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The American Church In Crisis
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Book Synopsis The American Church in Crisis by : David T. Olson
Download or read book The American Church in Crisis written by David T. Olson and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Groundbreaking research based on a national database of over 200,000 churches shows that the overall United States population is growing faster than the church. The director of the American Church Research Project, Dave Olson, has worked to analyze church attendance, showing that it is virtually unchanged from fifteen years ago while our population has grown by fifty-two million people.What does this mean for you, your church, and the future of Christianity in North America? The American Church in Crisis offers unprecedented access to data that helps you understand the state of the church today. “We live in a world that is post-Christian, postmodern, and multiethnic, whether we realize it or not,” says the author. This book not only gives a realistic picture that confirms hunches and explodes myths, but it provides insight into how the church must change to reach a new and changed world with the hope of the gospel.Readers will find a richly textured mosaic with optimistic and challenging stories. Charts, diagrams, and worksheets provide church leaders and motivated church members with a stimulating read that will provoke much discussion. Questions for discussion accompany the chapters.
Book Synopsis Church, State, and the Crisis in American Secularism by : Bruce Ledewitz
Download or read book Church, State, and the Crisis in American Secularism written by Bruce Ledewitz and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since 1947, the Supreme Court has promised government neutrality toward religion, but in a nation whose motto is "In God We Trust" and which pledges allegiance to "One Nation under God," the public square is anything but neutral -- a paradox not lost on a rapidly secularizing America and a point of contention among those who identify all expressions of religion by government as threats to a free society. Yeshiva student turned secularist, Bruce Ledewitz seeks common ground for believers and nonbelievers regarding the law of church and state. He argues that allowing government to promote higher law values through the use of religious imagery would resolve the current impasse in the interpretation of the Establishment Clause. It would offer secularism an escape from its current tendency toward relativism in its dismissal of all that religion represents and encourage a deepening of the expression of meaning in the public square without compromising secular conceptions of government.
Book Synopsis A People Adrift by : Peter Steinfels
Download or read book A People Adrift written by Peter Steinfels and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-01-29 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In A People Adrift, a prominent Catholic thinker states bluntly that the Catholic Church in the United States must transform itself or suffer irreversible decline. Peter Steinfels shows how even before the recent revelations about sexual abuse by priests, the explosive combination of generational change and the thinning ranks of priests and nuns was creating a grave crisis of leadership and identity. This groundbreaking book offers an analysis not just of the church's immediate troubles but of less visible, more powerful forces working below the surface of an institution that provides a spiritual identity for 65 million Americans and spans the nation with its parishes, schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, clinics, and social service agencies. In A People Adrift, Steinfels warns that entrenched liberals and conservatives are trapped in a "theo-logical gridlock" that often ignores what in fact goes on in families, parishes, classrooms, voting booths, and Catholic organizations of all types. Above all, he insists, the altered Catholic landscape demands a new agenda for leadership, from the selection of bishops and the rethinking of the priesthood to the thorough preparation and genuine incorporation of a lay leadership that is already taking over key responsibilities in Catholic institutions. Catholicism exerts an enormous cultural and political presence in American life. No one interested in the nation's moral, intellectual, and political future can be indifferent to the fate of what has been one of the world's most vigorous churches -- a church now severely challenged.
Book Synopsis Christianity and the Social Crisis by : Walter Rauschenbusch
Download or read book Christianity and the Social Crisis written by Walter Rauschenbusch and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis The Civil War as a Theological Crisis by : Mark A. Noll
Download or read book The Civil War as a Theological Crisis written by Mark A. Noll and published by Univ of North Carolina Press. This book was released on 2006-12-08 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Viewing the Civil War as a major turning point in American religious thought, Mark A. Noll examines writings about slavery and race from Americans both white and black, northern and southern, and includes commentary from Protestants and Catholics in Europe and Canada. Though the Christians on all sides agreed that the Bible was authoritative, their interpretations of slavery in Scripture led to a full-blown theological crisis.
Book Synopsis The Crisis of Church and State, 1050-1300 by : Brian Tierney
Download or read book The Crisis of Church and State, 1050-1300 written by Brian Tierney and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 1988-01-01 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Introduction: We need not be surprised, then, that in the Middle Ages also there were rulers who aspired to supreme political and temporal power. The truly exceptional thing is that in medieval times there were always at least two claimants to the role, each commanding a formidable apparatus of government, and that for century after century neither was able to dominate the other completely, so that the duality persisted, was eventually rationalized in works of political theory and ultimately built into the structure of European society. This situation profoundly influenced the development of Western constitutionalism.
Book Synopsis Another Day's Journey by : Robert Michael Franklin
Download or read book Another Day's Journey written by Robert Michael Franklin and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Franklin's book urges direct engagement by African American and other churches with America's mounting social problems and details programs for children, elders, and economic action.
