Reimagining Discipleship

Reimagining Discipleship PDF Author: Robert Cotton
Publisher: SPCK
ISBN: 0281067201
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Get Book Here

Book Description
Following an encounter with an African bishop - who believed all who lived in his diocese (and not only congregations and clergy) should be loved and cared for - Robert Cotton became convinced that Christian disciples in this country need to be assured that they have something vital to communicate to the well-being of their local communities. We are all, to some extent, 'vicars' - vicarious disciples who cannot help but influence those around us. Indeed, it may be beneficial to think of ourselves as public actors for the faith, housed in a theatre of meaning, the Church, and putting on a divine play for which there is an eager audience. The audience may consist of people of other faiths or none: the author encourages us to have confidence in a theology that does not limit salvation to those inside the Church; he believes that we can come close to the presence of God in active engagement with people of goodwill. And, of course, as Christians it behoves us to respond to others' agendas and concerns with generosity and grace. This gentle, beautifully written volume packs quite a punch. Taken seriously, it will revitalize our personal and corporate vision of Christian living as, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we seek to bring light and joy to the cities, towns and villages in which we live.

Reimagining Discipleship

Reimagining Discipleship PDF Author: Robert Cotton
Publisher: SPCK
ISBN: 0281067201
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Get Book Here

Book Description
Following an encounter with an African bishop - who believed all who lived in his diocese (and not only congregations and clergy) should be loved and cared for - Robert Cotton became convinced that Christian disciples in this country need to be assured that they have something vital to communicate to the well-being of their local communities. We are all, to some extent, 'vicars' - vicarious disciples who cannot help but influence those around us. Indeed, it may be beneficial to think of ourselves as public actors for the faith, housed in a theatre of meaning, the Church, and putting on a divine play for which there is an eager audience. The audience may consist of people of other faiths or none: the author encourages us to have confidence in a theology that does not limit salvation to those inside the Church; he believes that we can come close to the presence of God in active engagement with people of goodwill. And, of course, as Christians it behoves us to respond to others' agendas and concerns with generosity and grace. This gentle, beautifully written volume packs quite a punch. Taken seriously, it will revitalize our personal and corporate vision of Christian living as, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we seek to bring light and joy to the cities, towns and villages in which we live.

Watershed Discipleship

Watershed Discipleship PDF Author: Ched Myers
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498280765
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 249

Get Book Here

Book Description
This collection introduces and explores "watershed discipleship" as a critical, contextual, and constructive approach to ecological theology and practice, and features emerging voices from a generation that has grown up under the shadow of climate catastrophe. Watershed Discipleship is a "triple entendre" that recognizes we are in a watershed historical moment of crisis, focuses on our intrinsically bioregional locus as followers of Jesus, and urges us to become disciples of our watersheds. Bibliographic framing essays by Myers trace his journey into a bioregionalist Christian faith and practice and offer reflections on incarnational theology, hermeneutics, and ecclesiology. The essays feature more than a dozen activists, educators, and practitioners under the age of forty, whose work and witness attest to a growing movement of resistance and reimagination across North America. This anthology overviews the bioregional paradigm and its theological and political significance for local sustainability, restorative justice, and spiritual renewal. Contributors reread both biblical texts and churchly practices (such as mission, baptism, and liturgy) through the lens of "re-place-ment." Herein is a comprehensive and engaged call for a "Transition church" that can help turn our history around toward environmental resiliency and social justice, by passionate advocates on the front lines of watershed discipleship. CONTRIBUTORS: Sasha Adkins, Jay Beck, Tevyn East, Erinn Fahey, Katarina Friesen, Matt Humphrey, Vickie Machado, Jonathan McRay, Sarah Nolan, Reyna Ortega, Dave Pritchett, Erynn Smith, Sarah Thompson, Lydia Wylie-Kellermann

The Buzz About the Church

The Buzz About the Church PDF Author: Matthew Thomas
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1512793531
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 105

Get Book Here

Book Description
Imagine making fully committed disciples of Jesus by both looking at the template of Jesus in scripture and a hive of honeybees. The sacred process of Jesus can be found in both creation and scripture. Journey with me to explore the sacred practice of discipleship through the metaphor of beekeeping. What we will discover are connections we never imagined existed. The same God who created the world is the One who showed up in it through Jesus Christ. The process the Creator used to mature life is the same process Jesus used to make mature followers. The biblical story of Sampson and the lion will be our guide and the riddle we will uncover as we journey to discover what is Strong and Sweet?

