Imagining Church

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Imagining the Small Church

Author : Steve Willis
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1566995558
Total Pages : 116 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (669 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining the Small Church by : Steve Willis

Download or read book Imagining the Small Church written by Steve Willis and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2012-11-06 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagining the Small Church: Celebrating a Simpler Path bears witness to what God is doing in small churches. Steve Willis tells stories from the small churches he has pastored in rural, town, and urban settings and dares to imagine that their way of being has something to teach all churches in this time of change in the American Christian Church. Willis tells us in the introduction, 'This book boasts no ten or fifteen steps to a successful small church. Instead, I hope to encourage you to give up on steps altogether and even to give up on success, at least how success is usually measured. I also hope to help the reader imagine the small church differently; to see with new eyes the joys and pleasures of living small and sustainably.' The joys and sorrows Willis helps us see through the compelling stories of faith in the small church puts flesh and bones on the possibilities that lie ahead for congregations in the future as well as the here and now. From the foreword by Tony Pappas: 'In Imagining the Small Church, pastor, writer, and lover of small things Steve Willis takes us on a narrative and imaginative journey. Some readers will have a sense that what Willis is describing simply names what they have already known in their hearts about their small churches. For them the journey will cover some familiar ground, explore some territory from a fresh angle, but deposit them nearly home again, hopefully with just a bit more awareness and appreciation. For others, though, Willis will take them on a long journey to a far and foreign place. They probably won't bother to finish reading it, and they will miss his invitation to find pastoring a small church extremely rewarding and meaningful. They will find this a strange book weird, off-center, and impractical; unlivable in the twenty-first century and undesirable in any event. This is because Willis is taking on the ethos, the values of our age, and claiming that it needn't be so. We can live on a different basis. We can live on the basis of gospel values.' There will be a variety of paths as the Church seeks new ways of being in this time. Willis knows this. In Imagining the Small Church he presents us with one that embraces a life of faith on the periphery and challenges church leaders to do the same.

The Christian Imagination

Author : Willie James Jennings
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300163088
Total Pages : 582 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (1 download)

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Book Synopsis The Christian Imagination by : Willie James Jennings

Download or read book The Christian Imagination written by Willie James Jennings and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-25 with total page 582 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why has Christianity, a religion premised upon neighborly love, failed in its attempts to heal social divisions? In this ambitious and wide-ranging work, Willie James Jennings delves deep into the late medieval soil in which the modern Christian imagination grew, to reveal how Christianity's highly refined process of socialization has inadvertently created and maintained segregated societies. A probing study of the cultural fragmentation-social, spatial, and racial-that took root in the Western mind, this book shows how Christianity has consistently forged Christian nations rather than encouraging genuine communion between disparate groups and individuals. Weaving together the stories of Zurara, the royal chronicler of Prince Henry, the Jesuit theologian Jose de Acosta, the famed Anglican Bishop John William Colenso, and the former slave writer Olaudah Equiano, Jennings narrates a tale of loss, forgetfulness, and missed opportunities for the transformation of Christian communities. Touching on issues of slavery, geography, Native American history, Jewish-Christian relations, literacy, and translation, he brilliantly exposes how the loss of land and the supersessionist ideas behind the Christian missionary movement are both deeply implicated in the invention of race. Using his bold, creative, and courageous critique to imagine a truly cosmopolitan citizenship that transcends geopolitical, nationalist, ethnic, and racial boundaries, Jennings charts, with great vision, new ways of imagining ourselves, our communities, and the landscapes we inhabit.

Imagining the Kingdom

Author : James K. A. Smith
Publisher : Baker Academic
ISBN 13 : 9780801035784
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (357 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining the Kingdom by : James K. A. Smith

Download or read book Imagining the Kingdom written by James K. A. Smith and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2013-02-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2013 Word Guild Award (Academic) How does worship work? How exactly does liturgical formation shape us? What are the dynamics of such transformation? In the second of James K. A. Smith's three-volume theology of culture, the author expands and deepens the analysis of cultural liturgies and Christian worship he developed in his well-received Desiring the Kingdom. He helps us understand and appreciate the bodily basis of habit formation and how liturgical formation--both "secular" and Christian--affects our fundamental orientation to the world. Worship "works" by leveraging our bodies to transform our imagination, and it does this through stories we understand on a register that is closer to body than mind. This has critical implications for how we think about Christian formation. Professors and students will welcome this work as will pastors, worship leaders, and Christian educators. The book includes analyses of popular films, novels, and other cultural phenomena, such as The King's Speech, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, and Facebook.

