addiction and gang life. Now, he answers your toughest questions about your addicted loved one. Without pulling punches or promising easy answers, Victor provides wisdom and expertise that can lead you toward success. Some of the questions Victor addresses are...

How can I know if my loved one has a substance abuse problem?

How can I tell the difference between helping and enabling?

What if my loved one refuses to get help?

When should I call the police?

What should we look for in a treatment program?

What can I expect when my loved one comes out of treatment?

How do I prepare for relapse?

God did not create your loved one to be an addict or a loser. On the contrary, God created him or her for a better life. Although, for the moment, it may seem like you are losing your loved one, they still have a God-given destiny and a purpose. No matter how bad the picture may look now, there is always hope.