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Showing 451–500 of 895 results
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American Exceptionalism And Civil Religion
$30.00Add to cartList Of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Exceptionalism And Civil Religion
1. The Origins Of American Exceptionalism
2. Expansion, Slavery And Two American Exceptionalisms
3. The Chosen Nation
4. The Commissioned Nation
5. The Innocent Nation
6. The Nation And Her Land
7. The Glorious Nation
8. Open Exceptionalism And Civic Engagement
IndexAdditional Info
Ever since John Winthrop told his fellow colonists in 1630 that they were about to establish a City upon a Hill, the idea of having a special place in history has captured the American imagination. Through centuries of crises and opportunities, many have taken up this theme to inspire the nation. But others have criticized the notion because it implies a sense of superiority which can fuel racism, warmongering and even idolatry.In this remarkable book, John Wilsey traces the historical development of exceptionalism, including its theological meaning and implications for civil religion. From seventeenth-century Puritans to twentieth-century industrialists, from politicians to educators, exceptionalism does not appear as a monolithic concept to be either totally rejected or devotedly embraced. While it can lead to abuses, it can also point to constructive civil engagement and human flourishing. This book considers historically and theologically what makes the difference.
Neither the term nor the idea of American exceptionalism is going away. John Wilsey’s careful history and analysis will therefore prove an important touchstone for discussions of American identity in the decades to come.
Read more: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=4094#ixzz3ZOIKY5y5
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Messy Grace : How A Pastor With Gay Parents Learned To Love Others Without
$17.00Add to cartA pastor with an unforgettable inside story shows evangelicals how to nurture healthy, respectful, and biblically informed relationships with people in the LGBT community
When Caleb Kaltenbach was a toddler, his parents divorced and independently pursued homosexual lifestyles. As a result, Caleb was lovingly raised in the LGBT community, attending lesbian parties with his mother and her partner, marching in gay parades…and experiencing hatred and bitterness by Christians. To his enduring surprise, Caleb became a Christian-and a pastor-as a young adult.
Messy Grace invites readers into what may be the most urgent and difficult conversation evangelicals face today: “How can we relate to the gays, lesbians, and transgendered among us in a way that honors differences and demonstrates Christ’s love while adhering to what we believe Scripture requires?”
Through revealing personal story, biblical teaching, and practical solutions, Caleb’s non-judgmental voice and life-tested counsel will appeal to a broad psychographic of evangelicals who understand that despite the good intentions of most on this issue, some Christians have done great harm and we desperately need constructive answers.
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Unleashing Opportunity : Why Escaping Poverty Requires A Shared Vision Of J
$11.99Add to cartFalls City Press
The Center for Public Justice explores five key areas of injustice. For each issue Gerson explores the breadth of the problem, Summers applies a theological framework for considering solutions, & Thompson tells the story of people who have journeyed through these issues. This book helps everyday Christians realize how they can make a difference. -
Chosen : Reading The Bible Amid The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
$18.00Add to cart“The conflict is only ‘seemingly’ beyond solution, because all historical-political problems have solutions, if there is enough courage, honesty, and steadfastness.”
In Chosen?, Walter Brueggemann explores the situation in modern-day Israel that raises questions for many Christians who are easily confused when reading biblical accounts of God’s saving actions with the Israelites. Are modern Israeli citizens the descendants of the Israelites in the Bible whom God called chosen? Was the promise of land to Moses permanent and irrevocable? What about others living in the promised land? How should we read the Bible in light of the modern situation? Who are the Zionists, and what do they say?
In four chapters, Brueggemann addresses the main questions people have with regards to what the Bible has to say about this ongoing issue. A question-and-answer section with Walter Brueggemann, a glossary of terms, study guide, and guidelines for respectful dialogue are also included. The reader will get answers to their key questions about how to understand God’s promises to the biblical people often called Israel and the conflict between Israel and Palestine today.
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Islam And Terrorism Revised And Updated Edition (Revised)
$14.99Add to cartGabriel says that terrorists are practicing Islam just as Muhammad intended. As a child, Gabriel grew up in a Muslim family in Egypt and was heavily indoctrinated. By the age of twelve he had memorized the entire Qur’an. He went on to become a top student at the most prestigious Islamic university in the world, Al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt. As a student and professor of Islamic history, he rubbed shoulders with those who are at the forefront of propagating the tenets of Islamic terrorism. He actually took classes with Sheik Umar Abd al-Rahman, who was convicted of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bomb attack and is now in prison. In this eye-opening book Gabriel explains:
*How Islam was influenced by the warlike Arabian culture of the 7th century
*Atrocities committed by Muhammad in the name of Allah
*The story of the Egyptian student who came to study education in America and went on to write the first handbook of terrorism in the twentieth century
*The prominence of jihad (war against infidels) in Islamic theology
*How Egyptian fundamentalists murdered and robbed Christians to raise funds for terrorism
*The difference between a moderate Muslim and a fundamentalist MuslimFor the readers of this book, the motive behind Islamic world activity will no longer be a mystery. Each action is rooted in the philosophy of Islam. Now both the Christian and the political world must decide how to react to Muhammad’s revelation.