Imagining the Catholic Church

Author : Ghislain Lafont
Publisher : Liturgical Press
ISBN 13 : 9780814659465
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (594 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining the Catholic Church by : Ghislain Lafont

Download or read book Imagining the Catholic Church written by Ghislain Lafont and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Father Lafont challenges the Church to offer a renewed image and to speak credibly, without abandoning any essentials given by God to the Church and without sacrificing the radicalism of the Gospel message."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Imagining Judeo-Christian America

Author : K. Healan Gaston
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022666399X
Total Pages : 361 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (266 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining Judeo-Christian America by : K. Healan Gaston

Download or read book Imagining Judeo-Christian America written by K. Healan Gaston and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2019-11-15 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Judeo-Christian” is a remarkably easy term to look right through. Judaism and Christianity obviously share tenets, texts, and beliefs that have strongly influenced American democracy. In this ambitious book, however, K. Healan Gaston challenges the myth of a monolithic Judeo-Christian America. She demonstrates that the idea is not only a recent and deliberate construct, but also a potentially dangerous one. From the time of its widespread adoption in the 1930s, the ostensible inclusiveness of Judeo-Christian terminology concealed efforts to promote particular conceptions of religion, secularism, and politics. Gaston also shows that this new language, originally rooted in arguments over the nature of democracy that intensified in the early Cold War years, later became a marker in the culture wars that continue today. She argues that the debate on what constituted Judeo-Christian—and American—identity has shaped the country’s religious and political culture much more extensively than previously recognized.

Imagining Church

Author : Gary A. Shockley
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 156699554X
Total Pages : 173 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (669 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining Church by : Gary A. Shockley

Download or read book Imagining Church written by Gary A. Shockley and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2009-01-12 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagination is one of the great gifts bestowed on us by our Creator, observe authors Gary and Kim Shockley, and it can be the spark that ignites a fire of change in our lives. Drawing on their more than thirty years of pastoral and church consulting experience, the Shockleys illustrate the power of imagination using personal stories born of their own quest to be faithful in ministry. They also show readers that imagining church is a shared experience among God's people. When we imagine the church--forming a mental image of what we believe the church is and ought to be--we are co-creators with the Master Designer, Chief Architect, and Greatest Creator, and can help others imagine church. They remind leaders, "If you can't see it, neither will anyone else." The Shockleys outline how we in the church are now laborers in a new kind of vineyard--one that requires a new way of thinking and acting in our postmodern world. They invite readers to step into the flow of God's activity and, using the gifts God has given us, cooperate in the work of ministry and mission. Rather than suggesting one model or process for church effectiveness ("do it this way and grow"), Imagining Church helps congregational leaders to think more imaginatively about how God is at work in our present ministry contexts. This will help to open ourselves anew to the Spirit of God--the Divine Artist--who is ready to fuel our desire to be the co-creators we are meant to be for the sake of the church.

Imagining Abundance

Author : Kerry Alys Robinson
Publisher : Liturgical Press
ISBN 13 : 0814637914
Total Pages : 110 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (146 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining Abundance by : Kerry Alys Robinson

Download or read book Imagining Abundance written by Kerry Alys Robinson and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2014-12-15 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fundraising is ministry—a transformative ministry that challenges all people to realize their own gifts and how they can be used for the benefit of the church. In Imagining Abundance, Kerry Robinson focuses on reasons why each of us are called to be stewards. We act because we’re excited about what it is that we do for the church and where we’re called by God to be, we want others to be just as excited about what that is, and we want people to be partners with us in that ministry.In Imagining Abundance, Kerry Robinson offers an inspirational and practical guide to effective fundraising that is ideal for anyone invested in a faith community. Bishops, provincials, pastors, ministers, executive and development directors and trustees of faith-based organizations will benefit from this healthy approach to the activity of fundraising that situates successful development in the context of ministry and mission.

RE-IMAGINING CHURCH

Author : Gerald Rose
Publisher : Christian Research Associati
ISBN 13 : 1875223797
Total Pages : 181 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (752 download)

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Book Synopsis RE-IMAGINING CHURCH by : Gerald Rose

Download or read book RE-IMAGINING CHURCH written by Gerald Rose and published by Christian Research Associati. This book was released on 2014-11 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many church leaders are confused. Patterns of ministry which worked so well in the past are no longer effective. Churches which grew rapidly have ceased to grow. The culture of the Western world has changed. At its heart is a change in the nature of authority: from tradition and reason to the authority of personal experience. This book explores the changes in culture and church life. Rev Dr Philip Hughes, the senior research officer of the Christian Research Association outlines the problem the churches are facing. Rev Gary Bouma, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Monash University, and an Anglican Priest, charts the origins of the problem. The large part of the book is the work of Rev Dr Gerald Rose, a senior minister in the Churches of Christ in Victoria, Australia. Through careful observation and detailed interviews of ministers, he describes a range of ministry responses to the changing culture. He explores, not one solution, but many: the ministry of intentional mission, of the charismatic movement, of ministry based in relationships, and of ministry rooted in classical spirituality. This is a book which should be read by church leaders, ministers and pastors of all denominations. It provides great insight into the nature of contemporary culture and outlines positive pathways for ministry in the Western context.

