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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian institutions & organizations > Christian social thought & activity
The president of Southern Seminary reveals how secularism has infiltrated every aspect of society and how Christians, equipped with the gospel of Jesus Christ, can meet it head on with hope, confidence, and steadfast conviction. A Storm Is Coming Western civilization and the Christian church stand at a moment of great danger. Facing them both is a hurricane-force battle of ideas that will determine the future of Western civilization and the soul of the Christian church. The forces arrayed against the West and the church are destructive ideologies, policies, and worldviews deeply established among intellectual elites, the political class, and our schools. More menacingly, these forces have also invaded the Christian church. The perils faced by the West and the church are unprecedented: threats to religious liberty redefinitions of marriage and family attacks on the sacredness and dignity of human life How should Christians respond to this multifaceted challenge? Addressing each dimension of this challenge, The Gathering Storm provides answers and equips Christians both to give an answer for the hope that is within them and to contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints.
Christianity Today Book Award The Gospel Coalition Book Awards Honorable Mention Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalist ECPA Top Shelf Book Cover Award "Reading the morning newspaper is the realist's morning prayer."-G. W. F. Hegel Whenever we reach for our phones or scan a newspaper to get "caught up," we are being not merely informed but also formed. News consumption can shape our sense of belonging, how we judge the value of our lives, and even how our brains function. Christians mustn't let the news replace prayer as Hegel envisioned, but neither should we simply discard the daily feed. We need a better understanding of what the news is for and how to read it well. Jeffrey Bilbro invites readers to take a step back and gain some theological and historical perspective on the nature and very purpose of news. In Reading the Times he reflects on how we pay attention, how we discern the nature of time and history, and how we form communities through what we read and discuss. Drawing on writers from Thoreau and Dante to Merton and Berry, along with activist-journalists such as Frederick Douglass and Dorothy Day, Bilbro offers an alternative vision of the rhythms of life, one in which we understand our times in light of what is timeless. Throughout, he suggests practices to counteract common maladies tied to media consumption in order to cultivate healthier ways of reading and being. When the news sets itself up as the light of the world, it usurps the role of the living Word. But when it helps us attend together to the work of Christ-down through history and within our daily contexts-it can play a vital part in enabling us to love our neighbors. Reading the Times is a refreshing and humane call to put the news in its place.
Gods at War illustrates a clear path away from the heartache of our 21st century idolatry back to the heart of God--enabling us to be completely committed followers of Jesus. What do Netflix, our desire for the corner office, and that perfect picture we just posted on Instagram have to do with each other? None of these things is wrong in itself. But when we begin to allow entertainment, success, or social media to control us, we miss out on the joy of God's rule in our hearts. In Gods at War, Pastor Kyle Idleman, bestselling author of Not a Fan, helps every believer recognize there are false gods at war within each of us, and they battle for the place of glory and control in our lives. According to Idleman, idolatry isn't an issue--it is the issue. And he reveals which false gods each of us are allowing on the throne of our lives, by asking insightful questions such as: What do you sacrifice for? What makes you mad? What do you worry about? Whose applause do you long for? We're all wired for worship, but we often end up valuing and honoring the idols of money, sex, food, romance, success, and many others that keep us from the intimate relationship with God that we desire. In this updated edition, Pastor Kyle adds a new introduction as well as new content about the battle many of us face with technology--whether we are tempted to send just one more text, stay online when our bodies need rest, or find ourselves putting email before in-person relationships. How can we seek God with our whole hearts instead? Spanish and student editions also available.
At 14, David Bennett came out to his parents. At 19, he encountered Jesus Christ. At that moment, his life changed forever. As a young gay man, David Bennett saw Christianity as an enemy to freedom for LGBTQI people, and his early experiences with prejudice and homophobia led him to become a gay activist. But when Jesus came into his life in a highly unexpected way, he was led down a path he never would have predicted or imagined. In A War of Loves, David recounts his dramatic story, from his early years exploring new age religions and French existentialism to his university experiences as an activist. Following supernatural encounters with God, he embarked on a journey not only of seeking to reconcile his faith and sexuality but also of discovering the higher call of Jesus Christ. A War of Loves investigates what the Bible teaches about sexuality and demonstrates the profligate, unqualified grace of God for all people. David describes the joy and intimacy he found in following Jesus Christ and how love has taken on a radically new and far richer meaning for him.