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Rebwilding The Way
$15.99Add to cart24 Chapters
Additional Info
When did we become so tame? How has “the good life” come to mean addiction to screens and status, fossil fuels and financial fitness? Can we break free to become the joyful and prophetic people God calls us to be? Trek along with wilderness guide Todd Wynward as he “rewilds” the Jesus Way. Seek the feral foundations of Scripture and the lessons that the prophets and disciples gleaned from wilderness testing.Packed with inspiring stories of how contemporary people and groups are caring for the land and each other, Rewilding the Way issues a call to action. Read about how reskilling and local food covenants are transforming churches, and how place-based activism and creative housing are nurturing communities. Learn from those who are recovering from affluenza, replacing visions of personal wealth with the commonwealth of the earth and restoring their humble place in the community of creation. Do you despair about life on our changing planet? Join the hopeful band of seekers of God and makers of change who are rewilding the Way.
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Ferguson And Faith
$19.99Add to cart1. Just Protest This By Prayer!
2. Praying With Their Feet
3. Not Looking Away
4. Jesus Is In The Streets!
5. Where Have All The Leaders Gone?
6. This Is What Theology Looks Like
7. Why Are Your Doors Open To Us?
8. There Is A Ferguson Near You
9. Standing On The Side Of Love
10. #staywokeAdditional Info
The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, reignited a long-smoldering movement for justice, with many St. Louis-area clergy stepping up to support the emerging young leaders of today’s Civil Rights Movement. Seminary professor Leah Gunning Francis was among the activists, and her interviews with more than two dozen faith leaders and with the new movement’s organizers take us behind the scenes of the continuing protests. Ferguson and Faith demonstrates that being called to lead a faithful life can take us to places we never expected to go, with people who never expected us to join hands with them. Ferguson and Faith: Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community is the first book from the partnership of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and Chalice Press. -
Overcoming Stress : Advice For People Who Give Too Much
$18.00Add to cartStress can lead to extensive psychological and physical suffering, but there are choices you can make that will reduce your stress and improve your ability to cope. This book offers not just the facts but a message of hope. Overcoming Stress looks not only at the causes of stress but also at the manifestations and psychological conditions, such as physical illness, anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, phobic states, and depression. It offers information on both acute treatments and longer term management in avoiding stress and its ill effects. “Stress will always be with us, and we will continue to suffer–unless we choose to change,” says Dr. Cantopher. “The good news is that this is possible–stress-related illness is avoidable, and if you change, you will attain happiness.”
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Thread Of Hope
$19.95Add to cartDennis Jernigan, due to the nature of his own story, understands the pain life can bring, but he also understands the healing power of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Dennis spends a great deal of time in his personal ministry helping people deal with their emotional wounds. A Thread of Hope was born out of ministry to one such person who needed to hear a song of deliverance born from her own intense pain and abuse at the hands of adults. This book is intended for adults. Dennis would advise parents to read A Thread of Hope before allowing their children to read it. It is a sad state of affairs that we even need such a book . . . but we do. Use A Thread of Hope to find Jesus and His healing in your own life, and use it to minister healing to the hurting people you encounter.
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My Exodus : From Fear To Grace
$18.99Add to cartIn sharing his own story of being a committed believer who struggled with same sex attraction early in his life, author, husband, and father Alan Chambers will help you understand the issues from the inside. And as the former president of the largest ex-gay ministry, Alan knows all the arguments, the concerns, the scriptures, and the heartaches.
My Exodus encourages us to look for and affirm the image of God in everyone. It’s a reminder that God is still at work and deeply loves his creation. And it’s a book for everyone who wants to be welcoming and loving to all people without compromising their faith or their biblical theology.
Through personal and powerful stories and opening the scriptures, you will come to understand how to love all people and positively engage our culture in the red hot conversations and topics surrounding LGBT and the Church
Ultimately, My Exodus equips us all to be better and do better in God-honoring ways. By embracing the idea of loving well because we want to and not because we have to, we will find hope for ourselves, for the Church, and for our world.
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Freedom Truth And Human Dignity
$48.99Add to cartPope Paul VI characterized the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom — Dignitatis Humanae — as one of the greatest documents of Vatican II. It is also perhaps the most intensely debated document of the Council; both the drafting of the Declaration of Religious Freedom and its reception have been marked by deep disagreements about what this teaching means for the Church.
In this book David Schindler and Nicholas Healy promote a deeper understanding of this important document. In addition to presenting a new translation of the approved text of the Declaration, Freedom, Truth, and Human Dignity makes available for the first time in English the five drafts of the document that were presented to the Council bishops leading up to the final version. The book also includes an original interpretive essay on Dignitatis Humanae by Schindler and an essay on the genesis and redaction history of the text by Healy.
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Understanding Gender Dysphoria
