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The Myth of Persecution

Author : Candida Moss
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0062104543
Total Pages : 247 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (621 download)

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Book Synopsis The Myth of Persecution by : Candida Moss

Download or read book The Myth of Persecution written by Candida Moss and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Myth of Persecution, Candida Moss, a leading expert on early Christianity, reveals how the early church exaggerated, invented, and forged stories of Christian martyrs and how the dangerous legacy of a martyrdom complex is employed today to silence dissent and galvanize a new generation of culture warriors. According to cherished church tradition and popular belief, before the Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal in the fourth century, early Christians were systematically persecuted by a brutal Roman Empire intent on their destruction. As the story goes, vast numbers of believers were thrown to the lions, tortured, or burned alive because they refused to renounce Christ. These saints, Christianity's inspirational heroes, are still venerated today. Moss, however, exposes that the "Age of Martyrs" is a fiction—there was no sustained 300-year-long effort by the Romans to persecute Christians. Instead, these stories were pious exaggerations; highly stylized rewritings of Jewish, Greek, and Roman noble death traditions; and even forgeries designed to marginalize heretics, inspire the faithful, and fund churches. The traditional story of persecution is still taught in Sunday school classes, celebrated in sermons, and employed by church leaders, politicians, and media pundits who insist that Christians were—and always will be—persecuted by a hostile, secular world. While violence against Christians does occur in select parts of the world today, the rhetoric of persecution is both misleading and rooted in an inaccurate history of the early church. Moss urges modern Christians to abandon the conspiratorial assumption that the world is out to get Christians and, rather, embrace the consolation, moral instruction, and spiritual guidance that these martyrdom stories provide.

Cultivating Teen Faith

Author : Richard R. Osmer
Publisher : Eerdmans
ISBN 13 : 9780802876607
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (766 download)

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Book Synopsis Cultivating Teen Faith by : Richard R. Osmer

Download or read book Cultivating Teen Faith written by Richard R. Osmer and published by Eerdmans. This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are churches doing to form the faith of their young people? Many church denominations that practice infant baptism offer confirmation or an equivalent ministry when children reach adolescence and enter a new phase of spiritual growth -- but all churches, regardless of tradition, wrestle with how to get young adults to join the church. What really works? In this book twelve authors draw on a three-year study of more than 3,000 US congregations across five denominations to answer this pressing question. They tell stories of excellent and innovative confirmation programs that work and that show, above all, what good discipleship with young people looks like. Youth pastors, church leaders, and parents alike will benefit from the practices and new ways of teaching presented here that have proven helpful in forming and enhancing the faith of youth.

Resurrecting Church

Author : John Cleghorn
Publisher : Fortress Press
ISBN 13 : 1506464858
Total Pages : 211 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (64 download)

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Book Synopsis Resurrecting Church by : John Cleghorn

Download or read book Resurrecting Church written by John Cleghorn and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2021-03-02 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Resurrecting Church interweaves three strands. First, it is the remarkable turnaround story of Caldwell Presbyterian Church, which was on the edge of extinction when author John Cleghorn filled the role of pastor. Second, Cleghorn tells the story of his own growth and liberation from the myopia of privilege. Cleghorn traded his position as senior vice president of the nation's largest bank for ministry and the dusty and dated church office at Caldwell Presbyterian. The third strand includes the stories of several diverse congregations researched by the author. These congregations are examples of faith communities that have taken risks, deepening empathy and seeking justice. Through these stories, the book updates the "same old" conversation about church vitality in timely and surprising ways. Cleghorn raises these important questions: Can churches survive, even be resurrected, at the intersections of race, sexuality, class, and faith background? Can congregations be liberated by rebuilding around those on the margins who have been wounded by church? As more US cities become majority-minority, the "mainline" church remains stubbornly white and homogeneous. Church leaders and thinkers are seeking ways to build more racial diversity and radical welcome. This book provides hope and practical examples of how this can happen. Cleghorn declares, "God is doing what Isaiah calls 'a new thing'" in congregations where multiple types of diversity intersect, erecting spiritual hospitals for the wounded and marginalized. For the church, these intersections provide both a current lens of self-examination and avenues to growth in faith. With stories, people profiles, and insights from their leaders and members, this book breaks new ground with practical learning and lessons drawn from original research and the lived experience of intersectional churches across the US.

