Empty Churches

Empty Churches PDF Author: James L. Heft S.M.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197529348
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Based in the idea that social phenomena are best studied through the lens of different disciplinary perspectives, Empty Churches studies the growing number of individuals who no longer affiliate with a religious tradition. Co-editors Jan Stets, a social psychologist, and James Heft, a historian of theology, bring together leading scholars in the fields of sociology, developmental psychology, gerontology, political science, history, philosophy, and pastoral theology. The scholars in this volume explore the phenomenon by drawing from each other's work to understand better the multi-faceted nature of non-affiliation today. They explore the complex impact that non-affiliation has on individuals and the wider society, and what the future looks like for religion in America. The book also features insightful perspectives from parents of young adults and interviews with pastors struggling with this issue who address how we might address this trend. Empty Churches provides a rich and thoughtful analysis on non- affiliation in American society from multiple scholarly perspectives. The increasing growth of non-affiliation threatens the vitality and long-term stability of religious institutions, and this book offers guidance on maintaining the commitment and community at the heart of these institutions.

Empty Churches

Empty Churches PDF Author: James L. Heft S.M.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197529348
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Get Book Here

Book Description
Based in the idea that social phenomena are best studied through the lens of different disciplinary perspectives, Empty Churches studies the growing number of individuals who no longer affiliate with a religious tradition. Co-editors Jan Stets, a social psychologist, and James Heft, a historian of theology, bring together leading scholars in the fields of sociology, developmental psychology, gerontology, political science, history, philosophy, and pastoral theology. The scholars in this volume explore the phenomenon by drawing from each other's work to understand better the multi-faceted nature of non-affiliation today. They explore the complex impact that non-affiliation has on individuals and the wider society, and what the future looks like for religion in America. The book also features insightful perspectives from parents of young adults and interviews with pastors struggling with this issue who address how we might address this trend. Empty Churches provides a rich and thoughtful analysis on non- affiliation in American society from multiple scholarly perspectives. The increasing growth of non-affiliation threatens the vitality and long-term stability of religious institutions, and this book offers guidance on maintaining the commitment and community at the heart of these institutions.

Empty Churches

Empty Churches PDF Author: Charles Josiah Galpin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Church attendance
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description


Empty Churches

Empty Churches PDF Author: James L. Heft
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0197529313
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
"Born out of the view that social phenomena are best studied through the lens of different disciplinary perspectives, this book brings together leading scholars in the fields of sociology, developmental psychology, gerontology, political science, history, philosophy, and pastoral theology to study the growing number of individuals who no longer affiliate with a religion tradition. The scholars not only explore this phenomenon from their respective academic disciplines, but they also turn to each other's work to understand better the multi-faceted nature of non-affiliation today. The data gathered shows that it is best not to use the common expression "Nones" to describe non-affiliates because many of them still believe though they may not belong. The scholars explore the complex impact that non-affiliation has on individuals and the wider society, and what the future looks like for religion in America. Later in the book, there are insightful perspectives from professionals in the field who address how we might address non-affiliation, particularly among young adults. In general, this book provides a rich and thoughtful analysis on non-affiliation in American society from multiple scholarly perspectives. The increasing upward trend in non-affiliation threatens the vitality and long-term stability of religious institutions. Both the opening and closing pages of the book remind the reader that at the heart of religious affiliation is commitment and community, which may be the essence of maintaining these religious institutions"--

The Empty Church

The Empty Church PDF Author: Thomas Reeves
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 9780684836072
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
At a time when Americans are searching for spiritual and moral renewal, millions of parishioners are abandoning the churches that once embodied the very values they seek. "The Empty Church" offers the first cogent explanation of why his has occurred--and tells what can be done about it.

Empty the Pews

Empty the Pews PDF Author: Chrissy Stroop
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781946093073
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Simple Church

Simple Church PDF Author: Thom S. Rainer
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 0805447997
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Now in paperback, this multi-awarded national best seller shares a clear message from case studies of 400 North American congregations: church is done best when it's kept simple.

Socialist Churches

Socialist Churches PDF Author: Catriona Kelly
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 150175758X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 435

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Book Description
In Russia, legislation on the separation of church and state in early 1918 marginalized religious faith and raised pressing questions about what was to be done with church buildings. While associated with suspect beliefs, they were also regarded as structures with potential practical uses, and some were considered works of art. This engaging study draws on religious anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, and history to explore the fate of these "socialist churches," showing how attitudes and practices related to them were shaped both by laws on the preservation of monuments and anti-religious measures. Advocates of preservation, while sincere in their desire to save the buildings, were indifferent, if not hostile, to their religious purpose. Believers, on the other hand, regarded preservation laws as irritants, except when they provided leverage for use of the buildings by church communities. The situation was eased by the growing rapprochement of the Orthodox Church and Soviet state organizations after 1943, but not fully resolved until the Soviet Union fell apart. Based on abundant archival documentation, Catriona Kelly's powerful narrative portrays the human tragedies and compromises, but also the remarkable achievements, of those who fought to preserve these important buildings over the course of seven decades of state atheism. Socialist Churches will appeal to specialists, students, and general readers interested in church history, the history of architecture, and Russian art, history, and cultural studies.

Churches That Heal

Churches That Heal PDF Author: Doug Murren
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451605056
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
Why should churches heal? Does your church touch the lives of broken people and bring healing to their hearts? How does a church become that healing force that glorifies God and impacts whole communities? In a desperately hurting world full of toxic relationships, crippled values, and mutilated morality, lives are crying out for real healing—not drug-induced solutions, not psychobabble Band-Aids, but authentic answers that heal the heart, soul, mind, and strength. Doug Murren, in this insightful, inspiring, and instructive book, reveals why and how you can become a healing force in your neighborhood, community, and the world.

England's Thousand Best Churches

England's Thousand Best Churches PDF Author: Simon Jenkins
Publisher: Penguin Global
ISBN: 9781846146640
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Simon Jenkins has travelled the length and breadth of England to select his thousand best churches. Organised by county, each church is described - often with delightful asides - and given a star-rating from one to five. All of the county sections are prefaced by a map locating each church, and lavishly illustrated with colour photos from the Country Life archive. Jenkins contends that these churches house a gallery of vernacular art without equal in the world. Here, he brings that museum to public attention.

Dear Church

Dear Church PDF Author: Lenny Duncan
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506452574
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make all the headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work--drawing a direct line between the church's lack of diversity and the church's lack of vitality. The problems the ELCA faces are theological, not sociological. But so are the answers. Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan's denomination and the broader mainline Christian community of faith. Dear Church rejects the narrative of church decline and calls everyone--leaders and laity alike--to the front lines of the church's renewal through racial equality and justice. It is time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward and urges us to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus. Dear Church also features a discussion guide at the back--perfect for church groups, book clubs, and other group discussion.