The Offensive Church

The Offensive Church PDF Author: Bryan C. Loritts
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 1514005999
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
Crises around race have put the church in a reactive, defensive posture, but Jesus wants more. He wants Christians to play offense by discipling people into a new humanity that pushes beyond mere diversity so that the church becomes the aroma of Christ to our culture and gains ground against the demonic foothold of racism in all its forms.

The (Un)Offensive Gospel of Jesus

The (Un)Offensive Gospel of Jesus PDF Author: Jeremy Bouma
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780985470371
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
Who is the Jesus we're showing? What is the Story we're telling? These honest questions sit at the heart of this punchy, provocative book. In his debut title, Jeremy seeks to drive a conversation in the Church about how we show Jesus and tell His hopeful Story. If Jesus and His Story are what people have been waiting for their whole lives, why are so many people leaving Him and avoiding His people? Jeremy helps us understand why this is happening and what Christians can do about it. Newly revised and filled with discussion questions, the (un)offensive gospel of Jesus sketches a fresh portrait of God's magical, revolutionary Story of Rescue and the good Jesus found in the Holy Scriptures. Through his own experience in the Church, conversations with friends, and an honest look at theology and the Bible, Jeremy explores how Jesus and His gospel are good, sweet news for all the world. Most of all, he helps us understand why both are more hopeful than many of us realize. ENDORSEMENTS: "Jeremy is a deep thinker; he's courageous enough to challenge some popular evangelicals and emergents today. Yet, this is not a screed: Jeremy loves the Church and has a passion for the ostracized and he tells us in this book that grace grinding is the not the way of Jesus and it is not the gospel Jesus preached." -Scot McKnight, Professor, Northern Seminary; Author, The Jesus Creed and The King Jesus Gospel "Jeremy had me at the title. With deep passion for the Church, a sharp awareness of the prevalent, hot, future-shaping emerging conversation, and the courage to slay a few sacred cows, he offers a compelling vision of Jesus and the Church's mission. Jeremy's debut book informs, disturbs, encourages, and challenges. Who is the Jesus we show to the world? What is the Story we tell? These two questions will never be the same for me."-John W. Frye, Pastor, Fellowship Covenant Church; Grand Rapids, MI; Author, Jesus the Pastor and Out of Print "While recognizing our fallen world with failing followers of Jesus, Jeremy paints a brilliant, honest, passionate and redeeming picture of the Christ who heals, speaks with authority and still changes the impossible. As we step back and gaze at this amazing portrait of a liberating magnetic Jesus I find good news, an (un)offensive Jesus, to whom I have too often shamefully been offensive."-Doug Fagerstrom, Former President, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary

The Offensive Church

The Offensive Church PDF Author: Bryan C. Loritts
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 1514005999
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
Crises around race have put the church in a reactive, defensive posture, but Jesus wants more. He wants Christians to play offense by discipling people into a new humanity that pushes beyond mere diversity so that the church becomes the aroma of Christ to our culture and gains ground against the demonic foothold of racism in all its forms.

The Dad Difference

The Dad Difference PDF Author: Bryan Loritts
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 080249854X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
What does it take to be a great dad? The world is full of examples of men who weren’t there for their kids. But there are good and even great dads out there, who inspire their children and the men around them to reach for more. How do you become a dad like that—even if your own dad wasn’t such a good example? In The Dad Difference, Bryan Loritts explores the four gifts every kid needs from their dad: relationship, integrity, teaching, and experiences. He walks you through what each of these mean and how to put them into practice. He also shares stories of fathers, including his own dad, who were examples of this to him. Full of biblical wisdom, simple truths, and practical advice, this book will empower you to become a dad who makes a difference in the lives of your children.

Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches from Growing

Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches from Growing PDF Author: Geoff Surratt
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310285305
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Based on interviews with pastors of growing churches, as well as personal experience, this book identifies the most common mistakes pastors make that keep otherwise healthy churches from reaping the harvest God has prepared. Each chapter spotlights a common mistake, gives real-life examples, uses a generous dose of humor, and provides a practical course of action to recover from the error. The book draws from the experience of Seacoast Church as well as pastors such as Craig Groeschel, Chris Hodges, Perry Nobel, Mark Batterson, Dave Ferguson, Scott Chapman, Dino Rizzo, Ron Hamilton, and Dave Browning, Church leaders will be encouraged to realize that they are not the only ones who struggle, and that turning their situation around may not be as daunting a task as they think. This is a field guide for the common pastor based on actual churches of all sizes.

Deep and Wide

Deep and Wide PDF Author: Andy Stanley
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 031052749X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
Create a church unchurched people absolutely love to attend. Deep and Wide provides church leaders with an in-depth look into North Point Community Church and its strategy for creating churches unchurched people absolutely love to attend. Now available in an expanded edition, this trusted resource has sold over 250,000 copies. In it, Andy Stanley explains: His strategy for preaching and programming to both mature believers and cynical unbelievers North Point's spiritual formation model: The Five Faith Catalysts Three essential ingredients for creating irresistible environments How to tackle the challenge of transitioning a local congregation If your team is more concerned with who you are reaching than who you are keeping, the expanded edition of Deep and Wide will be more than a book you read; it will be a resource you come back to over and over! New bonus content includes a study guide, church staff helps, and an interview with Andy on the most frequently asked questions about Deep and Wide.