$25.00Add to cartIntroduction
1 Gender Identity, Gender Dysphoria And Appreciating Complexity
2 A Christian Perspective On Gender Dysphoria
3 What Causes Gender Dysphoria?
4 Phenomenology And Prevalence
5 Prevention And Treatment Of Gender Dysphoria
6 Toward A Christian Response: At The Level Of The Individual
7 Toward A Christian Response: At The Level Of The Institution
Notes
Author Index
Subject IndexAdditional Info
Few topics are more contested today than gender identity. In the fog of the culture war, complex issues like gender dysphoria are reduced to slogans and sound bites. And while the war rages over language, institutions and political allegiances, transgender individuals are the ones who end up being the casualties. Mark Yarhouse, an expert in sexual identity and therapy, challenges the church to rise above the political hostilities and listen to people’s stories. In Understanding Gender Dysphoria, Yarhouse offers a Christian perspective on transgender issues that eschews simplistic answers and appreciates the psychological and theological complexity. The result is a book that engages the latest research while remaining pastorally sensitive to the experiences of each person. In the midst of a tense political climate, Yarhouse calls Christians to come alongside those on the margins and stand with them as they resolve their questions and concerns about gender identity. Understanding Gender Dysphoria is the book we need to navigate these stormy cultural waters. -
Culture Shock : A Biblical Response To Todays Most Divisive Issues (Reprinted)
$17.99Add to cartWe live in a reactionary culture where divisive issues arise, people on either side throw stones, and everyone ends up more entrenched in their opinions than in reaching common ground–or even exhibiting common courtesy! If there ever was a time for Christians to understand and communicate God’s truth about controversial and polarizing issues, it is now. Believers must develop convictions based on research, reason, and biblical truth–and be able (and willing) to communicate these convictions with a love and respect that reflects God’s own heart.In Culture Shock, bestselling author, pastor, and radio personality Chip Ingram shows readers how they can bring light rather than heat to the most controversial and divisive issues of our day. Covering topics such as right and wrong, sex, homosexuality, abortion, politics, and the environment, Culture Shock is every engaged believer’s must-have guidebook to replacing reactionary hate with revolutionary love.
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Fools Talk : Recovering The Art Of Christian Persuasion
$24.00Add to cart12 Chapters
Additional Info
2016 Christianity Today Book of the Year in Apologetics/Evangelism
One of Desiring God’s Top 15 Books of 2015
Hearts & Minds Bookstore’s Best Books of 2015, Social Criticism and Cultural Engagement In our post-Christian context, public life has become markedly more secular and private life infinitely more diverse. Yet many Christians still rely on cookie-cutter approaches to evangelism and apologetics. Most of these methods assume that people are open, interested and needy for spiritual insight when increasingly most people are not. Our urgent need, then, is the capacity to persuade?to make a convincing case for the gospel to people who are not interested in it. In his magnum opus, Os Guinness offers a comprehensive presentation of the art and power of creative persuasion. Christians have often relied on proclaiming and preaching, protesting and picketing. But we are strikingly weak in persuasion?the ability to talk to people who are closed to what we are saying. Actual persuasion requires more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Guinness notes, “Jesus never spoke to two people the same way, and neither should we.” Following the tradition of Erasmus, Pascal, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, Malcolm Muggeridge and Peter Berger, Guinness demonstrates how apologetic persuasion requires both the rational and the imaginative. Persuasion is subversive, turning the tables on listeners’ assumptions to surprise them with signals of transcendence and the credibility of the gospel. This book is the fruit of forty years of thinking, honed in countless talks and discussions at many of the leading universities and intellectual centers of the world. Discover afresh the persuasive power of Christian witness from one of the leading apologists and thinkers of our era. -
Peace In Jerusalem But The Battle Is Not Over Yet
$18.95Add to cartOlive Press Messianic (www.olivepresspublisher.com)
HERE IS A MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE POLITICIANS OR BUREAUCRATS! Amidst the ongoing turmoil of the Middle East, where virtual civil wars are erupting on every side, a remarkable peace process is taking place. Charles Gardner has witnessed Arab and Jew embracing one another in the name of the One who has bought such reconciliation with the blood he shed on a Roman cross outside Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. And he concludes that it is only through this ‘Prince of Peace’ that the seemingly intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved. This book, written with the pace and skill you would expect from a seasoned professional with over 40 years of experience in journalism, tells some amazing stories of modern-day Muslims having supernatural encounters with the risen Jesus – yes, He’s still alive! But the former newspaper editor and one-time London correspondent for the South African Press Association also tackles major issues surrounding the Jewish state, both historically and currently, which he believes have been seriously blurred by a liberal media bowing to political correctness. He also challenges the Church – largely succumbing to a worldly rather than Biblical view of Israel – to return to its Hebraic roots. The Cape Town-born 65-year-old author grew up in South Africa before moving to the UK where he was introduced to British society by his half-Jewish grandmother. He soon raised her ire by becoming a committed Christian and attended All Souls Church in central London before moving north to Yorkshire where he worked at senior editorial level for various newspapers over the next 30-plus years. Now retired and a regular blogger for the Times of Israel, he also volunteers in an editorial capacity for the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people, an Anglican society founded in 1809, while continuing to write prolifically for a number of publications. Peace in Jerusalem is a sequel to his first book on the subject, Israel the Chosen, available on Amazon.
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Disaster Ministry Handbook
$30.00Add to cartWhen disasters happen, people turn to local churches as centers for response and assistance. When floods or tornadoes devastate an area, or when shootings and violence shock a community, knowing what to do can be the difference between calm and chaos, courage and fear, life and death. But few churches plan in advance for what they should do – until the storm hits.
Don’t get caught unprepared. If a natural disaster or human tragedy strikes your community, your church can minister to the hurting. Jamie Aten and David Boan, codirectors of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, provide a practical guide for disaster preparedness. Disaster ministry is a critically important work of the church, preparing for the unthinkable, providing relief to survivors, caring for the vulnerable, helping communities recover. Filled with resources for emergency planning and crisis management, this book provides best practices for local congregations. By taking action in advance, your church can help prevent harm and save lives during a disaster.