Book Synopsis The Great Evangelical Recession by : John S. Dickerson
Download or read book The Great Evangelical Recession written by John S. Dickerson and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2013-01-15 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2006, few Americans were expecting the economy to collapse. Today the American church is in a similar position, on the precipice of a great spiritual recession. While we focus on a few large churches and dynamic leaders that are successful, the church's overall membership is shrinking. Young Christians are fleeing. Our donations are drying up. Political fervor is dividing us. Even as these crises eat at the church internally, our once friendly host culture is quickly turning hostile and antagonistic. How can we avoid a devastating collapse? In The Great Evangelical Recession, award-winning journalist and pastor John Dickerson identifies six factors that are radically eroding the American church and offers biblical solutions to prepare evangelicals for spiritual success, even in the face of alarming trends. This book is a heartfelt plea and call to the American church combining quality research, genuine hope, and practical application with the purpose of igniting the church toward a better future.
Book Synopsis The Last One Standing by : Paul Shirek
Download or read book The Last One Standing written by Paul Shirek and published by . This book was released on 2011-09-06 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are in trouble. Church attendance has dropped, spiritual life in our services has ebbed and we face a serious lack of people preparing for the ministry. Perhaps most alarming is that we have failed to reach or keep our youth. The Sunday school rooms and youth groups of many churches have no real hope or strategy in place to bring them in. Beyond this, dozens of churches close each week never to reopen, while just a few new ones are started. Without some real changes in these areas we will lose our Christian influence in this nation almost entirely in the very near future.Certianly God has not planned for the failure of His church.
Book Synopsis Churches and the Crisis of Decline by : Andrew Root
Download or read book Churches and the Crisis of Decline written by Andrew Root and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Congregations often seek to combat decline by using innovation to produce new resources. Leading practical theologian Andrew Root shows that the church's crisis is not in the loss of resources but in the loss of life-and that life can only return when we remain open to God's encountering presence"--
Book Synopsis Apostles of Reason by : Molly Worthen
Download or read book Apostles of Reason written by Molly Worthen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this imaginative history of modern American evangelicalism, Molly Worthen offers a dramatic rethinking of the evangelical movement, arguing that it has been defined not by shared doctrines or politics, but by the struggle to reconcile head knowledge and heart religion in an increasingly secular America. -- Back cover.
Book Synopsis Southern Churches in Crisis Revisited by : Samuel S. Hill
Download or read book Southern Churches in Crisis Revisited written by Samuel S. Hill and published by University Alabama Press. This book was released on 2020-12-15 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hill’s landmark work in southern religious history returns to print updated and expanded—and compellingly relevant. In 1966, Samuel S. Hill’s Southern Churches in Crisis argued that southern Protestantism, a cornerstone of white southern society and culture, was shirking its moral duty by refusing to join in the fight for racial justice. Hill predicted that the church was risking its standing in southern society and that it would ultimately decline in influence and power. A groundbreaking study at the time, Hill’s book helped establish southern religious history as a field of scholarly inquiry. Three decades later, Southern Churches in Crisis continues to be widely read, quoted, and cited. In Southern Churches in Crisis Revisited, which reprints the 1966 text in full, Hill reexamines his earlier predictions in an introductory essay that also describes how the study of religion in the South has become a major field of scholarly inquiry. Hill skillfully engages his critics by integrating new perspectives and recent scholarship. He suggests new areas for exploration and provides a selected bibliography of key studies in southern religious history published in the three decades subsequent to the original appearance of this groundbreaking work.
Book Synopsis The Crisis in the Churches by : Robert Wuthnow
Download or read book The Crisis in the Churches written by Robert Wuthnow and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1997-03-06 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At a time when already overworked clergy are being called upon by budget cutting politicians to do more for the poor, the sick, and the elderly, American churches are suffering persistent financial shortfalls. In fact, contrary to popular media images of millionaire televangelists, America's churches are cutting back programs and staff, clergy salaries are stagnating, and many parishes are having trouble raising enough money to keep the church lit and heated on Sunday. Why are America's churches in financial distress? Robert Wuthnow, a leading commentator on religious life in America, asserts that the steady drop in donations, volunteering, and personal involvement is a direct result of a spiritual crisis--a crisis caused in large part by the clergy's failure to address the vital relationships between faith and money, work, stewardship, giving, and economic justice. In The Crisis in the Churches, Wuthnow offers a searching study of this financial crisis and of the spiritual vacuum that has silently grown worse during the past decade. To do this, he lets the churches speak for themselves, quoting extensively from interviews with clergy and laity in sixty Protestant and Catholic congregations throughout the U.S., and drawing from the texts of over 200 sermons, from church financial records, and a national survey. What emerges is that parishioners often feel the church does not care about what they do from Monday to Friday, offers no guidance in their most pressing day to day concerns, yet always seems to be asking for more money. Clergy, for their part, say they hesitate to talk about finances because they know "the money question" makes people uncomfortable. But failure to raise the subject often makes it necessary to cut the very programs and services that middle class parishioners desire and would support. Wuthnow argues that in order to survive, churches must find ways to minister to the economic concerns of their own middle class parishioners. Indeed, of every $1,000 received by churches, $900 comes from people who work in middle class occupations. Clearly, anything that motivates middle class members to become more involved will strengthen a church's financial well being and capacity to serve its people. Although the situation is critical, Wuthnow finds much cause for hope. He points to ideas and programs that some churches have enacted to challenge their members to think differently about work and money and giving. Parishioners sometimes respond positively when clergy speak boldly and concretely about matters of faith and finance, and some churches have formed small groups whose members meet regularly to discuss issues of spirituality, work, personal finances, and stewardship. A serious and sympathetic examination of the crisis behind the stained glass, this thought-provoking volume will be highly valuable both practically and as moral support to clergy, parishioners, and anyone else concerned about restoring vitality and significance to American churches.
