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At key moments in his life on earth, Jesus Christ, the very Son of
God, turned to the Psalms for words to express his deepest thoughts
and emotions. It is not hard to imagine Jesus, his mind and heart
saturated with the words and thoughts of the Psalms as they were
prayed aloud in the Temple, going off early in the morning to pray.
How much must he have mouthed the words of the Psalms and given
them a fulfillment? They became his answering speech to his
heavenly Father. In these pages you will discover how the psalms
that relate closely to the mission of Jesus can also become our
answering speech. We will begin our journey into the mind of Christ
by immersing ourselves in several psalms which Jesus himself refers
to and fulfills. And then in the second half of the book, we will
immerse ourselves in psalms that Jesus would have meditated on
during his time on earth, focusing on the heart and mind of Jesus
as he prayed the psalms. Structural analysis of each psalm will
help us grow our ability to read the Psalms. The guided personal
prayer liturgy with each chapter will help us go deeper in the
experience of praying the Psalms. Through these psalms we will
discover more of the human life of our Lord and Savior. And in the
process we will discover more of who we are as we come before our
holy God. Also included: a group discussion and prayer experience
to accompany each chapter.
Weariness. Wonder. Joy. Longing. Anger. These are the feelings of
the Psalms: honest expressions of pain and joy penned by real
people in the midst of real life circumstances. Though they were
written centuries ago, the Psalms still resonate deeply with us
today, giving voice to our thoughts and longings: "Out of the
depths I cry to you, O LORD." (Psalm 130:1) "God is our refuge and
strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1) "As the
deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God."
(Psalm 84:2) In Learning to Pray Through the Psalms, James W. Sire
teaches us to take our appreciation for this rich book of Scripture
a step further. Choosing ten specific psalms, Sire offers
background information that helps us read each one with deeper
insight and then lays out a meditative, step-by-step approach to
using the psalmists' words as a guide for our own personal
conversation with God. A group study is also included in each
chapter, along with a guide for praying through the psalm in
community. The Lord loves when his people pray. And his Word is a
powerful tool for framing honest, intimate prayers. Sire's
innovative approach will enrich our minds and our souls as we read
more perceptively and pray with all of our emotions.
Your eyes see the words, but do you read what you see? Every
article, poem, book not only carries information but also projects
a way of looking at life. This book helps readers detect not only
what writers say but what lies behind what they say. The careful
reading of any book requires that we seek out the author's
standpoint. What is this author's larger philosophical commitment?
What does he or she think life is about? Slowing down will increase
our comprehension. Widely used in higher education classrooms.
Digs into the Bible to find out what Jesus did and said Encourages
you to decide what place Jesus has in your life today More than 110
titles available! Features the popular inductive study approach
Includes helpful notes for group leaders Convenient workbook format
for groups or individuals Approach questions help get you thinking
or start group discussion Application questions help you to act on
what you have learned Field-tested by individuals and groups prior
to publication
This book deals with profound experiences - emotional,
intellectual, highly charged, usually sudden, unannounced, often
odd, some weird, others glorious. Do these experiences mean
anything? Are we puzzling over questions we can't answer no matter
how long we try? Is that puzzling itself meaningful? If so, is that
meaning significant? Are these experiences actually signals that
there is something more than to human life - our human life, my
life - perhaps something transcendent? The book ends with a
discussion of the need for an apologetic that includes a wide range
of biblical revelation - not just religious experience, but
historical and scientific evidence and rational arguments involving
both a positive case and a negative refutation of objections.
Always be prepared to make your defense to anyone who demands from
you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with
gentleness and reverence. (1 Peter 3:15-16) We've all felt the
tension. An opportunity to speak for Christ comes up, and either we
jump in with both barrels blasting or we cower in the corner and
say nothing. Is there a better way? Can we learn to speak boldly,
yet humbly, about our faith in Christ? Veteran apologist Jim Sire
offers salient counsel derived from over fifty years of experience
in a vast array of settings. Through a variety of snapshots, both
successful and unsuccessful, he helps us understand the nature,
value and limits of apologetics, and suggests how to tailor our
comments to respect our audience whether large or small, formal or
informal. He then outlines five key arguments for the Christian
faith and offers responses to five common objections. Finally, for
those especially drawn to apologetics, he offers counsel on how to
discern a call to apologetic ministry.