The time to plan is now. Be prepared.
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Redeeming Sex : Naked Conversations About Sexuality And Spirituality
$22.00Add to cartNothing has exposed the gap between the church and the broader society quite like the volatile topics of sexuality, relationships, identities, orientations and even gender. With a pastor’s heart and a missiologist’s mind, Debra Hirsch helps us discover a wholistic, biblical vision of sex and gender that honors God and offers good news to the world.
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For The Least Of These
$21.99Add to cartToday, many thoughtful and compassionate Christians are addressing the challenge of alleviating poverty. But while much progress has been made, many well-intentioned efforts have led Christians to actions that are not only ineffective, but leave the most vulnerable in a worse situation than before. Is there a better answer? Combining biblical exegesis with proven economic principles, For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty equips Christians with both a solid biblical and economic understanding of how best to care for the poor and foster sustainable economic development. With contributions from fifteen leading Christian economists, theologians, historians, and practitioners, it presents the case for why a multi-faceted approach is needed, and why a renewed focus on markets and trade are the world’s best hope for alleviating poverty and serving those in financial need.
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Nun On The Bus
$14.99Add to cartIn the summer of 2012, Sister Simone Campbell and a group of fellow Roman Catholic nuns toured parts of the country to rally support against U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan?s budget, a plan that cut vital social programs for the hurting poor and the struggling middle class. Prayer groups turned into rallies, and small town meetings became national media events. Sister Simone became a galvanizing force for progressives of all stripes and remains a driving force for programs and policies that support faith, family, and fairness.
Drawing on her deep spirituality of compassion and service, Sister Simone gives voice to the hunger, isolation, and fear that so many people in America are feeling right now and shows us how we can create real transformation in our communities and in our own hearts through the contemplative life of prayer. Powerful, inspiring stories from the Nuns on the Bus tour and from Sister Simone’s own life offer readers a fresh vision for a lived spirituality that is at the heart of today’s progressive Christian movements working for change.
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Together For The Common Good
$44.99Add to cartHow can we work together for the common good today? Thirteen contributors – Christian, Jewish, Muslim, non-religious – discuss the common good from a wide range of viewpoints. How have thinkers like Aristotle and Edmund Burke talked about the common good in the past? Catholic Social Teaching has a lot to say about the common good: what does the common good mean for the world’s great religious traditions today? How can we usefully talk about the common good in a plural society? What responsibility has the state for the common good? Can the market serve the common good? If we care about the common good, what should we think – and do – about immigration, education, the NHS, inequality, and freedom? This book starts from the example of David Sheppard and Derek Worlock, the Anglican Bishop and Roman Catholic Archbishop, who famously worked together for the good of the city of Liverpool in the 1980s. The contributors call for a national conversation about how, despite our differences, we can work together – locally, nationally, internationally – for the common good.
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Mother And Child Project
$18.99Add to cartDozens of influential leaders have heard the pleas of mothers and children in developing countries. Raising their voices to inspire a movement to increase healthy pregnancies and lower death rates, Melinda Gates, Kay Warren, Bill Frist, Kimberly Williams Paisley, Michael W. Smith and more speak out about why people of faith must get involved in The Mother and Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope. Almost 287,000 women die each year because of pregnancy and birth complications. Many orphans are left behind in the wake of this tragedy, and without a mother, many of those children die as well. If only enough people knew.
We have the resources to prevent this crisis, but we must take action. Fortunately, Hope Through Healing Hands, a nonprofit organization promoting awareness for healthy mothers and children worldwide, is already spreading the word. Not only can we save lives, reduce abortions, and decrease death rates, but also we can help build healthier, thriving families and bring stability and sustainability to families, communities and nations. The question is, will you join them?
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Every Square Inch
$16.99Add to cartAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Competing Views On Theology And Culture
2. A Theology Of Culture
3. Culture And Calling
4. Six Case Studies On Culture
5. The Arts
6. The Sciences
7. Politics And The Public Square
8. Economics And Wealth
9. Scholarship And Education
Conclusion: The Christian Mission
Appendix: Recommmended Reading
SummaryAdditional Info
Jesus is Lord over everything. So his lordship should shape every aspect of life. But what impact does faith really have on our day-today existence? And how should we, as Christians, interact with the culture?In Every Square Inch, Bruce Ashford skillfully navigates such questions. Drawing on sources like Abraham Kuyper, C.S. Lewis, and Francis Schaeffer, he shows how our faith is relevant to all dimensions of culture.
The gospel informs everything we do. We cannot maintain the artificial distinction between “sacred” and “secular.” We must proclaim Jesus with our lips and promote him with our lives, no matter what cultural contexts we may find ourselves in.
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When Homosexuality Hits Home
$15.99Add to cartThe heart-wrenching declaration that a loved one is a homosexual is increasingly being heard in Christian households across America. How can this be? What went wrong? Is there a cure?
In this straightforward book, Joe Dallas offers practical counsel, step by step, on how to deal with the many conflicts and emotions parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters or any family member will experience when learning of a loved one’s homosexuality.
Drawing from his own experience and from his many years of helping families work through this perplexing and unexpected situation, Joe offers scriptural and compassionate advice to both struggling gays and those who love them.
