Almost Christian

Almost Christian PDF Author: Kenda Creasy Dean
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199758662
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.

Almost Christian

Almost Christian PDF Author: Kenda Creasy Dean
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199758662
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

Get Book Here

Book Description
Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.

The Practice of the Presence of God (操練神的同在)

The Practice of the Presence of God (操練神的同在) PDF Author: Brother Lawrence
Publisher: Hyweb Technology Co. Ltd.
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 311

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Book Description


Sermons on Several Occasions

Sermons on Several Occasions PDF Author: John Wesley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Church history
Languages : en
Pages : 672

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Book Description


Practical Religion

Practical Religion PDF Author: John Charles Ryle
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 373267617X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
Reproduction of the original: Practical Religion by John Charles Ryle

Now That I'm a Christian

Now That I'm a Christian PDF Author: C. Michael Patton
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433538075
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
How do we help our friends who have just become Christians or are young in the faith? In this concise and accessible book, Mike Patton unpacks the basics of the Christian faith, helping new believers think rightly about God and live fully for God as they begin their new life in Christ. In ten easy-to-read chapters, Patton introduces readers to the foundational teachings and life-giving practices of Christianity—from the doctrine of the Trinity to reading and understanding the Bible. Designed for individual use or small group discussion, this handbook on the Christian faith has the potential to become the go-to guide for new believers wanting to follow Jesus with their heads and their hands.

Revival

Revival PDF Author: Adam Hamilton
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781426778841
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
Experience a Modern-Day Revival.

What Jesus Demands from the World

What Jesus Demands from the World PDF Author: John Piper
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1581348452
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
for every healthy tree bears good fruit --; Demand #28 : love your enemies--lead them to the truth --; Demand #29 : love your enemies--pray for those who abuse you --; Demand #30 : love your enemies--do good to those who hate you, give to the one who asks --; Demand #31 : love your enemies to show that you are children of God --; Demand #32 : love your neighbor as yourself,

Practical Lectures on Romans

Practical Lectures on Romans PDF Author: J. Frank Norris
Publisher: Solid Christian Books
ISBN: 1533171734
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
This is the climax of God’s revelation of His will to a lost world, and given through the greatest mind of all times. What a blessing it has been to my soul, these studies, made on our tour clear around the world. I studied it night and day. It was my meditation on land and sea. Whether in the snow-capped majestic Alps or in the desert sands of Arabia, whether in the storms of the Atlantic, or in the quiet calm of the “Pacific, my soul fairly rejoiced in this the greatest, the highest mountain peak of divine revelation. Often I would bow my head in humiliation, confess my sins, that I would ever complain or hesitate one second’s time to proclaim the gospel of the Son of God. I could wish I could roll back the hands of time and begin once more the simple ministry of an earnest country preacher.

Celebration of Discipline

Celebration of Discipline PDF Author: Richard J. Foster
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0060628391
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
In the twenty years since its publication, Celebration of Discipline has helped over a million seekers discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace, and a deeper understanding of God. For this special twentieth anniversary edition, Richard J. Foster has added an introduction, in which he shares the story of how this beloved and enduring spiritual guidebook came to be. Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, Celebration of Discipline explores the "classic Disciplines," or central spiritual practices, of the Christian faith. Along the way, Foster shows that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found. Dividing the Disciplines into three movements of the Spirit, Foster shows how each of these areas contribute to a balanced spiritual life. The inward Disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study, offer avenues of personal examination and change. The outward Disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service, help prepare us to make the world a better place. The corporate Disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration, bring us nearer to one another and to God. Foster provides a wealth of examples demonstrating how these Disciplines can become part of our daily activities-and how they can help us shed our superficial habits and "bring the abundance of God into our lives." He offers crucial new insights on simplicity, demonstrating how the biblical view of simplicity, properly understood and applied, brings joy and balance to our inward and outward lives and "sets us free to enjoy the provision of God as a gift that can be shared with others." The discussion of celebration, often the most neglected of the Disciplines, shows its critical importance, for it stands at the heart of the way to Christ. Celebration of Discipline will help motivate Christians everywhere to embark on a journey of prayer and spiritual growth.

The Trinity, Practically Speaking

The Trinity, Practically Speaking PDF Author: Frank D. Macchia
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830859616
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the Bible (and in Christian experience) are all vital to the reality of salvation. But since the word "Trinity" does not appear in the Bible, many people wonder whether the doctrine is anything more than an intellectual puzzle created by theologians. This book leads readers step-by-step to a robust understanding of God as a Trinity.