Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life)

Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life) PDF Author: Scott Bader-Saye
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1585589403
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
Through politics, marketing, news programming, and popular culture we are taught to fear, often in ways that profit others. But what does all this fear do to our moral lives as it forms (or deforms) our character and our judgment? Drawing on Christian scripture and tradition, Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear articulates a response to fear that resists an ethic of security in favor of fostering an ethic of risk. The Christian virtues of hospitality, peacefulness, and generosity are presented as the way to defeat the counter-virtues of suspicion, preemption, and control. Pastors, students, and lay people will find this unique book both accessible and intriguing. EXCERPT Do not be afraid. We live in a time when this biblical refrain cannot be repeated too often. Both John Paul II in 1978 and his successor, Benedict XVI, in 2005 used these words to begin their papacies. Among all the things the church has to say to the world today, this may be the most important. No one has to be convinced that we live in fearful times, though we are not always sure what we should be afraid of and why. We suspect that our fears make us vulnerable to manipulation, but we find it hard to quell the fear long enough to analyze how it is being produced and directed for the benefit of others. One reason we are a more fearful culture today, despite the fact that the dangers are not objectively greater than in the past, is because some people have incentives and means to heighten, manipulate, and exploit our fears. Fear is a strong motivator, and so those who want and need to motivate others--politicians, advertisers, media executives, advocacy groups, even the church--turn to fear to bolster their message. I call this the "fear for profit" syndrome, and it is rampant. We have become preoccupied with unlikely dangers that take on the status of imminent threats, producing a culture where fear determines a disproportionate number of our personal and communal decisions. The sense of ever-increasing threats can overwhelm our ability to evaluate and respond proportionately to each new risk, thus we allow fear to overdetermine our actions.

Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life)

Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life) PDF Author: Scott Bader-Saye
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1585589403
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 176

Get Book Here

Book Description
Through politics, marketing, news programming, and popular culture we are taught to fear, often in ways that profit others. But what does all this fear do to our moral lives as it forms (or deforms) our character and our judgment? Drawing on Christian scripture and tradition, Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear articulates a response to fear that resists an ethic of security in favor of fostering an ethic of risk. The Christian virtues of hospitality, peacefulness, and generosity are presented as the way to defeat the counter-virtues of suspicion, preemption, and control. Pastors, students, and lay people will find this unique book both accessible and intriguing. EXCERPT Do not be afraid. We live in a time when this biblical refrain cannot be repeated too often. Both John Paul II in 1978 and his successor, Benedict XVI, in 2005 used these words to begin their papacies. Among all the things the church has to say to the world today, this may be the most important. No one has to be convinced that we live in fearful times, though we are not always sure what we should be afraid of and why. We suspect that our fears make us vulnerable to manipulation, but we find it hard to quell the fear long enough to analyze how it is being produced and directed for the benefit of others. One reason we are a more fearful culture today, despite the fact that the dangers are not objectively greater than in the past, is because some people have incentives and means to heighten, manipulate, and exploit our fears. Fear is a strong motivator, and so those who want and need to motivate others--politicians, advertisers, media executives, advocacy groups, even the church--turn to fear to bolster their message. I call this the "fear for profit" syndrome, and it is rampant. We have become preoccupied with unlikely dangers that take on the status of imminent threats, producing a culture where fear determines a disproportionate number of our personal and communal decisions. The sense of ever-increasing threats can overwhelm our ability to evaluate and respond proportionately to each new risk, thus we allow fear to overdetermine our actions.

Untamed Hospitality (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life)

Untamed Hospitality (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life) PDF Author: Elizabeth Newman
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1441202501
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Christian hospitality is more than a well-set table, pleasant conversation, or even inviting people into your home. Christian hospitality, according to Elizabeth Newman, is an extension of how we interact with God. It trains us to be capable of welcoming strangers who will challenge us and enhance our lives in unexpected ways, readying us to embrace the ultimate stranger: God. In Untamed Hospitality, Newman dispels the modern myths of hospitality as a superficial commodity that can be bought and sold at The Pottery Barn and restores it to its proper place within God's story, as displayed most fully in Jesus Christ. Worship, she says, is the believer's participation in divine hospitality, a hospitality that cannot be sequestered from our economic, political, or public lives. This in-depth study of true hospitality will be of interest to professors, students, and scholars looking for a fresh take on a timeless subject.

Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear

Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear PDF Author: Scott Bader-Saye
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1493427504
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Fear has taken on an outsized role in our current cultural and political context. Manufactured threats are advanced with little to no evidence of danger, while real threats are exaggerated for self-interested gain. This steady diet of fear produces unhealthy moral lives, leading many Christians to focus more on the dangers we wish to avoid than the goods we wish to pursue. As a fearful people, we are tempted to make safety our highest good and to make virtues of suspicion, preemption, and accumulation. But this leaves the church ill-equipped to welcome the stranger, love the enemy, or give to those in need. This timely resource brings together cultural analysis and theological insight to explore a Christian response to the culture of fear. Laying out a path from fear to faithfulness, theologian Scott Bader-Saye explores practices that embody Jesus's call to place our trust in him, inviting Christian communities to take the risks of hospitality, peacemaking, and generosity. This book has been revised throughout, updated to connect with today's readers, and includes new discussion questions.