Over 400,000 Sold For over fifty years The God Who Is There has
been a landmark work that has changed the way the church sees the
world. Francis Schaeffer's first book presents a wide-ranging
analysis of the intellectual and cultural climate of the second
half of the twentieth century, from philosophy to art to liberal
theology. Arguing that Christians must constantly engage the
questions being asked by their own-and the next-generation, he
envisions an apologetics and spirituality both grounded in absolute
truth and engaging the whole of reality. "If we are unexcited
Christians, we should go back and see what is wrong," Schaeffer
writes. "We are surrounded by a generation that can find 'no one
home' in the universe. . . . In contrast to this, as a Christian I
know who I am; and I know the personal God who is there." In every
age, this God continues to provide the anchor of truth and the
power of love to meet the world's deepest problems. Named by
Christianity Today as one of the "Top 50 Books That Have Shaped
Evangelicals" (October 2006), this redesigned classic is now
available as part of the IVP Signature Collection.
For more than forty years, The Universe Next Door has set the
standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews. Using
his widely influential model of eight basic worldview questions,
James Sire examines prominent worldviews that have shaped the
Western world: theism deism naturalism Marxism nihilism
existentialism Eastern monism New Age philosophy postmodernism
Islam Intertwined with this analysis, he presents an overview of
intellectual history giving insight into the current state of
Western thought and culture. Critiquing each worldview within its
own frame of reference and in comparison to others, Sire encourages
readers to wrestle with life's biggest questions and examine the
core beliefs and commitments on which they are building their lives
The sixth edition, updated by Sire's longtime editor Jim Hoover,
features new explanatory sidebars, helpful charts comparing
worldviews and illustrating their historical flow, and a chapter on
challenges to a Christian worldview in the twenty-first century.
New discussion questions will help readers reflect more deeply on
the ideas in each chapter. The Universe Next Door has been
translated into over a dozen languages and has been used as a text
at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging
from apologetics and world religions to history and English
literature. In a world of ever-increasing diversity, The Universe
Next Door offers a unique resource for understanding the variety of
worldviews that claim the allegiance of mind and heart.
A Christianity Today Book Award Winner What does it mean to love
God with your mind? Can the intellectual life be a legitimate
Christian calling? In this deeply personal book, James Sire brings
wit and wisdom to bear on these questions. He draws from his own
experience and the life of John Henry Newman to explore how to
think well for the glory of God and the sake of his kingdom. Habits
of the Mind challenges you to avoid one of the greatest pitfalls of
intellectual life: the temptation to separate being from knowing.
Sire shows how to cultivate intellectual virtues and
disciplines-habits of the mind-that will strengthen you in pursuit
of your calling. Thinking well is integral to acting righteously.
Sire offers assurance that intellectual life can be a true calling
for Christians: because Jesus was the smartest man who ever lived,
you can and should accept the challenge to think with more
accuracy, wisdom, humility, and passion. This classic work is now
available as part of the IVP Signature Collection, which features
special editions of iconic books in celebration of the
seventy-fifth anniversary of InterVarsity Press.
Christianity begins with God and ends with God. It is a story for
all to know and understand. In this personal and easy-to-read book,
James Sire offers a basic introduction to the foundational truths
held by Christians at all times and in all places. The chapters are
organized around a simple scheme: creation, fall, redemption, new
life in Christ, and glorification. In this expanded edition, Sire
added a chapter on the person of Jesus. With study questions for
personal or group use, this is the ideal first book for seekers and
believers who want to understand the central teachings of the
Bible.
What is a worldview? What lies behind your thoughts about almost
everything? For more than thirty years, James W. Sire has grappled
with this issue. In his widely used textbook The Universe Next
Door, first published in 1976, Sire offered a succinct definition
of a worldview and catalogued in summary fashion seven basic
worldview alternatives. Students, critics, new literature and
continued reflection have led him to reexamine and refine his
definition of a worldview. This second edition companion volume to
The Universe Next Door is the fruit of that effort, offering
readers his most mature thought on the concept of a worldview,
addressing such questions as What is the history of the concept
itself? What is the first question you should ask in formulating a
worldview? How are worldviews formed existentially as well as
intellectually? Is a worldview primarily an intellectual system, a
way of life or a story? What are the public and private dimensions
of a worldview? What role can worldview thinking play in assessing
your own worldview and those of others, especially in light of the
pluralism in today's world? Naming the Elephant is an excellent
resource for exploring more deeply how and why worldview thinking
can aid you in navigating your pluralistic universe.
What reason do you have for believing Christianity is true? The
best reason is Jesus himself. James W. Sire invites you to meet
Jesus by digging deep into the Bible. You'll discover what Jesus
did and said. And you'll be encouraged to decide what place Jesus
has in your life today. Whether you are reading the Gospels for the
first time or for the fiftieth, you'll find these investigative
Bible studies challenging and transforming. This revised LifeGuide
Bible Study features additional questions for starting group
discussions and for meeting God in personal reflection, together
with expanded leader's notes and a "Now or Later" section in each
study.