Lent in Plain Sight

Author : Jill J. Duffield
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN 13 : 1611649803
Total Pages : 194 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (116 download)

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Book Synopsis Lent in Plain Sight by : Jill J. Duffield

Download or read book Lent in Plain Sight written by Jill J. Duffield and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2020-01-14 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: God is often at work through the ordinary: ordinary people, ordinary objects, ordinary grace. Through the ordinary, God communicates epiphanies, salvation, revelation, and reconciliation. It is through the mundane that we hear Gods quiet voice. In this devotion for the season of Lent, Jill J. Duffield draws readers attention to ten ordinary objects that Jesus would have encountered on his way to Jerusalem: dust, bread, the cross, coins, shoes, oil, coats, towels, thorns, and stones. In each object, readers will find meaning in the biblical account of Jesus final days. Each week, readers encounter a new object to consider through Scripture, prayer, and reflection. From Ash Wednesday to Easter, Lent in Plain Sight reminds Christians to open ourselves to the kingdom of God.

Organizing Church

Author : Tim Conder
Publisher : Chalice Press
ISBN 13 : 0827227647
Total Pages : 141 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (272 download)

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Book Synopsis Organizing Church by : Tim Conder

Download or read book Organizing Church written by Tim Conder and published by Chalice Press. This book was released on 2017-03-21 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 21st century is the age of community organizing, from rallies in the streets to online movements for change. What if congregations embraced community organizing? Organizing Church offers a unique perspective that blends proven principles of community organizing and research on socially active congregations into a formula that will revitalize and empower churches as change-agents. Seasoned pastors and community activists Tim Conder and Dan Rhodes will help pastors and other church leaders build healthier congregations, create a deep culture of discipleship in their community, and respond to the challenges presented by the global culture of the 21st century. Organizing Church is the essential field guide for joining the social justice movement today.

Abuelita Faith

Author : Kat Armas
Publisher : Brazos Press
ISBN 13 : 1493431110
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (934 download)

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Book Synopsis Abuelita Faith by : Kat Armas

Download or read book Abuelita Faith written by Kat Armas and published by Brazos Press. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christianity Today 2022 Book Award Finalist (Christian Living & Discipleship) "[A] powerful debut. . . . This persuasive testament will appeal to Christians interested in the lesser-known women of the Bible."--Publishers Weekly "Armas expertly weaves her own abuelita's history of personal faith and resistance into each chapter and intersects it with biblical text, creating an approachable work."--Library Journal What if some of our greatest theologians wouldn't be considered theologians at all? Kat Armas, a second-generation Cuban American, grew up on the outskirts of Miami's famed Little Havana neighborhood. Her earliest theological formation came from her grandmother, her abuelita, who fled Cuba during the height of political unrest and raised three children alone after her husband passed away. Combining personal storytelling with biblical reflection, Armas shows us how voices on the margins--those often dismissed, isolated, and oppressed because of their gender, socioeconomic status, or lack of education--have more to teach us about following God than we realize. Abuelita Faith tells the story of unnamed and overlooked theologians in society and in the Bible--mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters--whose survival, strength, resistance, and persistence teach us the true power of faith and love. The author's exploration of abuelita theology will help people of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds reflect on the abuelitas in their lives and ministries and on ways they can live out abuelita faith every day.

Practically Divine

Author : Becca Stevens
Publisher : Harper Horizon
ISBN 13 : 0785241752
Total Pages : 221 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (852 download)

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Book Synopsis Practically Divine by : Becca Stevens

Download or read book Practically Divine written by Becca Stevens and published by Harper Horizon. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When we allow ourselves to embrace both ordinary and extraordinary experiences, we can feel the divine anywhere. No matter where we are—on a walk in the woods, in a sacred building, or in a dusty refugee camp—signs of love abound. There is no secret formula to experiencing the sacred in our lives, it just takes practice and practicality. You’re invited to search this path with entrepreneur Becca Stevens as she explores what it means to be practically divine. Woven throughout the narrative are poetry and rants, as well as ruminations on her mother’s wit, wisdom, and passion. In Practically Divine, Becca shares how to live a life that’s practically divine by: Redefining old lies and stories, to learn from the past Appreciating the gifts that come from imperfections or trauma Using creativity to spark new revolutions Accepting the chaos of the unknown before us with courage Sharing in a feast of love, knowing there’s enough mercy and forgiveness Embracing the practically divine compels us to do something, anything, to share in the feast of love together. When we start from wherever we are, we can recognize the potential for humor, wonder, and freedom. Practically Divine teaches you to use your senses to transform information into holy compassion. When we open our hearts to it, we can experience the divine anywhere - like sacred breadcrumbs marking our path.