The Church, Authority, and Foucault

Author : Steven G. Ogden
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1317038207
Total Pages : 180 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis The Church, Authority, and Foucault by : Steven G. Ogden

Download or read book The Church, Authority, and Foucault written by Steven G. Ogden and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-02-03 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Church, Authority, and Foucault addresses the problem of the Church’s enmeshment with sovereign power, which can lead to marginalization. Breaking new ground, Ogden uses Foucault’s approach to power and knowledge to interpret the church leader’s significance as the guardian of knowledge. This can become privileged knowledge, under the spell of sovereign power, and with the complicity of clergy and laity in search of sovereigns. Inevitably, such a culture leads to a sense of entitlement for leaders and conformity for followers. All in the name of obedience. The Church needs to change in order to fulfil its vocation. Instead of a monarchy, what about Church as an open space of freedom? This book, then, is a theological enterprise which cultivates practices of freedom for the sake of the other. This involves thinking differently by exploring catalysts for change, which include critique, space, imagination, and wisdom. In the process, Ogden uses a range of sources, analysing discourse, gossip, ritual, territory, masculinity, and pastoral power. In all, the work of Michel Foucault sets the tone for a fresh ecclesiological critique that will appeal to theologians and clergy alike.

Imagining Persecution

Author : Jason Bruner
Publisher : Rutgers University Press
ISBN 13 : 1978816839
Total Pages : 251 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (788 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining Persecution by : Jason Bruner

Download or read book Imagining Persecution written by Jason Bruner and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2021-03-12 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many American Christians have come to understand their relationship to other Christian denominations and traditions through the lens of religious persecution. This book provides a historical account of these developments, showing the global, theological, and political changes that made it possible for contemporary Christians to claim that there is a global war on Christians. This book, however, does not advocate on behalf of particular repressed Christian communities, nor does it argue for the genuineness (or lack thereof) of certain Christians’ claims of persecution. Instead, this book is the first to examine the idea that there is a “global war on Christians” and its analytical implications. It does so by giving a concise history of the categories (like “martyrs”), evidence (statistics and metrics), and theologies that have come together to produce a global Christian imagination premised upon the notion of shared suffering for one’s faith. The purpose in doing so is not to deny certain instances of suffering or death; rather, it is to reflect upon the consequences for thinking about religious violence and Christianity worldwide using terms such as a “global war on Christians.”

Imagining Religious Leadership in the Middle Ages

Author : Steven Vanderputten
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 0801456304
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining Religious Leadership in the Middle Ages by : Steven Vanderputten

Download or read book Imagining Religious Leadership in the Middle Ages written by Steven Vanderputten and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2015-09-22 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Around the turn of the first millennium AD, there emerged in the former Carolingian Empire a generation of abbots that came to be remembered as one of the most influential in the history of Western monasticism. In this book Steven Vanderputten reevaluates the historical significance of this generation of monastic leaders through an in-depth study of one of its most prominent figures, Richard of Saint-Vanne. During his lifetime, Richard (d. 1046) served as abbot of numerous monasteries, which gained him a reputation as a highly successful administrator and reformer of monastic discipline. As Vanderputten shows, however, a more complex view of Richard’s career, spirituality, and motivations enables us to better evaluate his achievements as church leader and reformer. Vanderputten analyzes various accounts of Richard’s life, contemporary sources that are revealing of his worldview and self-conception, and the evidence relating to his actions as a monastic reformer and as a promoter of conversion. Richard himself conceived of his life as an evolving commentary on a wide range of issues relating to individual spirituality, monastic discipline, and religious leadership. This commentary, which combined highly conservative and revolutionary elements, reached far beyond the walls of the monastery and concerned many of the issues that would divide the church and its subjects in the later eleventh century.

Imagining a New World

Author : Terri Hord Owens
Publisher : Chalice Press
ISBN 13 : 0827216807
Total Pages : 46 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (272 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining a New World by : Terri Hord Owens

Download or read book Imagining a New World written by Terri Hord Owens and published by Chalice Press. This book was released on 2020-09-22 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pause from the whirlwind of the holidays to imagine God's vision for a new world in Christ's coming. Inspired by the "peaceable kingdom" scripture from Isaiah 11, these daily, five-minute devotions include scripture, reflections, and a prayer. "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them." -Isaiah 11: 6. In this Advent devotional centered on the beloved scripture on the "peaceable Kingdom," reflect on God's vision for a new world and what it means for us today. Daily, five-minute devotions explore the courage to imagine, permission to change, and freedom from fear. A scripture verse and prayer round out each devotion. Written by Terri Hord Owens, the leader of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Imagining a New World offers an inspiring pause during the day to reflect more prayerfully on what the season of Advent inspires in you and your community.