A shocking snapshot of the most current impulses in American religion. Rodney Stark reports the surprising findings of the 2007 Baylor Surveys of Religion, a follow up to the 2005 survey revealing most Americans believe in God or a higher power. This new volume highlights even more hot-button issues of religious life in our country. A must-read for anyone interested in Americans' religious beliefs and practices.
What started as a joke account on Instagram has turned into a movement.
Through this provocative project, the founder of PreachersNSneakers is
helping thousands of Jesus followers wrestle with the inevitable
dilemmas created by a culture obsessed with image and entertainment.
PreachersNSneakers will navigate these challenging questions and many more with humor, wit, candor, and a few never-before-published hijinks. Each chapter will explore the various sides of the debate, holding space for readers to make up their own minds. The book will doubtlessly become a staple for church small groups, college ministries, and book clubs, emboldening struggling believers who want to live a more genuine faith. After all, the Lord works in mysterious colorways.
The global crisis of forced displacement is growing every year. At the same time, Western Christians' sympathy toward refugees is increasingly overshadowed by concerns about personal and national security, economics, and culture. We urgently need a perspective that understands both Scripture and current political realities and that can be applied at the levels of the church, the nation, and the globe. In Refuge Reimagined, Mark R. Glanville and Luke Glanville offer a new approach to compassion for displaced people: a biblical ethic of kinship. God's people, they argue, are consistently called to extend kinship-a mutual responsibility and solidarity-to those who are marginalized and without a home. Drawing on their respective expertise in Old Testament studies and international relations, the two brothers engage a range of disciplines to demonstrate how this ethic is consistently conveyed throughout the Bible and can be practically embodied today. Glanville and Glanville apply the kinship ethic to issues such as the current mission of the church, national identity and sovereignty, and possibilities for a cooperative global response to the refugee crisis. Challenging the fear-based ethic that often motivates Christian approaches, they envision a more generous, creative, and hopeful way forward. Refuge Reimagined will equip students, activists, and anyone interested in refugee issues to understand the biblical model for communities and how it can transform our world.
The Gospel Coaltion Award of Distinction-Christian Living The digital age is in the business of commodifying our attention. The technologies of our day are determined to keep us scrolling and swiping at all costs, plugged into a feedback loop of impatience, comparison, outrage, and contempt. Blind to the dangers, we enjoy its temporary pleasures, unaware of the damage to our souls. Jay Kim's Analog Church explored the ways the digital age and its values affect the life of the church. In Analog Christian, he asks the same question of Christian discipleship. As the digital age inclines us to discontentment, fragility, and foolishness, how are followers of Jesus to respond? What is the theological basis for living in creative resistance to the forces of our day? How can Christians cultivate the contentment, resilience, and wisdom to not only survive but to thrive as we navigate the specific challenges of our age?
A seasoned Bible scholar and an expert in organizational leadership and change offer principles for modern managers and leaders drawn from Paul's dynamic leadership style. In a unique blend of management theory and biblical scholarship, Ascough and Cotton demonstrate that Paul essentially wrote the book on how transformational leaders should operate. Thoroughly grounded in biblical studies and the academic study of leadership--yet written in a clear and readable style--their conclusions will challenge thinking in a variety of organizations.
Will You Be Complicit, Complacent, or Courageous? In a culture with an ever-narrowing definition of tolerance, Christians can no longer stay silent about the divide between the Bible's truth and the world's lies. From bestselling author Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, No Reason to Hide examines the toxic roots behind the alarming symptoms of a nation in spiritual freefall-and why your faith must empower you to engage rather than hide. As you read, you'll be equipped to defend your biblical beliefs with confidence and compassion. You'll also identify how you can respond to the battleground issues of today, including identity-driven social justice ideologies that seek to divide rather than unite cultural attacks on the definitions of sex and gender that turn language into a war progressive pushes within the church that ultimately desecrate the Bible's teachings A call for believers to standing firm in today's oppressive world, No Reason to Hide is a rallying reminder that will ready Christians everywhere to have the courage to proclaim Scripture's truth to a culture in desperate need of what only God can offer.
A pastor who is also a politics professor examines current issues
pertaining to sexuality and society and asks, What kind of world
are we creating? And is it the world we want to live in? With no
finger-pointing, and a cordial openness to responses from all
points of view, Dale Kuehne contrasts the "tWorld," in which
traditional morality reigned and recent innovations would have been
inconceivable, with the post-Enlightenment "iWorld," in which these
innovations are promoted because the perceived immediate needs of
the individual are paramount. Both, he finds, fall short of the
"rWorld," the larger web of healthy and nourishing social
relationships that provides the context for a biblical
understanding of individual sexuality. This book will transform the
conversation on sexuality among college students, campus ministers,
church and ministry leaders, and all readers with an eye on culture
and public policy.
