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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > Christian institutions & organizations > General
Why should you join a church?
Becoming a member of a church is an important, and often
neglected, part of the Christian life. Yet the trend these days is
one of shunning the practice of organized religion and showing a
distaste or fear of commitment, especially of institutions.
Jonathan Leeman addresses these issues with a straightforward
explanation of what church membership is and why it's important.
Giving the local church its proper due, Leeman has built a
compelling case for committing to the local body.
Church is now a fluid concept, no longer identifiable by
buildings and congregations on Sunday mornings. There is an
increasing interest in new forms of church that address the
different ways to meet the needs of specific neighborhoods and
people groups.
In the UK, these new forms of church have been pioneered by the
national Fresh Expressions movement, a remarkable initiative that
has attracted widespread attention around the world. Author Michael
Moynagh gathers his experience as a member of Fresh Expressions and
distills it into practical and comprehensive advice on how to start
and grow new churches--however small--in every context of life.
Based on the work in his seminal textbook Church for Every
Context (SCM), this inspiring introduction to contextual church
emphasizes practical aspects, telling many of the great stories
that have emerged through practitioners. It will enthuse and help
church leaders and individuals to start and develop these
communities, and advise them on how to help them grow to maturity
and become sustainable.
Child sexual abuse by clergy within the Roman Catholic Church has
emerged as a social and political discourse over the last three
decades. The analysis here specifically focuses on the
establishment, conduct, and outcomes of the extensive public
inquiries of Australia, although inquiries in other jurisdictions
are also discussed. Unlike criminal or civil processes, although
they may be inquisitory in nature, public inquiries emerge from a
specifically political context and are a tool of governance
embedded in a larger context of governmentality. Understanding the
broader political and cultural contexts of public inquiries is
important, then, in understanding their value and effectiveness as
justice processes - especially for victims of CSA by clergy. What
is interesting about public inquiry is that it situates victims of
CSA by clergy outside of criminal and civil justice processes and
recognises a different politicised relationship between victims as
citizens, the state, and Catholic institutions where abuse has
occurred. At the cutting edge of disciplinary and methodological
understandings of the interconnections between the church, state
and families, his book explores the dynamics of the emergence and
politicisation of victims of CSA by clergy, their expressions of
resistance and the legitimisation of their voice in public and
political spheres.
This easy-to-use, non-biased resource guide to all the major
denominations in the US includes a summary of doctrinal beliefs,
and is perfect for the new believer or the long-time Christian.
Approach Revelation with Clarity and Confidence Revelation does not
stand alone in the Bible-rather, it's a culmination of God's words
throughout the entire Old and New Testaments. This companion
workbook to Revealing Revelation helps you examine the Bible's
final book through that lens, illuminating Revelation both as an
individual letter and as a part of a greater whole. As bestselling
author Amir Tsarfati and prophecy teacher Rick Yohn guide you
through this inductive Bible study, you'll encounter an exciting
overview of God's perfect plan for the future and thoughtful
questions that encourage you to dive deeper into Scripture. You'll
gain... in-depth explorations of all 22 chapters in Revelation
enlightening examinations of other passages from Scripture that
bring context to and enhance your understanding of Revelation's
teachings essential habits you can bring into your study of any
other book of the Bible Your understanding of God's Word will
expand as you engage with this careful study of Jesus' love letter
to His church. The Revealing Revelation Workbook will give you a
clearer picture of the fascinating, enigmatic final book of the
Bible.
Integrity at Stake: Safeguarding Your Church from Financial Fraud
by Rollie Dimos is a financial resource book intended for pastors,
church leaders, and church administrators. Dimos' expertise as a
certified fraud examiner and internal auditor provides the church
audience with essential tools and know-how to assess their
financial processes. Including practical steps for evaluation,
Integrity at Stake details internal controls, risk management, and
true stories to help church leaders reduce the risk of fraud and
increase financial accountability and integrity.
This innovative book aims to create a 'poetics of Church' and a
'religious imaginary' as alternatives to more institutional and
conventional ways of thinking and of being 'Church'. Structured as
a spiritual and literary journey, the work moves from models of the
institutional Catholic Church into more radical and ambiguous
textual spaces, which the author creates by bringing together an
unorthodox group of thinkers referred to as 'poet-companions': the
16th-century founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius of Loyola,
the French thinkers Gaston Bachelard and Helene Cixous, the French
poet Yves Bonnefoy, and the English playwright Dennis Potter.
Inspired especially by the reading and writing practices of Cixous,
the author attempts to exemplify Cixous' notion of ecriture
feminine-'feminine writing'-that suggests new ways of seeing and
relating. The project's uniting of Ignatian spirituality with
postmodern thinking and its concern with creating new theological,
literary and spiritual spaces for women both coincide and contrast
with Pope Francis's pastoral and reformist tendencies, which have
neglected to adequately address the marginalisation of women in the
Church. As Francis has called for 'a theology of women', of which
there are, of course, many to draw from, this volume will be a
timely contribution with a unique interdisciplinary approach.
A personal and practical guide to help pastors find Jesus as their
mentor. For decades, Paul has been the model for today s pastors.
But Pastor John Frye says we must instead look to Jesus as our
model. 'While we may lift Christ up as Savior, as we bow down to
him as Lord, as we marvel at his offices of Prophet, Priest, and
King, as we walk with him as Friend, we seem to ignore him as the
supreme Senior Pastor.' Sharing thought-provoking, biblical
insights and personal experiences, Frye calls other pastors to
become apprentices to Jesus himself. He is the One who invites
pastors to watch him in action and draw close so he can shape who
they are and how they fulfill their ministry. 'Why have pastors and
churches not been driven to Jesus as the central and controlling
focus for the pastoral vocation and ministry in the local church?