From Memory to Imagination

Author : C. Randall Bradley
Publisher : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0802865933
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (28 download)

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Book Synopsis From Memory to Imagination by : C. Randall Bradley

Download or read book From Memory to Imagination written by C. Randall Bradley and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2012-09-21 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The relatively recent "worship wars" over styles of worship — traditional, contemporary, or blended — have calmed down, and many churches have now reached decisions about which "worship style" defines them. At a more fundamental level, however, change has yet to begin. In From Memory to Imagination Randall Bradley argues that fallout from the worship wars needs to be cleaned up and that fundamental cultural changes — namely, the effects of postmodernism — call for new approaches to worship. Outlining imaginative ways for the church to move forward, this book is a must-read for church leaders and anyone interested in worship music.

Imagine Heaven

Author : John Burke
Publisher : Baker Books
ISBN 13 : 1493400517
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (934 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagine Heaven by : John Burke

Download or read book Imagine Heaven written by John Burke and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2015-10-13 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's obvious from the bookshelves and the big screen that heaven is on everyone's mind. All of us long to know what life after death will be like. Bestselling author John Burke is no exception. For decades, he has been studying accounts of people who have had near-death experiences (NDEs). While not every detail of individual NDEs correlate with Scripture, Burke shows how the common experiences shared by thousands of survivors clearly point to the God of the Bible and the exhilarating picture of heaven he promises. Imagine Heaven is an inspirational journey through the Bible's picture of heaven, colored in with the real-life stories of heaven's wonders. Burke compares gripping stories of NDEs to what Scripture says about our biggest questions of heaven: Will I be myself? Will I see friends and loved ones? What will it look like? What is God like? What will we do forever? What about children and pets? This book will propel readers into an experience that will forever change their view of the life to come and the way they live life today. It also tackles the tough questions of heavenly reward and hellish NDEs. Anyone interested in NDEs or longing to imagine heaven more clearly will enjoy this fascinating and hope-filled book.

Imagining a Church in the Spirit

Author : Ben Campbell Johnson
Publisher : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9780802846631
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (466 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining a Church in the Spirit by : Ben Campbell Johnson

Download or read book Imagining a Church in the Spirit written by Ben Campbell Johnson and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 1999 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The greatest problem facing mainline churches today is not declining numbers, shifting social allegiances, or confused leadership. It is loss of vision. This bold yet constructive book urges pastors to again see their congregations as real expressions of "the body of Christ" and suggests ways to revise - and energize - their ministries based on this vision.. "Complete with discussion questions that make it ideal for use in a wide variety of educational settings, Imagining a Church in the Spirit will help church leaders successfully meet the cultural challenges that await us in the twenty-first century.

Re-Imagining the Church

Author : Robert J. Suderman
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1498290930
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (982 download)

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Book Synopsis Re-Imagining the Church by : Robert J. Suderman

Download or read book Re-Imagining the Church written by Robert J. Suderman and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-09-30 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The church. What has it become? What was it meant to be? Does it pave the way or get in the way? Are we suspicious of the institutionalization of church bureaucracy? Or thrilled with the relevant impact of its presence? Robert J. Suderman writes about the church as a practitioner. His inspiration emerges out of the crossroads of biblical vision and human sincerity always tempered with frailty. Years of ministry, never a stranger to complexity, only serve to sharpen the vision of possibility. His imagination of what can be is never divorced from the realities of what is. He does not bow to the common assumption that "you can't get there from here." "Here" is the only possible point of origin for us. In his succinct, easy to understand writing style, Suderman provides insightful and thought-provoking perspectives to what it means to be the church. To be a people "called out" to participate together in God's activity in the world, and to create programs and structures needed for effective ministry are two sides of the same coin. This book is for dreamers and bureaucrats alike; indeed, it assumes that the two are indispensable pieces of God's coming presence. Introduction by: Tom Yoder Neufeld

In the Great Stream

Author : Leonard Allen
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781684265022
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (65 download)

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Book Synopsis In the Great Stream by : Leonard Allen

Download or read book In the Great Stream written by Leonard Allen and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "All throughout the modern period, there has been a steady campaign for people to "think for themselves" without tradition's distorting restraint. As a result, many Christians now blindly sip a watered-down faith, marketed as "no creed but the Bible." But, as Leonard Allen shows, we are always traditioning-even if one doesn't believe in tradition. And in this time of theological uncertainty and confusion, that process calls for new intentionality and seriousness. In the Great Stream will show you what the Great Tradition is, and how it can be our ally providing weight, ballast, and bearings to all those who seek to live out-and to hand on-the faith. Discover the vital recoveries that we need to make that draw on classic Christian orthodoxy. These older ways are the key to renewing our hearts and our churches"--