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My Secret Loss
$14.99Add to cartWe were told it would be easy. We thought it was the best choice; but now we suffer with the consequences, the regular reminders, a sense of guilt, and a sense of shame. Through abortion, we now face the death of our babies, death by choice. We try to hide our choice and we try to escape the emotional pain. We seek forgiveness, acceptance, and consolation; yet, we find no solace. Our fears drive us into a life of secrecy, hiding our loss. We suffer a secret loss.
My Secret Loss will:
Enable the reader to accept the truth about abortion
Provide permission and encouragement to grieve the loss of your baby
Validate your emotional and psychological harm that has been caused by abortion
Discover the path to peace, healing that is only possible through the saving grace of Jesus -
Bully Trouble : Little Tommy Learns A Lesson In Loving His Enemies
$18.95Add to cartAlmost everyone has a story of a time when they were bullied. It has become a big topic across our nation too. Tom Toombs has recently done more school assemblies about bullying than any other subject. But what are we supposed to do about bullies? Stand up to them? Fight back? Even run away? In this fourth book in the Little Tommy series, Bully Trouble: Little Tommy Learns a Lesson in Loving His Enemies, we find out what God says about bullies and how to deal with them according to the Bible. See what Little Tommy, his brother, and their friends do when confronted with this big problem.
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Nonviolent Action : What Christian Ethics Demands But Most Christians Have
$23.00Add to cartThere are numerous examples throughout history of effective nonviolent action. Nonviolent protesters defied the Soviet Empire’s communist rulers, Gandhi’s nonviolent revolution defeated the British Empire, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s peaceful civil-rights crusade changed American history. Recent scholarship shows that nonviolent revolutions against injustice and dictatorship are actually more successful than violent campaigns. In this book, noted theologian and bestselling author Ron Sider argues that the search for peaceful alternatives to violence is not only a practical necessity in the wake of the twentieth century–the most bloody in human history–but also a moral demand of the Christian faith. He presents compelling examples of how nonviolent action has been practiced in history and in current social-political situations to promote peace and oppose injustice, showing that this path is a successful and viable alternative to violence.
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Science Scripture And Same Sex Love
$25.99Add to cartWhat science and the Bible say about same-sex love.
Beginning with the story of his own daughter’s coming out, Michael B. Regele uses current scientific findings and earnest scriptural inquiry to answer tough questions about same-sex love and Christianity. What does science and the Bible say about homosexuality? Regele offers thoughtful insight to tough questions like:
Is sexual orientation a choice that individuals make?
Is same sex attraction sinful in itself?
Is it true that lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are more promiscuous than heterosexual people?
Is it true that same-sex relationships do not last as long as hetero-sex relationships?
Is abstinence for life the only choice for a Christian LGBT person? Or can they enter into intimate and sexual relationships and still be active participants in a Christian community?
Is same-sex marriage acceptable from a Christian standpoint? -
Naming The Elephant
$25.00Add to cartWhat 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.
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ISIS The Heart Of Terror
$19.99Add to cartThe jihadist group ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has been wreaking havoc in northern Iraq and Syria. But its reign of terror is not confined to the Middle East. Its 2014 beheadings of American journalist James Foley and Israeli-American journalist Steven Sotloff have shocked the world and instilled fear in the hearts of many Westerners.
ISIS is the most funded, technologically advanced, and powerful terrorist organization in history. Its members are extremely diverse, having been recruited from countries all over the globe, including Canada, Britain, and the U.S.
Now that ISIS has the world’s attention, what’s next?
Governments around the world have spent billions of dollars employing military strategies, and they are still convinced that ISIS is mainly a political problem that must have a political answer. But what if the solution isn’t political or military? What if the real solution is spiritual in nature?
Missionaries from the underground church of China-represented by Brother Yun, “the Heavenly Man”-are launching a spiritual offensive. They are not armed with a sentence of death but with a message of life, and ISIS jihadists are in their crosshairs. In ISIS, the Heart of Terror, you will learn about the organization Back to Jerusalem and its unique method of responding to ISIS by evangelizing Muslim militants. Learn how Chinese missionaries are fulfilling the Great Commission by sharing the gospel with some of the most unreachable people groups in the world, and discover how Christians everywhere can take part in a powerful evangelization of the Middle East.
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Environment Economy And Christian Ethics
$39.00Add to cartWhat is to be done about the damaging impact of economic activity on the environment? In recent years, there has been growing debate over this question. This book, by an economist, urges Christians to support strong governmental and intergovernmental action to improve the workings of existing global economic systems so as to provide adequate environmental protection. As such, it draws on the tradition of mainstream environmental economics and on recent developments in “ecological economics.” But it acknowledges that environmental policy raises important ethical and theological issues often briefly or inadequately covered within economic literature: ethically responsible attitudes to uncertainty, inequality within and between generations, the rights of traditional communities, and the obligation to respect nonhuman elements within creation. To such issues, theologians of various persuasions have in the past paid more attention than economists. At the same time, theologians have not always shown awareness of the likely economic consequences of their own proposals. In particular, some have been reluctant to acknowledge the role of market failure in causing environmental problems, while others are too eager to get rid of markets altogether. This book tries to develop sound ethical foundations for environmental policy, while providing concrete perspective on economic realities.