Whom Shall I Fear?

Whom Shall I Fear? PDF Author: Rosalind C. Hughes
Publisher: Upper Room Books
ISBN: 0835819698
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
Churches are not immune to violence, as we have seen from shootings at houses of worship across the nation. The challenge for faith communities is how to respond to potential violence. Whom Shall I Fear? asks congregational leaders to examine whether their operational and security policies are consistent with gospel values. It raises common themes in approaches to church security and looks at them in the light of scripture. Whom Shall I Fear? provides thought-provoking reflections on topics such as locked doors, living faithfully in an unfaithful world, the question of armed security in a church setting, and the duty of Christians to extend hospitality to their neighbor. It includes stories from survivors of gun violence and wisdom on how churches can work to transform an anxious and fear-driven world. Whom Shall I Fear? helps the church thoughtfully wrestle with what it means to be a church of grace, welcome, and love when confronted with acts of cruelty, division, and hate.

Christianity, Democracy, and the Radical Ordinary

Christianity, Democracy, and the Radical Ordinary PDF Author: Romand Coles
Publisher: Lutterworth Press
ISBN: 0718842804
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
These essays reflect possibilities and practices of radical democracy and radical ecclesia that take form in the textures of relational care for the radical ordinary. Hauerwas and Coels point out political and theological imaginations beyond the political formations, which seems to be the declination and the production of death. The authors call us to a revolutionary politics of 'wild patience' that seeks transformation through attentive practices of listening, relationship-building, and a careful tending to places, common goods, and diverse possibilities for flourishing.

The 10-Second Rule

The 10-Second Rule PDF Author: Clare De Graaf
Publisher: Monarch Books
ISBN: 085721425X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
The 10-Second Rule empowers readers to take simple -baby steps- of obedience, as God directs them to do the next thing they are reasonably certain Jesus wants them to do ' and to do it quickly before they change their minds. The simple rule is this: Just do the next thing you're reasonably certain Jesus wants you to do-and do it within the next 10 seconds. This is a memorable, simple way to be attentive and courageously obedient to the voice of God. The power of this concept is in its simplicity-and yet it gets straight to the heart of what it means to actually follow Jesus. The 10-Second Rule relates stories of ordinary men and women who are living by The Rule and how it has shaped and transformed their lives. It also shares practical tips for discerning God's will, recognizing his voice, and studying Scripture. Living by The Rule is a call to rediscover the revolutionary power of the simple message of Jesus.

Christian Ethics

Christian Ethics PDF Author: David S. Cunningham
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134185057
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 414

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Book Description
A biblical, historical, philosophical and theological guide to the field of Christian ethics. Written in an accessible and animated style, this is the essential text for students of Ethics.

Following Jesus in a Digital Age

Following Jesus in a Digital Age PDF Author: Jason Thacker
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 1087754607
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 105

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Book Description
We were told technology would make our lives easier and more convenient, but technology just seems to have made it more complicated and confusing. As Christians, what does our faith have to do with these pressing issues of life in a digital age? In Following Jesus in a Digital Age, you will not only be challenged on how technology is shaping your walk with Christ, but you will also be equipped with biblical wisdom to navigate the most difficult aspects of our digital culture—including the rise of misinformation, conspiracy theories, social media, digital privacy, and polarization. God calls his people to step into the challenges of the digital age from a place of hope and discernment, grounded in His Word. How will you follow Him in the digital age?

Light to those in Darkness

Light to those in Darkness PDF Author: Charlie Bell
Publisher: SCM Press
ISBN: 0334064023
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 102

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Book Description
Now widely recognised within palliative care, the concept of ‘total pain’ is an intensely theological one at heart. In Light to those in Darkness clinician and theologian Dr Charlie Bell holds up the concept to theological scrutiny. Bell reflects on the ways that the doctrine of ‘the communion of saints’, might be used to help the church understand how it can address “total pain” within individuals, and collective trauma within the wider community. As such the book offers both an important theological reflection for those in pastoral care roles and a broader challenge to the church to become a place of solidarity and accompaniment.

When Women Give

When Women Give PDF Author: Kim King
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830890890
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
Women have much to give. But how do we become wise stewards? How do we choose efficient and effective organizations for our giving? How can we find others to join with us on the journey? Kim King uses her perspective as both a donor and a board member for several Christian nonprofits to give women practical advice for giving at any and every level.