No Other Gods

No Other Gods PDF Author: Kelly Minter
Publisher: David C Cook
ISBN: 9780781448970
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
Minter explores what happens when good desires become false gods, robbing people of an intimate relationship with the heavenly Father. (Christian)

No Other Gods

No Other Gods PDF Author: Kelly Minter
Publisher: David C Cook
ISBN: 9780781448970
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book Here

Book Description
Minter explores what happens when good desires become false gods, robbing people of an intimate relationship with the heavenly Father. (Christian)

The Idol of Our Age

The Idol of Our Age PDF Author: Daniel J. Mahoney
Publisher: Encounter Books
ISBN: 1641770171
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
This book is a learned essay at the intersection of politics, philosophy, and religion. It is first and foremost a diagnosis and critique of the secular religion of our time, humanitarianism, or the “religion of humanity.” It argues that the humanitarian impulse to regard modern man as the measure of all things has begun to corrupt Christianity itself, reducing it to an inordinate concern for “social justice,” radical political change, and an increasingly fanatical egalitarianism. Christianity thus loses its transcendental reference points at the same time that it undermines balanced political judgment. Humanitarians, secular or religious, confuse peace with pacifism, equitable social arrangements with socialism, and moral judgment with utopianism and sentimentality. With a foreword by the distinguished political philosopher Pierre Manent, Mahoney’s book follows Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in affirming that Christianity is in no way reducible to a “humanitarian moral message.” In a pungent if respectful analysis, it demonstrates that Pope Francis has increasingly confused the Gospel with left-wing humanitarianism and egalitarianism that owes little to classical or Christian wisdom. It takes its bearings from a series of thinkers (Orestes Brownson, Aurel Kolnai, Vladimir Soloviev, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn) who have been instructive critics of the “religion of humanity.” These thinkers were men of peace who rejected ideological pacifism and never confused Christianity with unthinking sentimentality. The book ends by affirming the power of reason, informed by revealed faith, to provide a humanizing alternative to utopian illusions and nihilistic despair.

Cultural Counterfeits

Cultural Counterfeits PDF Author: Jen Oshman
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 143357635X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Jen Oshman Helps Women Reject Idols and Discover God's Good Purpose for Their Lives In today's culture, women and girls are influenced by idols that promise purpose and meaning for their lives—outward beauty and ability, sex, abortion, and gender fluidity. Christian women aren't exempt from these temptations either, and can even elevate good things like marriage and motherhood to the status of idolatry. Women may sense that these idols are hollow and leave them feeling unsettled, but where should they turn instead? In Cultural Counterfeits, Jen Oshman encourages women to reject the empty, destructive promises these idols offer and embrace something much more satisfying. She casts a vision for women to experience real hope and peace in Jesus, calling them to recognize their unshakable and eternal identities in him. This timely and compelling resource will help women find freedom and joy as they explore God's good design and purpose for their lives. Culturally Relevant: Addresses current topics such as the #MeToo movement, LGBTQIA+, social media, and feminism Explains "How We Got Here": Gives a brief history of the sexual revolution up to today Written by Jen Oshman: Author of Enough about Me: Find Lasting Joy in the Age of Self For Group or Individual Study: Includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter

The Unfolding Gospel

The Unfolding Gospel PDF Author: John P. Bowen
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506471684
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
Many congregations and their leaders are discouraged about the future of the church. John Bowen's conviction is that the solution is to be found not in new programs or strategies but in a recovery of theological vision--that of Jesus and his gospel, which transforms every aspect of life. This vision restores hope in the only way realistically possible._ Words like mission, discipleship, church, evangelism, renewal, and church planting are used like billiard balls--all rolling around a single table, unconnected and bouncing randomly off one another. This book pulls these ideas together into a coherent and organic whole. The gospel is the hermeneutical key for understanding each of these topics and what draws them together. Thus, chapter 1 is an exposition of the gospel (God's determination to make all things new through Jesus Christ). Chapter 2 discusses discipleship (we only understand discipleship in light of the gospel), and chapter 3 covers church (we only understand church if we understand discipleship). Chapter 4 considers culture as the arena in which the gospel is lived and talked about, and chapter 5 builds on that with a discussion of translation, not only as a missional necessity but as a ministry which itself incarnates the nature of the gospel. The remaining chapters (on evangelism, the future of "inherited churches," church planting, and leadership) demonstrate how the gospel is the integration point for all._ The author's hope is that church leaders--evangelical and mainline, young and old, emerging and traditional, present and future--will have a transformative "Aha!" moment as this gospel hypothesis unfolds._

Confronting the Idols of Our Age

Confronting the Idols of Our Age PDF Author: Thomas P. Power
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1532604343
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 57

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Book Description
An idol is a good thing. It is good because God created it. Nothing exists that God did not create and God created all things good. So sex can be an idol, but before it was an idol it was a good creation of God. Materialism is an idol, but to have a material world was God's idea in the first place. Workaholism is an idol, but work is itself a good gift of God. What turns these good gifts of God into idols is what we have done with them. So we have common forms of idolatry expressed in consumerism, individualism, narcissism, careerism, and hedonism; while there are less familiar expressions found in omnism, fatalism, Gnosticism, relativism, positivism, and reductionism. We have put these and other things on a pedestal and made them into mini-gods. In the end they fail to deliver what they promise. These twelve mediations on a scriptural passage by faculty members of Wycliffe College, Toronto, emphasize that the good news is that God can redeem idols. Each one can be restored to its proper place in God's created order and placed under God's authority.