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Bridges To Convergence In 21st Century Thought
$12.99Add to cartBridges to Convergence in 21st Century Thought confronts the struggles contributing to the fractures in today’s society. It tackles the problems arising from this divergence of thought, most notably polarization, fragmentation, and depersonalization in Western society. Arguably, the fractures are the result of a failed three hundred year old experiment that has resulted in the leading philosophies of today’s Western world being secular humanism and scientific determinism. In short, technology now masters mankind rather than serving it, leaving amoral Western man as a dispensable cog in the machine-a commodity more so than a sacred being-and a mass of cells relegated to evolve in a world with no hope or future, values or absolutes. Man has become a something rather than someone. The evolving twenty-first century global society is now demanding a new thought that seeks values and connections but does not exclude the eighty-nine per cent of the world population that does not live in the West, or the eighty-five per cent of the world population that does believe in the religious and spiritual.
Bridges to Convergence argues that a new twenty-first century thought will be a matter of global design and input. This book offers first steps towards that thought through bridges to convergence between peoples, communities, societies, and nations, promoting common sensibilities, values, personhood, dignity, respect and hope.
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Life Together In Christ
$23.00Add to cartOdds are you’ve been disappointed by community at some point in your life. You’ve joined a church or small group with high hopes of experiencing real edification, friendship and belonging, only to be disappointed by the lack of true connection and growth. There is something terribly difficult about human beings trying to function together over the long haul. So how can we cultivate true Christian community-not simply for the sake of connection but also for the sake of mutual spiritual transformation? This kind of communal, spiritual experience isn’t easy. No matter how cynical we have become, the promise that we sin-scarred humans can become like Christ is one of the great promises of the Gospel. We are meant for kingdom living here and now. And we cannot do it alone. Paul’s teachings on spiritual growth and transformation are always given in the context of community-the body of Christ with its many members, all using their gifts for mutual edification. It is clear that transformation and community are integrally related. Without spiritual transformation, communities will falter and disintegrate; without community, we will limit the work of transformation in our lives. If we can bring these two dynamics together in transforming community, that’s when a spontaneous combustion will begin to take place. In this kind of shared life, the value and the priority of spiritual transformation is taught, discussed, and lived out in large and small groups, in families and among friends, in formal Christian education settings and informal conversations. It becomes central to the life of the community, offering both structured opportunities for growth while allowing space for the spontaneous “bubbling up” of the Spirit’s work in people’s lives. In Life Together in Christ, veteran spiritual director Ruth Haley Barton gives us an interactive guide for smaller groupings of people who are ready to get personal and practical about experiencing transformation together. Designed to function on both individual and communal levels, groups will grow through and by study of the account of the disciples on the Emmaus Road found in Luke 24. Be ready to experience true, intentional, transforming community.
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2 Doors
$16.99Add to cartGracie is seven years old, and she has a hurt place in her heart. When she wakes up in the middle of the night to find a door in her bedroom wall, a door where no door should be, she begins a strange and wonderful adventure into her own future. On the other side of the door, Gracie receives a rare gift: she gets to meet the woman she will become if she refuses to use the magical little Send-Away boat and begin to forgive the hurt that has been done to her. Go through the door with Gracie and find out how she answers the question, “Do you want to be Carissa? Or Mara?
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Understanding Bible By Design
$24.00Add to cartToday’s seminary and religious-education instructors are expected to design and redesign their courses more nimbly than in the past. We have to adapt our courses to novel learning environments, for more diverse learners, toward more diverse vocations. At the same time, institutional rewards for time invested in course design are fewer than ever. Understanding Bible by Design introduces the reader to Understanding by Design: an approach to course design that is proven time-efficient and grounded in the instructor’s most closely-held convictions about her subject matter’s “big ideas and essential questions.” This book’s contributors (one in Old Testament, one in New Testament, and one in Jewish Studies) demonstrate the value of Understanding Bible by Design for the Biblical Studies instructor, whether at seminary or university, face-to-face or online, from the intimate seminar to the massive MOOC.
Lester’s synopsis of course design and suggested action is followed by a collaborative dialogue with Jane S. Webster and Christopher M. Jones. Webster and Jones provide practical commentary regarding the successful implementation of Lester’s proposed approaches. As a group, Lester, Webster, and Jones create a text that extends pedagogical innovation in inspiring but practical ways.
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Effective Social Learning
$24.00Add to cartThe ground of higher education is shifting, but learning ecosystems around the world have much more space than MOOCs and trendy online platforms can fill, and Loewen shows how professors have an indisputable pedagogical edge that gives them a crucial role to play in higher education. By adopting the collaborative pedagogical process in this book, professors can create effective social learning experiences that connect students to peers and professional colleagues in real-time.
Loewen moves beyond surface questions about technology in the classroom to a problem best addressed by educators in bricks-and-mortar institutions: if students are social learners, how do we teach in a way that promotes actual dialogue for learning? Designing learning experiences that develop intercultural competencies puts the test to students’ social inclinations, and engagement with course material increases when it’s used to dig deeper into the specificities of their identity and social location. Loewen’s approach to inter-institutional collaborative teaching will be explored with examples and working templates for collaborative design of effective social learning experiences. This is done by collaborative dialogue with G. Brooke Lester and Christopher Duncanson-Hales. As a group, Loewen, Lester, and Duncanson-Hales create a text that extends pedagogical innovation in inspiring but practical wa
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Justice In Everyday Life
$10.00Add to cartJustice in Everyday Life, a Lay Servant Ministries advance course, takes an in-depth look at the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church-the church’s attempt to speak on contemporary issues with which it is confronted today. The book covers topics such as: natural world, social community, economic community, political community, Biblical foundations of the Social Principles, teaching the Social Principles. This book is not only for Lay Servants, but is for anyone interested in t studying the octal Principles in greater detail.