Dynamic, Practical, Faith-Filled Response to the Evil Rising Around Us It's difficult to hear the growing daily reports of evil in our society without a degree of fear. Seen from a human perspective, things appear hopeless. But as we consider the spiritual perspective of those same events, we can--and will--see what purpose those struggles serve in God's plan. In these pages, pastor and author Phil Hotsenpiller will help you begin to connect the dots between biblical prophecies about lawlessness with current events. As you begin to see God's perspective, you will gain a more confident outlook for the future. God is trying to get our attention, show us how to get past our fears, and help us respond with faith to the evil we see all around us. Regardless of what we see on the news, God is still in control. Here are practical, everyday ways we can move forward with hope and determination to make our world a better place until the return of Jesus Christ.
A Harrowing, Intimate Look into the Most Devastating War in Eight Decades Part narrative, part wartime dispatch, Hope for Ukraine transports you into the gritty reality of war-torn Ukraine--and the front lines of faith, survival, and miraculous intervention. From scrambling to escape the bombs leveling their neighborhoods to fleeing sex traffickers in the chaos of border crossings to rescuing orphans trapped by Russian tanks, these stunning firsthand accounts tell the stories of real Ukrainians enduring terrible hardships with grit and grace. Join bestselling writer Kyle Duncan and his co-author Esther Fedorkevich--both with deep family ties to Ukraine--as they take you inside the conflict with dramatic boots-on-the-ground stories and eyewitness accounts of Ukrainian refugees, aid workers, soldiers, and families affected by the conflict. As the world holds its collective breath, these stories reveal the unbreakable spirit of a nation under siege. Even amid the chaos and tragedy of Europe's largest war since World War II, God is indeed at work in redemptive ways. Authors' Proceeds to Support Ukraine's Refugees
For four years, John Bell has been a contributor to Radio 4's "Thought for the Day", attempting - as the project demands - to offer a religious perspective on matters of current social and international importance. Sometimes affirming, sometimes controversial but always contemporary, these short reflections represent the prickly interface between faith and politics from the perspective of a Christian believer.
Western civilization is becoming increasingly pluralistic, secularized, and biblically illiterate. Many people today have little sense of how their lives have benefited from Christianity s influence, often viewing the church with hostility or resentment. How Christianity Changed the World is a topically arranged Christian history for Christians and non- Christians. Grounded in solid research and written in a popular style, this book is both a helpful apologetic tool in talking with unbelievers and a source of evidence for why Christianity deserves credit for many of the humane, social, scientific, and cultural advances in the Western world in the last two thousand years. Photographs, timelines, and charts enhance each chapter. This edition features questions for reflection and discussion for each chapter."
Acclaimed writer and pastor Mike Cosper provides Christians with a surprising guide for living in a secular culture by looking at the story of Esther--a tale of evil, awakened faith, and hope of good in a world where God seems absent. How can Christianity survive in a secular world? How can Christians live without compromise in an increasingly hostile society? And what if we have already been shaped by the culture around us in harmful, soul-destroying ways? Faith Among the Faithless provides answers by drawing parallels between our world and the story of Esther. Far from the gentle cartoon stories we heard in Sunday school, the book of Esther is a brutal tale of people assimilated into a pluralistic, pagan society who discover its murderous underbelly and turn to God in a moment of courage and crisis. A story of sex, ego, and revenge, the book of Esther reveals a world where God seems absent from everyday life--a world not unlike our own. Faith Among the Faithless helps readers see themselves in the very human character of Esther, discovering that like her we have an enemy who plots against us. A call to spiritual awakening and to faith and courage in an age of malaise and apathy, Faith Among the Faithless is an invitation to remembrance and presence, knowing that in our dark times God may be hidden, but he is never absent.
How can the church be a healing force in the world? In this longtime bestseller, now revised and updated, authors Jerry Cook and Stanley C. Baldwin suggest that it is only when believers admit their own brokenness that they can love, accept, and forgive those who are hurting around them and put out the welcome mat to their community. They offer clear teaching about the church in a hurting world. As veteran leaders who practice these principles, they speak from experience, not theory. Through touching true stories and practical guidelines for connecting with fallen, sinful people, Cook and Baldwin announce the good news. The church is not broken, and it is the broken people who can change the world. |
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