"It is possible to be a Christian without showing the mark, but if
we expect non-Christians to know that we are Christians, we must
show the mark." Christians have not always presented an inviting
picture to the world. Too often we have failed to show the beauty
of authentic Christian love. And the world has disregarded
Christianity as a result. In our era of global violence and
sectarian intolerance, the church needs to hear anew the challenge
of this book. Decades ago Francis Schaeffer exhorted, "Love--and
the unity it attests to--is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear
before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that
Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the
Father." More than ever, the church needs to respond
compassionately to a needy world. More than ever, we need to show
the Mark.
Description: Early evening, a young boy alone on his pony on the
rim of the Nebraska Sandhills. Three darkening thunderclouds rising
higher and higher on the horizon. An electric atmosphere, a
quickening, light cooling breeze. A slight shiver and the boy
wonders, ""Am I being pursued by the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost?"" These sudden, unbidden, unexpected, strange experiences.
We all have them. What are they? Mere plucking on the emotional
strings of our material selves? Or do they have a deeper meaning?
Do they signal the Presence of something other, maybe some Other,
maybe some one Other, some thing or some one, above, below, beyond
our normal waking consciousness? James W. Sire has studied a
massive number of these accounts. He pairs them with his own
experiences and turns to scientists, philosophers, and theologians
for explanation. These experiences, he concludes, are signals of
transcendence or what N. T. Wright calls echoes of a voice--""the
voice of Jesus, calling us to follow him into God's new world.""
This book is an account of the author's journey to this conclusion.
You gave it your best shot. You made the best case you knew how,
and your friend still wasn't persuaded to follow Christ. Why is it
that solid, rational arguments for the Christian faith often fail?
For over fifty years James Sire, noted author and public defender
of the Christian faith, has asked himself that question. Sometimes,
of course, the arguments themselves just aren't that good. How can
we make them better? Sometimes the problem has to do with us and
not the arguments. Our arrogance, aggressiveness or cleverness gets
in the way, or we misread our audience. Sometimes the problem lies
with the hearers. Their worldview or moral blindness keeps them
from hearing and understanding the truth. With wisdom borne of both
formal and informal experience, Sire grapples with these issues and
offers practical insight into making a more persuasive case for
Christ. Includes an annotated bibliography of resources for framing
effective arguments.
How often have you encountered some bizarre doctrine only to be
stunned to hear a Bible verse quoted to support it? With new
religious cults springing up almost daily and old ones growing
rapidly, this is more and more common. How are they seemingly able
to twist Scripture to mean something orthodox Christians have never
believed it to mean in two thousand years? James Sire, author ofThe
Universe Next Door and How to Read Slowly, has isolated twenty
separate kinds of reading errors which are characteristically made
by cultists as they interpret the Bible. He covers the full range
from simple misquotation to complex argumentation which links one
slightly eccentric interpretation to another, mixes in a few
orthodox readings and ends with a conclusion totally foreign to the
biblical world view. Sire also handles twisted translation,
overspecification, virtue by association, ignoring the context and
other flawed interpretations. A book to help us all become better
readers of the Scriptures.
Chris Chrisman, a young Christian, goes to college only to have his
world turned upside down. On campus he finds the challenges to his
faith -- both intellectual and personal -- almost more than he can
bear. Then he meets Bill Seipel and Bob Wong. Together, the three
young men, two of them Christians and the other a self-styled
atheist, forge a common bond in the quest for truth. In the process
they confront some of the dominant ideologies of the secular
university. Weaving the story of Chris's first year on campus with
separate expository chapters on such forces as individualism,
pluralism, relativism and privitization, James Sire offers a
helpful apologetic for those who are searching for truth in a
postmodern world. He identifies no fewer than six types of
relativism, from "All religions boil down to the same thing" and
"It's true for you; it's not true for me" to "God does not exist;
naturalism is true." Then in down-to-earth language Sire helps
readers to think through these and other complex issues.
Christians who are serious about their faith want to love God with
all that they are -- heart and mind and strength. Books abound on
the devotional life, on commitment, on evangelism and practical
Christian living, but few take up what it means to love God with
our minds. How do we learn to honor God in the ways we think? James
Sire blazes a trail for Christians concerned about the discipleship
of our minds. After looking at the attitudes toward God and
ourselves necessary for the journey, he introduces us to the basics
of the Christian world view. Separate chapters discuss the
foundations of knowledge and the relationship between knowing and
doing. With an eye to the practical, Sire offers specific
suggestions on getting to know what is good and getting to know the
world. He also provides valuable insights on how Christians might
approach various academic disciplines as disciples of Christ. Here
is a book for all who desire to love God with their minds.
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