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Sweet Mystery Of Humankind And Climate Change
$17.95Add to cartThis book is about past, present, and future events in the total history of mankind, told in mysterious ways. Many are not well understood by the majority of people. But they do give us the answers to questions like: Why are we here? Why are things in our world so opposed to our well-being and happiness? Why do we have wars? What happens next? Can we save the planet? The answers, written over many centuries with divine precision, are for us to know! We are certain that only God can show us because his ancients described things in a way that cause us to search for the answers. We know these mysteries are revealed by our recent scientific discoveries-which the ancients could not possibly have understood themselves, even as they wrote about them-such as the invention of computers.
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Room At My Table
$12.99Add to cartMiss Evelyn, as she is known in her neighborhood, offers 52 winsome devotions that witness to Christian love as the foundation of gracious hospitality. Reflecting on gatherings at her table that have brought together friends, family, and strangers, Miss Evelyn inspires readers to reach out to others in their own setting to love their neighbor. A little helpful hosting advice and recipes along the way provide even more encouragement and delight. These devotional gems and recipes will appeal to a wide range of Christian women from practiced hostesses to those who desire to open their homes and hearts with grace and love. This book can be an appropriate gift for a hostess as well.
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Forward Together : A Moral Message For The Nation
$19.99Add to cart14 Chapters
Additional Info
In 2013, after seven years of grassroots organizing, “Moral Mondays” grabbed the nation’s attention as thousands protested North Carolina’s General Assembly in Raleigh in support of the poor, voting rights, health care, immigrant rights, and other issues. Over 13 consecutive weeks, the protests against legislative extremism resulted in the arrests of nearly 1,000 people, making it one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in U.S. history. As thousands more gathered in support each Monday, Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, became widely recognized as the leader of a new civil rights movement in the South. More than 100 “Forward Together-Moral Monday” connected events have since taken place, and the spirit of the movement has spread to Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, and New York.This reflection on the movement’s beginnings introduces Barber, the sources of his courage from both a biblical imagination for justice and a deep connection to “fusion” civil rights history, and the inspiring story of the Southern freedom movement’s revival. Barber invites readers into a big-tent, faith-based movement for justice that has room for black, white, and brown, gay and straight, rich and poor, old and young, Republicans and Democrats, people from all walks of life. Offering his unique analysis of what he has called the “Third Reconstruction,” Barber locates North Carolina’s struggle in the spiritual and political landscape of 21st-century America. With civil rights and social justice battles with a deep moral narrative, particularly in southern statehouses that then move to federal courts on appeal, what happens in North Carolina can shift the center of gravity in political discourse, debate, and decision-and thereby change the nation.
“Messages of moral dissent are designed not to just be spoken and heard but to shape the prophetic consciousness of a movement and of society,” says Barber. “The prophetic voice rises when government systems and sometimes even religious systems have abdicated their responsibility to the least of these. When the forces of extremism have become so overwhelming and have depressed the hope of the people, the prophetic voice and mission is to connect words and actions in ways that build restorative hope so that there can be a movement for restorative justice. So this book is an attempt to capture the practice of ‘preaching’ in the public square, which is where pr
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To Everyone An Answer
$40.00Add to cartIn a society fascinated by spirituality but committed to religious pluralism, the Christian worldview faces sophisticated and aggressive opposition. A prior commitment to diversity, with its requisite openness and relativistic outlook, has meant for skeptics, critics and even many Christians that whatever Christianity is, it cannot be exclusively true or salvific. What is needed in this syncretistic era is an authoritative, comprehensive Christian response. Point by point, argument by argument, the Christian faith must be effectively presented and defended. To Everyone an Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview offers such a response. Editors Francis J. Beckwith, William Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland have gathered together in this book essays covering all major aspects of apologetics, including:
faith and reason
arguments for God’s existence
the case for Jesus
the problem of evil
postmodernism
religious pluralism and Christian exclusivismPreeminent in their respective fields, the contributors to this volume offer a solid case for the Christian worldview and a coherent defense of the Christian faith.
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Compassion Without Compromise (Reprinted)
$15.00Add to cartLoving, Biblical Answers on Homosexuality
How is the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality “Good News” to a world that increasingly finds that message intolerable? In their role as pastors, Adam Barr and Ron Citlau have seen how this issue can tear apart families, friendships, and even churches. In Compassion Without Compromise, they combine biblical answers about homosexuality with practical, real-world advice on how to think about and discuss this issue with those you care about. They also tell the story of Ron’s personal journey from sexual brokenness to healing.
The authors bring sensitivity, humor, and pastoral winsomeness to the most controversial topic of our day. This book will offer an honest but inviting message to readers: those who embrace the Gospel can experience true freedom.
