Becoming a Thinking Christian

Becoming a Thinking Christian PDF Author: John B. Cobb
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780687287529
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
This book challenges Christians to think. Committed lay Christians, says Cobb, are already theologians; he wants them to realize this and then to become good theologians. Laypersons are just as capable as professional theologians of intellectual hard work, but they no longer expect the church to ask this of them. Cobb discusses why it is important for Christians to think about their own beliefs and assumptions. He encourages readers to find and become conversation partners. He also suggests steps a Christian's thinking may take; sources the individual can draw on, including how professionals can help; and where this thinking may lead. Cobb asserts that if there is a renewal of thinking in the church, there will be church renewal. The goal is to focus and sharpen one's thinking so that it is one's own, and to apply that thinking to one's being and acting. Each chapter ends with a section "Doing Your Theology" which is a list of questions for reflection and discussion. Chapter titles include: On Becoming What You Are: A Theologian; Ethics and Theology; Shaping Up; Biblical Authority; Christians and Jews; Professionals: Help and Hindrance; Christian Counterattack; A Critique of Economics; A Critique of the University; An Afterword on Church Theology

Becoming a Thinking Christian

Becoming a Thinking Christian PDF Author: John B. Cobb
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780687287529
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 148

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book challenges Christians to think. Committed lay Christians, says Cobb, are already theologians; he wants them to realize this and then to become good theologians. Laypersons are just as capable as professional theologians of intellectual hard work, but they no longer expect the church to ask this of them. Cobb discusses why it is important for Christians to think about their own beliefs and assumptions. He encourages readers to find and become conversation partners. He also suggests steps a Christian's thinking may take; sources the individual can draw on, including how professionals can help; and where this thinking may lead. Cobb asserts that if there is a renewal of thinking in the church, there will be church renewal. The goal is to focus and sharpen one's thinking so that it is one's own, and to apply that thinking to one's being and acting. Each chapter ends with a section "Doing Your Theology" which is a list of questions for reflection and discussion. Chapter titles include: On Becoming What You Are: A Theologian; Ethics and Theology; Shaping Up; Biblical Authority; Christians and Jews; Professionals: Help and Hindrance; Christian Counterattack; A Critique of Economics; A Critique of the University; An Afterword on Church Theology

The Black-and-White Thinking Christian: Moving Beyond the 'All Or Nothing' Mindset to Become Like Christ

The Black-and-White Thinking Christian: Moving Beyond the 'All Or Nothing' Mindset to Become Like Christ PDF Author: Fred Jacoby Ma
Publisher: Fred Jacoby
ISBN: 9781734031201
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
Black-and-white thinking is a common form of thinking with individuals. All or nothing. Good or bad. Right or wrong. With black-and-white thinking, there is rarely any middle ground or gray area. While many people see this as a negative pattern of thinking, there is reason to see black-and-white thinking as reflecting God, who presents himself as being black-and-white in the Old Testament. Created in His Image, many reflect God's black and white thinking in their interpretations, perspectives, and speech. Yet God is also relational, as emphasized in the New Testament. The Black-and-White Thinking Christian is a resource for black and white thinkers (BWTs) and those who are in relationship with them. This book helps the reader see black and white thinking through a biblical lens and offers practical wisdom for marriage, emotions, and daily living.

After You Believe

After You Believe PDF Author: N. T. Wright
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061730556
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
From the author of the acclaimed Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope comes a book that addresses the question that has plagued humans for centuries—what is our purpose? As Christians, what are we to do with that ambiguous time between baptism and the funeral? It's easy to become preoccupied with who gets into heaven; the real challenge is how we are going to live in the here and now. Wright dispels the common misconception that Christian living is nothing more than a checklist of dos and don'ts. Nor is it a prescription to "follow your heart" wherever it may lead. Instead, After You Believe reveals the Bible's call for a revolution—a transformation of character that takes us beyond our earthly pursuit of money, sex, and power into a virtuous state of living that allows us to reflect God and live more worshipful, fulfilling lives. We are all spiritual seekers, intuitively knowing there is more to life than we suspect. This is a book for anyone who is hoping there is something more while we're here on Earth. There is. We are being called to join the revolution, and Wright insightfully encourages readers to find new purpose and clarity by taking us on an eye-opening journey through key biblical passages that promise to radically alter the work of the church and the direction of our lives.

Become a Better You

Become a Better You PDF Author: Joel Osteen
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743296923
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 401

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Book Description
Explains how to apply seven action steps to discover individual purpose and destiny, in a guide complemented by biblical principles, devotions, and personal testimonies.

Being Good

Being Good PDF Author: Michael W. Austin
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 0802865658
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
This volume offers a fresh, timely, practical look at eleven key Christian virtues: faith, open-mindedness, wisdom, zeal, hope, contentment, courage, love, compassion, forgiveness, and humility. Writing from a distinctively Christian perspective, the authors thoughtfully explore and explain these select virtues, seeking to nurture readers in lifelong character growth and to promote the centrality of the virtues to the Christian faith. Grouped under the headings Faith, Hope, and Love, the chapters each conclude with questions for further reflection. Contributors: Michael W. Austin Jason Baehr Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung R. Douglas Geivett David A. Horner William C. Mattison III Paul K. Moser Andrew Pinsent Steve L. Porter James S. Spiegel Charles Taliaferro David R. Turner.

