Christians in Conversation

Christians in Conversation PDF Author: Alberto Rigolio
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190915471
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
This book addresses a particular and little-known form of writing, the prose dialogue, during the Late Antique period, when Christian authors adopted and transformed the dialogue form to suit the new needs of religious debate. Connected to, but departing from, the dialogues of Classical Antiquity, these new forms staged encounters between Christians and pagans, Jews, Manichaeans, and "heretical" fellow Christians. At times fiction, at others records of, or scripts for, actual debates, the dialogues give us a glimpse of Late Antique rhetoric as it was practiced and tell us about the theological arguments underpinning religious differences. By offering the first comprehensive analysis of Christian dialogues in Greek and Syriac from the earliest examples to the end of the sixth century CE, the present volume shows that Christian authors saw the dialogue form as a suitable vehicle for argument and apologetic in the context of religious controversy and argues that dialogues were intended as effective tools of opinion formation in Late Antique society. Most Christian dialogues are little studied, and often in isolation, but they vividly evoke the religious debates of the time and they embody the cultural conventions and refinements that Late Antique men and women expected from such debates.

Christians in Conversation

Christians in Conversation PDF Author: Alberto Rigolio
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190915471
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
This book addresses a particular and little-known form of writing, the prose dialogue, during the Late Antique period, when Christian authors adopted and transformed the dialogue form to suit the new needs of religious debate. Connected to, but departing from, the dialogues of Classical Antiquity, these new forms staged encounters between Christians and pagans, Jews, Manichaeans, and "heretical" fellow Christians. At times fiction, at others records of, or scripts for, actual debates, the dialogues give us a glimpse of Late Antique rhetoric as it was practiced and tell us about the theological arguments underpinning religious differences. By offering the first comprehensive analysis of Christian dialogues in Greek and Syriac from the earliest examples to the end of the sixth century CE, the present volume shows that Christian authors saw the dialogue form as a suitable vehicle for argument and apologetic in the context of religious controversy and argues that dialogues were intended as effective tools of opinion formation in Late Antique society. Most Christian dialogues are little studied, and often in isolation, but they vividly evoke the religious debates of the time and they embody the cultural conventions and refinements that Late Antique men and women expected from such debates.

Hearing God in Conversation

Hearing God in Conversation PDF Author: Sam Williamson
Publisher: Kregel Publications
ISBN: 0825444241
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Get Book

Book Description
"I picked it up out of curiosity and I couldn’t put it down."--Eugene Peterson Christians are comfortable saying that Christianity is about a relationship with God. Yet many might also say that they sense little meaningful relationship with God in their own lives. After all, the foundation of good relationship is communication—-but conversation with God often seems to go only one way. We may sing of walking and talking with God in the garden, His voice falling on our ears, but few have heard that beloved voice themselves. Sam Williamson acknowledges the fundamental human longing to hear God’s voice and offers a hopeful supposition: God is always speaking—-we’ve just never been taught how to recognize His voice. Williamson handles this potentially heady topic with his characteristic straightforwardness and leavening humor. This book deftly bridges the gap between solid biblical theology and practical application, addressing topics such as how to truly pray without ceasing, how to brainstorm with God, how to navigate our emotions, how to answer God’s questions, and how to hear God’s voice for others. Hearing God in Conversation offers simple, step-by-step lessons on how to hear God. Williamson begins with Scripture meditation. He then expands the practice of listening for that voice everywhere—in the checkout line, on the job, in a movie theater, and even in silence. From there, he demonstrates how to hear God’s guidance when making any decision. By the end, readers’ eyes and ears will be opened to the limitless methods through which God speaks.

The God Conversation

The God Conversation PDF Author: J. P. Moreland
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830891811
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 191

Get Book

Book Description
Think of it this way . . . Our beliefs are challenged from many directions. Every day it seems more difficult to explain to our friends, families, and neighbors what we believe and why. When our ideas and arguments fail to persuade them, what then? Is there another approach we can take? Veteran apologists and communicators J. P. Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff say that the best way to win over others is with a good story. Stories have the ability to get behind our preconceptions and defenses. They appeal to the whole person rather than just to the mind. This expanded edition includes new chapters and updated stories and illustrations throughout. In these pages the authors enhance the logic and evidence found in other books defending the faith with things that your friends, relatives, or coworkers will ponder long after a conversation is over. Here is sound, empathetic coaching for those of us who long to communicate our faith more effectively.

Speak the Truth

Speak the Truth PDF Author: Carmen LaBerge
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1621576523
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
Animosity, confrontation, confusion—from cable news right down to our kids' classrooms, Christians are waking up to a world very different from the one we once knew. We are quick to blame everyone else from Hollywood to Washington, but it is not the culture's fault God is sidelined. If God is missing from the conversation, then it is because His people have failed to represent Him there. Christians have been far too silent for far too long, retreating out of fear of offending someone or the unpleasantness of stepping outside our comfort zone. When Christians have spoken up, too often it has not been in ways that honor Jesus. We have inserted our own opinion, obscuring the beauty and truth of the Gospel in favor of our political, ideological, or personal agenda. It's time for us to embrace our calling as Christ's ambassadors. To do that, we must be equipped to engage the world in ways that bring the mind of Christ to bear on the matters of the day. Carmen LaBerge's Speak the Truth seeks to give believers the confidence to speak the truth and the tools to re-engage in the culture and address the problems we are facing today by boldly—and lovingly—bringing God back into every conversation

The End of White Christian America

The End of White Christian America PDF Author: Robert P. Jones
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501122290
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book

Book Description
"The founder and CEO of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and columnist for the Atlantic describes how white Protestant Christians have declined in influence and power since the 1990s and explores the effect this has had on America, "--NoveList.