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Gospel In The Marketplace Of Ideas (Student/Study Guide)
$18.00Add to cartAbbreviations
1. Welcome To Athens
2. Was Paul’s Speech At Athens A Mistake?
3. Paul’s Athens
4. Our Athens
5. Paul’s Speech In Acts
6. Paul’s Audience
7. Paul’s Gospel For The Educated
8. The Art Of Persuasion
9. Acting On The Truth
10. Going To Our Own Mars Hill
Resources For Further Reading
Study Questions For Group Discussion
Subject IndexAdditional Info
Our world is multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-philosophical. It ranges from fundamental monotheism to do-it-yourself spirituality to strident atheism. How can we authentically and effectively present the message of Jesus the Messiah in such a pluralistic and often relativistic context? When Paul visited Athens, as told in the book of Acts, he found an equally multi-cultural and multi-religious setting. From Jews to Gentiles, elite to poor, slaves to slave owners, from olive-skinned Gentiles to dark-skinned Ethiopians–the Greco-Roman world was a dynamic mixture. Religions practices were also wide and varied, with the Imperial cult of Emperor worship being the most prominent. Many also frequented the temples for the traditional Greek pantheon, and participated in the secret rituals of the Mystery Religions. Philosopher Paul Copan and New Testament scholar Kenneth Litwak team up to show how Paul’s example found in Acts 17 provide a practical model that still fits today. They uncover the cultural and religious background of this key episode in the Apostle’s career. With equal facility they show what it means for us who live in an age of competing beliefs and value systems. -
Safe Sanctuaries In A Virtual World
$15.00Add to cartSafe Sanctuaries in a Virtual World, the latest addition to the Safe Sanctuaries series, addresses the challenges of ministry that have arisen in the face of rapidly changing technology, sometimes referred to as the digital age.
Technology now pervades our lives on almost every level; it is nearly inescapable and, as Melton and Foster point out, easily accessible and increasingly user-friendly and intuitive, streamlining the way we work and interact with one another and the world around us.
Safe Sanctuaries in a Virtual World is both timely and practical, covering topics such as
copyright in the digital age
the application of law to the life of the church
the basics of ministry in a virtual world
pornography
obscenity -
Way We Work
$12.99Add to cartWhen you’re dragging yourself to work, do you ever get mad at Adam and Eve for making us have to toil for a living? If you’re on the clock, is it ok to mentally clock out – even for a little while?Are these things that really matter when it comes to working ‘as unto the Lord’? While many questions face us as we work each day, perhaps the most important is, ‘What difference does it make in my job if I’m a Christian?’ In The Way We Work, Boone offers much more help than simply saying ‘You need to do yourwork well because you are a Christian.’ The WayWe Work provides a thorough biblical examinationof all our labors exploring:. When work is a pain. Laziness on the job. The blessing of work. Work that will last. And much more.
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Let Creation Rejoice
$22.00Add to cartPreface
Chapter 1. Apocalypse Now? Living In The Last Days
Chapter 2. Life On Earth Today
Chapter 3. Global Climate Change
Chapter 4. Why Hope? The Gospel And The Future
Chapter 5. Bringing New Testament Hope Down To Earth
Chapter 6. Cosmic Catastrophe?
Chapter 7. Jesus, A Thief In The Night And The Kingdom Of God
Chapter 8. Revelation And The Renewal Of All Things
Chapter 9. Finding Joy In An Active And Living Hope
Afterword. Practical Resources
IndexAdditional Info
Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes. Psalm 96:13 The Bible is bathed with images of God caring for his creation in all its complexity. Yet in the face of climate change and other environmental trends, philosophers, filmmakers, environmentalists, politicians and senior scientists increasingly resort to apocalyptic rhetoric to warn us that a so-called perfect storm of factors threatens the future of life on earth. Jonathan Moo and Robert White ask, “Do these dire predictions amount to nothing more than ideological scaremongering, perhaps hyped-up for political or personal ends? Or are there good reasons for thinking that we may indeed be facing a crisis unprecedented in its scale and in the severity of its effects?” The authors encourage us to assess the evidence for ourselves. Their own conclusion is that there is in fact plenty of cause for concern. Climate change, they suggest, is potentially the most far-reaching threat that our planet faces in the coming decades, and also the most publicized. But there is a wide range of much more obvious, interrelated and damaging effects that a growing number of people, consuming more and more, are having on the planet upon which we all depend. Yet if the Christian gospel fundamentally reorients us in our relationship to God and his world, then there ought to be something radically distinctive about our attitude and approach to such threats. In short, there ought to be a place for hope. And there ought to be a place for Christians to participate in that hope. Moo and White therefore reflect on the difference the Bible’s vision of the future of all of creation makes. Why should creation rejoice? Because God loves and cares the world he made. -
Elephants In The Church
$15.99Add to cartWhere Are the Truth-Tellers?
Our world is facing serious problems that pose genuine threats to our safety, our economy, our health, and our very survival. Sadly, partisanship and allegiances to special interests are preventing our nation from taking the needed action on such matters.
And where is the church at this perilous time in history? Instead of proclaiming God’s wisdom on the issues of our day, many of us are either too blinded by political affiliations or too afraid to let our voices be heard.
While resisting the predictable labels of Democrat and Republican, Bishop George Bloomer holds both sides accountable by boldly examining some of the most polarizing yet important issues of our time:
Abortion
Poverty and income inequality
Gay marriage
Racial relations
War and the military-industrial complex
Gun controlChristians will never succeed in impacting the culture if they remain emasculated by political correctness and afraid to speak the truth. Change is possible only when brave and audacious men and women are willing to confront evil and injustice through their words and their actions.