They Like Jesus but Not the Church

They Like Jesus but Not the Church PDF Author: Dan Kimball
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310298547
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Many people today, especially among emerging generations, don’t resonate with the church and organized Christianity. Some are leaving the church and others were never part of the church in the first place. Sometimes it’s because of misperceptions about the church. Yet often they are still spiritually open and fascinated with Jesus. This is a ministry resource book exploring six of the most common objects and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church and Christianity. The objections come from conversations and interviews the church has had with unchurched twenty and thirty-somethings at coffee houses. Each chapter raises the objection using a conversational approach, provides the biblical answers to that objection, gives examples of how churches are addressing this objection, and concludes with follow-through projection suggestions, discussion questions, and resource listings.

Making Sense of God

Making Sense of God PDF Author: Timothy Keller
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0525954155
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.

The Third Option

The Third Option PDF Author: Miles McPherson
Publisher: Howard Books
ISBN: 1501172204
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Miles McPherson, founder of The Rock Church in San Diego, presents “a discussion about race that we desperately need...a must read” (Bishop T.D. Jakes, Senior Pastor, The Potter’s House) and argues that we must learn to see people not by the color of their skin, but as God sees them—humans created in the image of God. Pastor Miles McPherson, senior pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego, addresses racial division, a topic many have shied away from, for fear of asking the wrong question or saying the wrong thing. Some are oblivious to the impact racism has, while others pretend it doesn’t exist. Even the church has been affected by racial division, with Sunday now being the most segregated day of each week. Christians, who are called to love and honor their neighbors, have fallen into culture’s trap by siding with one group against another: us vs. them. Cops vs. protestors. Blacks vs. whites. Racists vs. the “woke.” The lure of choosing one option over another threatens God’s plan for unity among His people. Instead of going along with the culture, Pastor Miles directs us to choose the Third Option: honoring the priceless value of God’s image in every person we meet. He exposes common misconceptions that keep people from engaging with those of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and identifies the privileges and pitfalls that we all face. The Third Option challenges us to fully embrace God’s creativity and beauty, as expressed in the diversity of His people. By following the steps and praying the prayers outlined in his book, Pastor Miles teaches us how we can all become leaders in unifying our communities, our churches, and the nation.

Worship across the Racial Divide

Worship across the Racial Divide PDF Author: Gerardo Marti
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199912165
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
Many scholars and church leaders believe that music and worship style are essential in stimulating diversity in congregations. Gerardo Marti draws on interviews with more than 170 congregational leaders and parishioners, as well as his experiences participating in worship services in a wide variety of Protestant, multiracial Southern Californian churches, to present this insightful study of the role of music in creating congregational diversity. Worship across the Racial Divide offers a surprising conclusion: that there is no single style of worship or music that determines the likelihood of achieving a multiracial church. Far more important are the complex of practices of the worshipping community in the production and absorption of music. Multiracial churches successfully diversify by stimulating unobtrusive means of interracial and interethnic relations; in fact, preparation for music apart from worship gatherings proves to be just as important as its performance during services. Marti shows that aside from and even in spite of the varying beliefs of attendees and church leaders, diversity happens because music and worship create practical spaces where cross-racial bonds are formed. This groundbreaking book sheds light on how race affects worship in multiracial churches. It will allow a new understanding of the dynamics of such churches, and provide crucial aid to church leaders for avoiding the pitfalls that inadvertently widen the racial divide.

Saving the Saved

Saving the Saved PDF Author: Bryan Loritts
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310344948
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
White-knuckling can never get you where you want to go. But grace can. You already know because you’ve tried: repeated attempts to earn God’s love and approval get you nowhere and leave you exhausted. When performance taints our relationship with him, the Christian life can turn into an unholy hustle. It was never meant to be like this. In Saving the Saved, Pastor Bryan Loritts reveals the astonishing truth that God doesn’t want your spiritual scorekeeping. He simply wants your surrender. The punchline of the gospel of Matthew is just that—a message of grace and performance-free love to do-good, try-harder Jews who thought they had to earn their way into God’s favor. It’s an ancient message, yet it can be a lifeline to us today as we live in a world of performance metrics. Just as Matthew wrote to the Jews in his gospel, we were never meant to flounder under the pressures and anxieties of show Christianity. Make no mistake: we are called to live in obedience, but Jesus wants us to save us from the illusion that our actions can ever earn God’s acceptance of us. In Pastor Bryan’s relevant, uncompromising style, Saving the Saved proclaims the good news that once the pressure is off to perform, we are free to abide. Beyond the man-made rules and the red tape, there is a God who knows you by name. Come and meet him as you’ve never known him before.