Book Synopsis Crisis in America: A Christian Response by : Garland Hunt
Download or read book Crisis in America: A Christian Response written by Garland Hunt and published by Advocate Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2021-01-04 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today's America is faced with multiple challenges that are impossible for anyone to escape. I can't breathe. Black Lives Matter. Not my president. George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. COVID-19. Brionna Taylor. Pandemic. Impeachment. Democrat. Republican. Socialism. These names and phrases spark controversy and a range of emotions including rage, hurt, sadness, and sometimes even hopelessness. How can 21st century followers of Christ react the same as nonbelievers? How can they recognize the areas in which God could be calling them into our country's combative culture war? How should they respond to national crises the way Jesus would? What is the Church's role in initiating and facilitating racial healing and reconciliation in the cities and towns across our great land? Crisis in America: A Christian Response answers these questions and challenges Christians and nonbelievers alike to go against the natural tendency to be influenced by the culture and the headlines and develop a God-inspired view to the turmoil of today.
Book Synopsis American Crisis by : Jefrey Breshears
Download or read book American Crisis written by Jefrey Breshears and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2020-07-26 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a critical time in our nation's history. The moral and spiritual influences of the past are disintegrating, and there are insidious forces at work that are literally hell-bent on destroying anything good and decent that remains in our society and culture. As a result, America has become increasingly immoral, chaotic and dysfunctional to an extent unimaginable just a few years ago.This book is an analysis of the origins, the manifestations and the consequences of America's culture war - and what Christians can and should do in response. Although written primarily to Christians, this book is certainly applicable to all Americans who value our past and are concerned about the spiritual, social, cultural and political condition of our nation.The purpose of "American Crisis" is (1) to reveal and analyze the great spiritual, moral and cultural challenges facing America today; (2) to explore the historical and philosophical origins of America's culture war; (3) to expose the serious consequences of the erosion of Christian influences in our society and culture; and (4) to challenge Christians to become better informed and more actively engaged in the great issues of our time so as to fulfill our calling to be a source of Love, Light, Hope and Truth in the midst of a society and culture that is rapidly disintegrating and descending into spiritual darkness. As the theologian R. C. Sproul has written, "I doubt if there has been a period in all of Christian history when so many Christians are so ineffectual in shaping the culture in which they live as is true right now in the United States." What is desperately needed today is a new Christian consciousness and a wholistic understanding of discipleship. The question is: Will Christians rise up and meet the challenges of our day, or will we meekly submit and go with the flow? Will we exhibit the faith and courage necessary to confront the insidious forces corrupting every aspect of our society and culture, or are we so acculturated, so compromised and so caught up in the values, the priorities and the agenda of this world as to have little time, energy and resources left for the things that truly matter? That, stated succinctly, is the essential message of this book.
Book Synopsis Breach of Faith by : James C. Russell
Download or read book Breach of Faith written by James C. Russell and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a study of church involvement in the immigration issue.
Book Synopsis The Fall of the Evangelical Nation by : Christine Wicker
Download or read book The Fall of the Evangelical Nation written by Christine Wicker and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evangelical Christianity in America is dying. The great evangelical movements of today are not a vanguard. They are a remnant, unraveling at every edge. Conversions. Baptisms. Membership. Retention. Participation. Giving. Attendance. Impact upon the culture at large. All are down and dropping. When veteran religion reporter Christine Wicker set out to investigate the evangelical movement, her intention was to forge through the stereotypes and shed new light on this highly divisive religious group. But the story soon morphed into an entirely new and shocking tale of discovery, as Wicker's research unearthed much more than she originally bargained for. Everywhere Wicker traveled she heard whispers of diminishing statistics, failed campaigns, and empty churches. Even as evangelical forces trumpet their purported political and social victories on the national and local fronts, insiders are anguishing over their significant losses and preparing to rebuild for the future. The idea that evangelicals represent and speak for Christianity in America is one of the greatest publicity scams in history, a perfect coup accomplished by savvy politicos and zealous religious leaders who understand the weaknesses of the nation's media and exploit them brilliantly. With her trademark vivid, firsthand reporting, Christine Wicker takes us deep inside the world of evangelicals, exposing the surprising statistics and details of this unexpected fall. Wicker shows us how the virtues of evangelicals are killing them as surely as their vices and that, to fully comprehend how and why this is happening, we'll need to understand both.