The Value of Doubt

Author : Bill Tammeus
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
ISBN 13 : 1683366654
Total Pages : 188 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (833 download)

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Book Synopsis The Value of Doubt by : Bill Tammeus

Download or read book The Value of Doubt written by Bill Tammeus and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2016-09-20 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An invitation not to a faith certain of everything but, rather, to a faith that welcomes the discomforting questions. Religious zealotry plagues the world. It drives susceptible people to believe they have all the truth, all the wisdom, all the divine favor. And in some cases it even moves them to murder people who, they have concluded, are enemies of God. In The Value of Doubt, veteran journalist Bill Tammeus draws deeply on his own Protestant experience of doubt and faith and, in a series of reflections, contends that the road to a rich, dynamic, healthy faith inevitably must run through the valley of the shadow of doubt. The opposite of faith, he says, is not doubt; rather, the opposite of faith is false certitude. Tammeus argues in favor of recognizing our mortality, of adopting the Benedictine virtue of humility and of realizing that we live by metaphor, by allegory, by myth. It's the willingness to question, to reconsider, to be comfortable with ambiguity and paradox that will save faith from the hands of those who seem to know all the answers before they ever hear the questions. This lively and challenging look at the religious life is for anyone seeking to build and enrich an authentic faith and courageous enough to see doubt as an essential part of it.

Touchdowns for Jesus and Other Signs of Apocalypse

Author : Marcia W. Mount Shoop
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1630873535
Total Pages : 134 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (38 download)

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Book Synopsis Touchdowns for Jesus and Other Signs of Apocalypse by : Marcia W. Mount Shoop

Download or read book Touchdowns for Jesus and Other Signs of Apocalypse written by Marcia W. Mount Shoop and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do sports matter so much to so many people? And why should we care? Far from being a distraction or a trivial pastime, sports tell us deep truths about ourselves. Big-time sports are a particularly potent mirror for humanity--reflecting both our promising possibilities and our demonic distortions. Theologian (and football coach's wife) Marcia Mount Shoop invites you to take a closer look at the hold that sports have on us. Touchdowns for Jesus takes you beneath the veil in some of the most challenging issues in sports today: fanaticism, sexism, racism, and abuse of power. And beneath the lifted veil you also encounter wisdom about how we can find our way back to what is most life-giving about sports. If you love sports, or if you just wonder why others do, Touchdowns for Jesus will give you a whole new way to view the games people play.

Love Your Bible

Author : Gary Neal Hansen
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780986412400
Total Pages : 62 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (124 download)

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Book Synopsis Love Your Bible by : Gary Neal Hansen

Download or read book Love Your Bible written by Gary Neal Hansen and published by . This book was released on 2015-02-02 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To be a competent, confident follower of Jesus, you need more than a few Bible basics. You need Scripture to lead you to growth and new life, consistently, for a lifetime. Lectio divina, the ancient Christian practice of moving through the Bible into the presence of God, will give you exactly that. This book brings you a faithful modern version of the practice as taught by the 12th century monk Guigo II-so you can finally Love Your Bible.

The Last Pastor

Author : Gail Cafferata
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN 13 : 1611649757
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (116 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last Pastor by : Gail Cafferata

Download or read book The Last Pastor written by Gail Cafferata and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2020-01-18 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gail Cafferata was heartbroken when the church she pastored voted to close its doors. It may have been the right decision, but it led to a million questions in her mind about her call, leadership, and future. She began to think that other pastors who close churches perhaps go through this same experience. This led her to conduct a sociological study of over 130 pastors in five historically established denominations (Episcopal, Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ) who were called to serve churches that closed. This book tells the results of that study, which consisted of many interviews, and the hard-won lessons learned by these courageous pastors.

Hospitable Planet

Author : Stephen A. Jurovics
Publisher : Church Publishing, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 0819232548
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (192 download)

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Book Synopsis Hospitable Planet by : Stephen A. Jurovics

Download or read book Hospitable Planet written by Stephen A. Jurovics and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: United Methodist Women’s Reading Group Selection “What can I do about the environment? What has God said about the environment?” Most books about climate change only address one of these questions. Those from a religious perspective do not address what individuals can do to help society transition from fossil fuels, other than changing personal behavior. Readers know instinctively that will not suffice, and so are left feeling the situation is hopeless. In contrast, books that primarily address environmental issues fail to reach people motivated more by faith than science, leaving out many who could constitute the tipping point for full American engagement on the issue. Borrowing an approach from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership, which brought together both secular and religious arguments for ending segregation, this book addresses physical evidence of climate change while demonstrating through biblical teachings the religious imperative for preserving our inherited world. The compelling biblical case for creation care is grounded in environmental teachings Jesus knew, primarily in the Hebrew Scriptures. Topics addressed include air pollution, treatment of the land, preserving biological diversity, and treatment of animals, and each is connected to contemporary issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, care of the needy, the extinction of species, and factory farming.