Kingdom Manifesto

Kingdom Manifesto PDF Author: Jason N. Yuh
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666714607
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 94

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Book Description
Even a cursory read of the Gospel of Matthew makes clear that it is concerned with the identity of Jesus Christ. These meditations attempt not to focus on tangential topics that relate to Jesus, even though these are important. Rather, they seek to focus simply on who Jesus is. Because 2020 exposed the fragility, corruption, and misery of humanity, such a focus is not only welcome but sorely needed. Humanity does not merely require self-help books that provide practical steps for improvement or philosophical musings that explain away suffering. Humanity is in dire need of something outside of itself: a Savior. The authors of these chapters are soberly aware of this truth, and they resist the temptation to reduce Jesus to a miracle worker who provides temporary relief or a commendable example that is to be imitated. Instead, in their own distinctive ways, they affirm the bold and ever-urgent proclamation that Jesus is the exclusive Savior of all people.

Strange Land

Strange Land PDF Author: Caris Kim
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666716901
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 77

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Book Description
Over the past year, we have seen that the fear of death caused by the pandemic has stopped the world. In this book, each contributor not only tries to narrow the gap between the book of Psalms and the contemporary reader but also encourages us to endure and enjoy our lives in our life settings in this "strange land." The authors recognize our weaknesses and remind us about the saving power of Jesus's death for us. They try to make the "difficulties and impediments," as one contributor says, "constitutive of the saving power of Jesus Christ" that transforms our hearts.

Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth Study Guide

Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth Study Guide PDF Author: Thaddeus J. Williams
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
ISBN: 0310142571
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Book Description
Enacting social justice is essential to the Christian faith. But the Bible's call to seek justice is not a call to superficial activism. True justice requires biblical wisdom and communal discernment. Maybe you're frustrated with a version of Christianity that doesn't seem to take justice seriously. Perhaps you've witnessed the rise of ideologies that brand themselves as 'social justice,' but you have a sense that something is off about them. Maybe you have a hunch that God offers a better way to do justice than what's offered by the snarky memes on our news feeds. In this 14-session, video-based study guide, teacher and lecturer Thaddeus Williams furthers the case he made in his book, taking study groups and individuals deeper into complex question of how to pursue a path of justice without compromising the truth of the gospel. Participants will watch video segments (DVD/streaming video sold separately), hear from a diverse range of experts, interact in group discussions, and answer personal reflection questions to discover what the Bible and the example of Jesus have to teach us about justice. Williams confronts religious and political tribalism and challenges participants to discover a compelling vision of justice for all God's image-bearers that offers hopeful answers to life's biggest questions and a way forward. Sessions Include: What is Social Justice The God Question The Imago Question The Idolatry Question The Collective Question The Splintering Question The Fruit Question The Disparity Question The Color Question The Gospel Question The Tunnel Vision Question The Suffering Question The Standpoint Question Conclusion

God is Always Bigger

God is Always Bigger PDF Author: John P. Bowen
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725288605
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
For forty years, John Bowen has been a popular speaker, teacher, and preacher on university campuses, in churches and in classrooms, and at conferences across Canada. This book brings together forty of his best sermons, talks, and articles. You will be encouraged and you will be challenged. You will laugh and cry, think and pray—sometimes all at the same time. The topics are wildly various: “The Spiritual Quality of Craziness,” “Vacuum Cleaner Church,” “The Vocation of a Garbage Collector,” “Spirituality in my Sixties,” “What’s Wrong with Amazing Grace?” and “Strong and Weak” (a reflection on his bypass surgery in 2017). The audiences are as varied as the subjects: a conference of Christians in science, the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury to Wycliffe College, a camp reunion, a diocesan conference, a church planting conference, his mother’s funeral, and (not least) his own parish church in Hamilton, Ontario. This is a book to dip into or to read from cover to cover. You will not be disappointed.

Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth

Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth PDF Author: Thaddeus J. Williams
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
ISBN: 0310119499
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
God does not suggest, he commands that we do justice. Social justice is not optional for the Christian. All injustice affects others, so talking about justice that isn't social is like talking about water that isn't wet or a square with no right angles. But the Bible's call to seek justice is not a call to superficial, kneejerk activism. We are not merely commanded to execute justice, but to "truly execute justice." The God who commands us to seek justice is the same God who commands us to "test everything" and "hold fast to what is good." Drawing from a diverse range of theologians, sociologists, artists, and activists, Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth, by Thaddeus Williams, makes the case that we must be discerning if we are to "truly execute justice" as Scripture commands. Not everything called "social justice" today is compatible with a biblical vision of a better world. The Bible offers hopeful and distinctive answers to deep questions of worship, community, salvation, and knowledge that ought to mark a uniquely Christian pursuit of justice. Topics addressed include: Racism Sexuality Socialism Culture War Abortion Tribalism Critical Theory Identity Politics Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth also brings in unique voices to talk about their experiences with these various social justice issues, including: Michelle-Lee Barnwall Suresh Budhaprithi Eddie Byun Freddie Cardoza Becket Cook Bella Danusiar Monique Duson Ojo Okeye Edwin Ramirez Samuel Sey Neil Shenvi Walt Sobchak In Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth, Thaddeus Williams transcends our religious and political tribalism and challenges readers to discover what the Bible and the example of Jesus have to teach us about justice. He presents a compelling vision of justice for all God's image-bearers that offers hopeful answers to life's biggest questions.