He s been relegated to other dimensions of Christian and local
church experience. Jesus is shoved into our shadows as we read our
management books, do our cultural surveys, attend our leadership
seminars, and applaud or criticize one another s endeavors' --John
Frye in Jesus the Pastor"
In these firsthand accounts of the early church, the spirit of
Pentecost burns with prophetic force through the fog enveloping the
modern church. A clear and vibrant faith lives on in these
writings, providing a guide for Christians today. Its stark
simplicity and revolutionary fervor will stun those lulled by
conventional Christianity. The Early Christians is a topically
arranged collection of primary sources. It includes extra-biblical
sayings of Jesus and excerpts from Origen, Tertullian, Polycarp,
Clement of Alexandria, Justin, Irenaeus, Hermas, Ignatius, and
others. Equally revealing material from pagan contemporaries -
critics, detractors, and persecutors - is included as well.
Reforms and processes of change have become an increasingly
pervasive characteristic of European Protestant churches in the
last fifteen to twenty years. Driven by perceptions of crises, such
as declining membership rates, dwindling finances, decreasing
participation in church rituals, and less support of traditional
church doctrine, but also changes of governance of religion more
generally, many churches feel compelled to explore new forms of
operations, activities, and organisational structures. What is the
inner dynamic and nature of these processes? This book explores
this question by applying perspectives from organisational studies
and bringing them into dialogue with ecclesiological categories,
seeking to provide a richer understanding of the field of processes
of change in churches. Among the questions asked are: What are the
implications - organisationally and ecclesiologically - of viewing
reform as a church practice, and how does this relate to much more
comprehensive waves of public sector reforms? How is church
leadership configured and exercised, how is democratic leadership
related to the authority of ordained ministry, and how does
leadership take on new forms in the context of churches? And how do
churches incorporate organisational practices of planned change and
renewal, such as social entrepreneurship?
Before Queen Anne's reign had even begun, rival factions in both
Church and State were jostling for position in her court.
Attempting to follow a moderate course, the new monarch and her
advisors had to be constantly wary of the attempts of extremists on
both sides to gain the upper hand. The result was a see-saw period
of alternating influence that has fascinated historians and
political commentators. In this engaging new study, Barry Levis
shows that although both parties claimed to be in support of the
Church, their real aim was advancing their respective political
positions. Uniting close analysis of Queen Anne's changing policies
towards dissenters, occasional conformity and church appointments
with studies of the careers of several prominent churchmen and
politicians, Levis paints a gripping picture of competing religious
values and political ambitions. Most significantly, he shows that,
far from being restricted to the church and political elites, these
conflicts were to have a cascading influence on the division of the
country long after the Queen's reign ended.
Should we battle a plural and relativistic society by raising
barriers and walls, or should we accept the opportunity to announce
the Gospel in a new way? This is the challenge Christians are
facing today. In an extended interview with Vatican expert Andrea
Tornielli, Julian Carron examines the historical moment we are
living through in order to revive the essential core of Christian
faith. Starting from the realization that the world is experiencing
an evolution in which the difficulty of finding shared values and
natural morality makes sincere dialogue between believers and
non-believers challenging, Carron reflects on the possibility of
communicating the essence of the Christian faith in a form that can
inspire interest in modern times. Addressing the central questions
concerning the announcement of Christian faith in today's less
regimented society, Where Is God? discovers and rediscovers the
contents of Christianity and asks how they can be witnessed again
in a society that is not yet post-Christian, but potentially headed
in that direction.
Why did the Wesleyan Methodists and the Anglican evangelicals
divide during the middle of the eighteenth century? Many would
argue that the division between them was based narrowly on
theological matters, especially predestination and perfection. Ryan
Danker suggests, however, that politics was a major factor
throughout, driving the Wesleyan Methodists and Anglican
evangelicals apart. Methodism was perceived to be linked with the
radical and seditious politics of the Cromwellian period. This was
a charged claim in a post-Restoration England. Likewise Danker
explores the political force of resurgent Tory influence under
George III, which exerted more pressure on evangelicals to prove
their loyalty to the Establishment. These political realities made
it hard for evangelicals in the Church of England to cooperate with
Wesley and meant that all their theological debates were
politically inflected. Rich in detail, here is a book for all who
seek deeper insight into a critical juncture in the development of
evangelicalism and early Methodism.
A Texas oilman. A brilliant female archaeologist. An unknown world underneath the Vatican.
In 1939, a team of workers beneath the Vatican unearthed an early Christian grave. This surprising discovery launched a secret quest that would last decades — a quest to discover the long-lost burial place of the Apostle Peter.
From earliest times, Christian tradition held that Peter — a lowly fisherman from Galilee, whom Christ made leader of his Church — was executed in Rome by Emperor Nero and buried on Vatican Hill. But his tomb had been lost to history. Now, funded anonymously by a wealthy American, a small army of workers embarked on the dig of a lifetime.
The incredible, sometimes shocking, story of the 75-year search and its key players has never been fully told — until now. The quest would pit one of the 20th century’s most talented archaeologists — a woman — against top Vatican insiders. The Fisherman’s Tomb is a story of the triumph of faith and genius against all odds.
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Fight
(Paperback)
William Rufus Ojo; Edited by Sumbo Oladipo, Oluwakemi Ojo
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R794
Discovery Miles 7 940
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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