Becoming Christian

Becoming Christian PDF Author: Dennis Austin Britton
Publisher: Fordham Univ Press
ISBN: 0823257169
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Becoming Christian argues that romance narratives of Jews and Muslims converting to Christianity register theological formations of race in post-Reformation England. The medieval motif of infidel conversion came under scrutiny as Protestant theology radically reconfigured how individuals acquire religious identities. Whereas Catholicism had asserted that Christian identity begins with baptism, numerous theologians in the Church of England denied the necessity of baptism and instead treated Christian identity as a racial characteristic passed from parents to their children. The church thereby developed a theology that both transformed a nation into a Christian race and created skepticism about the possibility of conversion. Race became a matter of salvation and damnation. Britton intervenes in critical debates about the intersections of race and religion, as well as in discussions of the social implications of romance. Examining English translations of Calvin, treatises on the sacraments, catechisms, and sermons alongside works by Edmund Spenser, John Harrington, William Shakespeare, John Fletcher, and Phillip Massinger, Becoming Christian demonstrates how a theology of race altered a nation’s imagination and literary landscape.

The Christian Athlete

The Christian Athlete PDF Author: Brian Smith
Publisher: David C Cook
ISBN: 0830783261
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 229

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Book Description
The Christian Athlete is a gospel-centered guide that assists athletes who identify as Christians and are seeking to understand how to practically apply their faith to their sport. Athletes desire—and deserve—a more substantive expression of the Christian faith in the context of sport, but they don’t know what it looks like or where to turn to learn more. Author Brian Smith shares his story as an athlete and coach, and his experience working with high-level athletes in the last decade to help readers better understand how to integrate faith and sport by: Assisting those who want a wide-angled understanding of how to live the Christian faith in the context of sports Walking through the many questions Christian athletes ask about winning, losing, injuries, practice, and everything in between Moving Christian athletes from simply having clichéd spiritual sayings decorating their bodies or t-shirts to actually living out their faith through all the opportunities their sport offers them The Christian Athlete will show readers how to live out a biblical perspective on athletics and urge them to engage in the gifts they are given to glorify God whether they are the team MVP or riding the bench.

Being Christian

Being Christian PDF Author: Rowan Williams
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 1467442305
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description
In this simple, beautifully written book Rowan Williams explores four essential components of the Christian life: baptism, Bible, Eucharist, and prayer. Despite huge differences in Christian thinking and practice both today and in past centuries, he says, these four basic elements have remained constant and indispensable for the majority of those who call themselves Christians. In accessible, pastoral terms Williams discusses the meaning and practice of baptism, the Bible, the Eucharist, and prayer, inviting readers to really think through the Christian faith and how to live it out. Questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter help readers to dig deeper and apply Williams's insights to their own lives.

The Wise Advocate

The Wise Advocate PDF Author: Art Kleiner
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 023154586X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Leadership is the habit of making good choices. Even in difficult and uncertain circumstances, the most effective leaders focus their attention and overcome entrenched patterns of behavior to push an organization to new heights of success. This capability is no fluke: the latest research on the brain shows that we can pinpoint the mental activity associated with it—and cultivate it for our benefit. In this book, Art Kleiner, a strategy expert; Jeffrey Schwartz, a research psychiatrist; and Josie Thomson, an executive coach, give a transformative explanation of how cutting-edge neuroscience can help business leaders set a course toward better management. Mapping the functions of a manager onto established patterns of mental activity, they identify crucial brain circuits and their parallels in organizational culture. Strategic leaders, they show, play the role of wise advocates: able to go beyond day-to-day transactional behavior to a longer-term, broader perspective that articulates their organization’s deeper purpose. True leaders can play this influencer role in an organization because they have cultivated similar self-reflective habits in their own minds. Providing a powerful guide to decision strategies and their consequences, The Wise Advocate helps managers find their own inner voice and then make that voice ring out loud and clear, with a four-step program for practice and catalytic implications for management strategy, executive education, and business results.

True Spirituality

True Spirituality PDF Author: Chip Ingram
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1476727635
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
A launching pad for your spiritual journey, this inspiring book provides clear, specific, and practical guidelines for becoming a Christian who lives like Christ. Christians today live in a world that is activity heavy and relationship light. The result is spiritual emptiness. We struggle to know what God wants from us and for us . . . and we’re unsure what a real relationship with God really looks like. But that was never God’s idea. HIS idea of faith is not about rules or religion— it’s about relationship. That’s where God tells us to start. In Romans 12, God gives us a clear picture of what Christians should look like at the root level. If you’re ready to move from “in” to “all in,” then you’re ready to become a Romans 12 Christian. The next steps of your journey toward true spirituality start here.