Growing in God's Love

Author : Elizabeth F. Caldwell
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN 13 : 1611648297
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (116 download)

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Book Synopsis Growing in God's Love by : Elizabeth F. Caldwell

Download or read book Growing in God's Love written by Elizabeth F. Caldwell and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2018-01-05 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Help nurture the faith of the children in your life with Growing in Gods Love: A Story Bible. This engaging resource features 150 popular Bible stories that are organized by 13 themes, including Strong Women and Men; Listening for God; Parables; Healings and Miracles; and more. Each story is built on the latest in biblical scholarship and learning theory and helps children begin to understand the Bible and apply its teachings to the world around them. Growing in Gods Love features diverse artwork from more than twenty artists to appeal to a variety of ages and learning styles. Three reflection questionsHear, See, Actare included at the end of each story to help children further ponder the message of the story. Growing in Gods Love: A Story Bible is ideal for children ages 4-8, and it is perfect for Sunday school classrooms, childrens sermons, vacation Bible school, and gift-giving at baptism or other milestones.

We Cry Justice

Author : Liz Theoharis
Publisher : Broadleaf Books
ISBN 13 : 1506473652
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (64 download)

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Book Synopsis We Cry Justice by : Liz Theoharis

Download or read book We Cry Justice written by Liz Theoharis and published by Broadleaf Books . This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible proclaims justice and abundance for the poor. Yet these powerful passages about poverty are frequently overlooked and misinterpreted. Enter the Poor People's Campaign, a movement against racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism, and religious nationalism. In We Cry Justice, Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the campaign, is joined by pastors, community organizers, scholars, low-wage workers, lay leaders, and people in poverty to interpret sacred stories about the poor seeking healing, equity, and freedom. In a world roiled by poverty and injustice, Scripture still speaks. Organized into fifty-two chapters, each focusing on a key Scripture passage, We Cry Justice offers comfort and challenge from the many stories of the poor taking action together. Read anew the story of the exodus that frees people from debt and slavery, the prophets who denounce the rich and ruling classes, the stories of Jesus's healing and parables about fair wages, and the early church's sharing of goods. Reflection questions and a short prayer at the end of each chapter offer the opportunity to use the book devotionally through a year. The Bible cries for justice, and we do too. It's time to act on God's persistent call to repair the breach and fight poverty, not the poor.

No Innocent Bystanders

Author : Christopher Doucot
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN 13 : 1611648092
Total Pages : 144 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (116 download)

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Book Synopsis No Innocent Bystanders by : Christopher Doucot

Download or read book No Innocent Bystanders written by Christopher Doucot and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2017-10-11 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The struggle for justice is ongoing. In answering the biblical call to act justly and love mercifully, can Christians cross lines of privilege to walk humbly not only with God but with their marginalized neighbors as well? No Innocent Bystanders looks at the role of allies in social justice movements and asks what works, what doesn't, and why. It explains what allies legitimately can accomplish, what they can't, and what kind of humility and clarity is required to tell the difference. This book is a start-up guide for spiritual or religious people who are interested in working for social justice but don't know how or where to begin, drawing on the lessons of history, the framework of Christian ideas, and the insights of contemporary activists. It offers practical guidance on how to meaningfully and mindfully advocate alongside all who struggle for a more just society.

From Dry Bones to Living Hope

Author : Missy Buchanan
Publisher : Upper Room Books
ISBN 13 : 0835819787
Total Pages : 77 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (358 download)

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Book Synopsis From Dry Bones to Living Hope by : Missy Buchanan

Download or read book From Dry Bones to Living Hope written by Missy Buchanan and published by Upper Room Books. This book was released on 2021-10-01 with total page 77 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though the shadow side of aging is a reality, author Missy Buchanan brings spiritual light and nourishment to people in the later years of life. Older adults struggle with chronic pain and diminished physical abilities. They contend with losses that pile up like the dry bones in the prophet Ezekiel's vision—the loss of loved ones and friends, the loss of their home and belongings, the loss of independence, and the loss of purpose. In a culture that values youth more than age, older adults often feel forgotten and without purpose. Each chapter of From Dry Bones to Living Hope opens with an intimate, prayerful lament to God from the perspective of the older adult who longs for spiritual renewal and purpose. The authentic voice of lament establishes credibility with older readers who yearn for others to empathize with their struggles. The second part of each chapter, "Cultivating Hope," guides them to God's perspective on aging and specific actions they can take that lead to hope and joy.

The Four Pages of the Sermon

Author : Paul Scott Wilson
Publisher : Abingdon Press
ISBN 13 : 1426724713
Total Pages : 278 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis The Four Pages of the Sermon by : Paul Scott Wilson

Download or read book The Four Pages of the Sermon written by Paul Scott Wilson and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Doing justice to the complexity of the preaching task and the questions that underlie it, Wilson organizes both the preparation and the content of the sermon around its "four pages." Each "page" addresses a different theological and creative component of what happens in any sermon. Page One presents the trouble or conflict that takes place in or that underscores the biblical text itself. Page Two looks at similar conflict--sin or brokenness--in our own time. Page Three returns to the Bible to identify where God is at work in or behind the text--in other words, to discover the good news. Page Four points to God at work in our world, particularly in relation to the situations described in Page Two.