Hope in Times of Fear

Hope in Times of Fear PDF Author: Timothy Keller
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0525560793
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Get Book

Book Description
The Resurrection accounts of Jesus in the Gospels are the most dramatic and impactful stories ever told. One similarity unites each testimony--that none of his most loyal and steadfast followers could "see" it was him, back from the dead. The reason for this is at the very foundation of the Christian faith. She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. (John 20:14) Hope in the Time of Fear is a book that unlocks the meaning of Jesus's resurrection for readers. Easter is considered the most solemn and important holiday for Christians. It is a time of spiritual rebirth and a time of celebrating the physical rebirth of Jesus after three days in the tomb. For his devoted followers, nothing could prepare them for the moment they met the resurrected Jesus. Each failed to recognize him. All of them physically saw him and yet did not spiritually truly see him. It was only when Jesus reached out and invited them to see who he truly was that their eyes were open. Here the central message of the Christian faith is revealed in a way only Timothy Keller could do it--filled with unshakable belief, piercing insight, and a profound new way to look at a story you think you know. After reading this book, the true meaning of Easter will no longer be unseen.

The Art of Hard Conversations

The Art of Hard Conversations PDF Author: Lori Stanley Roeleveld
Publisher: Kregel Publications
ISBN: 0825445558
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Get Book

Book Description
Your next conversation could impact someone's life forever Hard conversations challenge everyone. Some people make every effort to avoid them altogether; others dive in enthusiastically, damaging relationships in the process. A solid middle ground is difficult to find--especially for those who want to make sure they're following a biblical model for these tough encounters. Lori Roeleveld firmly believes that the dialogues everyday Christians delay are often the very channels God wants to use to deepen relationships and transform lives. And she is eager to address the challenges they pose and to guide readers to meaningful conversations that rely on the wisdom of the Bible rather than the world. In The Art of Hard Conversations, Roeleveld provides motivation, inspiration, and practical, readily applied skills to make those tricky talks more effective. Through funny, vulnerable personal stories, sound biblical teaching, and sections of tips and assignments to practice, the principles here are guaranteed to increase the confidence and competence of Christians in discussing sensitive topics of every kind.

Christians Against Christianity

Christians Against Christianity PDF Author: Obery M. Hendricks, Jr.
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807057401
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 234

Get Book

Book Description
A timely and galvanizing work that examines how right-wing evangelical Christians have veered from an admirable faith to a pernicious, destructive ideology. Today’s right-wing Evangelical Christianity stands as the very antithesis of the message of Jesus Christ. In his new book, Christians Against Christianity, best-selling author and religious scholar Obery M. Hendricks Jr. challenges right-wing evangelicals on the terrain of their own religious claims, exposing the falsehoods, contradictions, and misuses of the Bible that are embedded in their rabid homophobia, their poorly veiled racism and demonizing of immigrants and Muslims, and their ungodly alliance with big business against the interests of American workers. He scathingly indicts the religious leaders who helped facilitate the rise of the notoriously unchristian Donald Trump, likening them to the “court jesters” and hypocritical priestly sycophants of bygone eras who unquestioningly supported their sovereigns’ every act, no matter how hateful or destructive to those they were supposed to serve. In the wake of the deadly insurrectionist attack on the US Capitol, Christians Against Christianity is a clarion call to stand up to the hypocrisy of the evangelical Right, as well as a guide for Christians to return their faith to the life-affirming message that Jesus brought and died for. What Hendricks offers is a provocative diagnosis, an urgent warning that right-wing evangelicals’ aspirations for Christian nationalist supremacy are a looming threat, not only to Christian decency but to democracy itself. What they offer to America is anything but good news.

How the Body of Christ Talks

How the Body of Christ Talks PDF Author: C. Christopher Smith
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1493417053
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Get Book

Book Description
In today's highly charged social and political environment, we often don't know how to talk well with others--especially with people whose backgrounds differ from our own. C. Christopher Smith, coauthor of the critically acclaimed and influential Slow Church, addresses why conversation has become such a challenge in the 21st century and argues that it is perhaps the most-needed spiritual practice of our individualistic age. Smith likens practicing conversation to the working of the human body. Bodies are wondrous symphonies of diverse, intricate parts striving for our health, and our health suffers when these parts fail to converse effectively. Likewise, we must learn to converse effectively with those who differ from us in the body of Christ so we can embody Christ together in the world. In community, we learn what it means to belong to others and to a story that is bigger than ourselves. Smith shows how church communities can be training hubs where we learn to talk with and listen to one another with kindness and compassion. The book explores how churches can initiate and sustain conversation, offers advice for working through seasons of conflict, suggests spiritual practices and dispositions that can foster conversation, and features stories from several congregations that are learning to practice conversation.

Talking with Christians

Talking with Christians PDF Author: David Novak
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802828422
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Get Book

Book Description
This edition: - Uses the clear, easy-to-read Popular format - Contains a Concordance with approximately 1000 entry words and over 10,000 Bible references - Is beautifully bound in popular soft-tone leather - Has a flexible cover, with blind embossing - Has gilded page edges - Has a ribbon marker and head/tail bands - Has pagination to match TNIV Pew and Lectern Bibles, so it can be easily used in church TNIV is a thoroughly accurate, fully trustworthy Bible text built on the rich heritage of the NIV. It presents the fruit of the ongoing study of the same team of translators that were responsible for the original NIV. The uniqueness of TNIV rests in its ability to speak God's word clearly and accurately in English that has developed and changed over the last quarter century. The result is a Bible text that reflects the NIV but also clarifies and updates passages and words to provide a more timely, contemporary English rendition for a new generation of Bible readers. The royalty from every Hodder & Stoughton TNIV Bible that you buy helps to fund the International Bible Society's effort to translate and distribute Bibles to people in need around the world.