Becoming Friends of Time

Becoming Friends of Time PDF Author: John Swinton
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481309356
Category : Disabilities
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Time is central to all that humans do. Time structures days, provides goals, shapes dreams--and limits lives. Time appears to be tangible, real, and progressive, but, in the end, time proves illusory. Though mercurial, time can be deadly for those with disabilities. To participate fully in human society has come to mean yielding to the criterion of the clock. The absence of thinking rapidly, living punctually, and biographical narration leaves persons with disabilities vulnerable. A worldview driven by the demands the clock makes on the lives of those with dementia or profound neurological and intellectual disabilities seems pointless. And yet, Jesus comes to the world to transform time. Jesus calls us to slow down, take time, and learn to recognize the strangeness of living within God's time. He calls us to be gentle, patient, kind; to walk slowly and timefully with those whom society desires to leave behind. In Becoming Friends of Time, John Swinton crafts a theology of time that draws us toward a perspective wherein time is a gift and a calling. Time is not a commodity nor is time to be mastered. Time is a gift of God to humans, but is also a gift given back to God by humans. Swinton wrestles with critical questions that emerge from theological reflection on time and disability: rethinking doctrine for those who can never grasp Jesus with their intellects; reimagining discipleship and vocation for those who have forgotten who Jesus is; reconsidering salvation for those who, due to neurological damage, can be one person at one time and then be someone else in an instant. In the end, Swinton invites the reader to spend time with the experiences of people with profound neurological disability, people who can change our perceptions of time, enable us to grasp the fruitful rhythms of God's time, and help us learn to live in ways that are unimaginable within the boundaries of the time of the clock.

Go

Go PDF Author: Preston Sprinkle
Publisher: NavPress
ISBN: 1631466119
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Get Book Here

Book Description
Disciple-making is a passion of many, as it should be. It is, after all, our great commission. But much of contemporary discipleship is informed by instinct, and as such it is vulnerable to the whims and trends of the broader culture, which can take us further away from our biblical model and mandate. Drawing on a 2015 Barna Group study of the state of discipleship in the United States commissioned by The Navigators, bestselling author Preston Sprinkle provides a holistic, biblical response for discipleship, providing accessible tools for all those who are engaged in making Christ-followers in the 21st century. Sprinkle points pastors, church leaders, and frankly, all Christ-followers, to a discipleship that is responsive to this most current research and accountable to the model of Jesus and his earliest followers, who counted making disciples as their most important work. In an extremely practical fashion, Go helps us to discern, from the Scriptures and from exemplary disciple-making ministries, what discipleship is and is not, what it has become and what it can still be.

Reimagining Evangelism

Reimagining Evangelism PDF Author: Rick Richardson
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 145875619X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Get Book Here

Book Description
Sometimes talking about Jesus with your friends can feel like trying to close a deal on a sales call, pushing something on people they may not really want. But what if you thought of it more like inviting them on a spiritual journey? Imagine being free to be yourself and free for the Spirit to work in you. Imagine that it doesn't depend on you a...

Reimagining Spiritual Formation

Reimagining Spiritual Formation PDF Author: Doug Pagitt
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 9780310256878
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Get Book Here

Book Description
While there are many books that tell the "stories" about churches and church life, this work takes the rarely traveled path of looking directly into the lives of church members, focusing on the process of spiritual formation in each.

With

With PDF Author: Skye Jethani
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1595553800
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 223

Get Book Here

Book Description
With explores the narrative of the Bible to show that we were created to be with God, and that restoring this connection is his mission. Instead of life over, under, from, or even for God, what leads us into freedom and restoration is life with God. Why are American Christians, who have more access to biblical teaching than any other people in history, failing to experience the freedom of the Christian life? Why are pastors, those closest to the work and ministry, burning out at an alarming rate? Why do many church members, who give large amounts of their time and wealth to Christ and his kingdom, secretly question the legitimacy of their efforts? And why are spiritual seekers dismissing the validity of the Christian message? Is it possible we’ve misunderstood the call of the Christian life? A life lived in rich communion with God cultivates faith, hope, and love in a way that transforms both us and the broken world we inhabit. In With, you’ll find: illustrations of concepts in the book to aid understanding; recommendations for how to practice communion with God, including three helpful practices; and a discussion guide for use when continuing the conversation with others in small groups. Endorsements: If we've grown weary of Christianity, if we find most any local church uninspiring, maybe the problem lies not in the Christian faith or these faithful bodies, but in our own disgruntled hearts. In With, Skye Jethani tenderly unmasks the clichéd posturing that too often masquerades as genuine communion with Christ. More importantly, he takes readers to the humble place they must occupy--in prayer, studying Scripture, with the Church--if faith, hope, and love are to truly mark our lives. -James H. Gilmore, author, The Experience Economy It doesn’t matter, as old theologians were rumored to argue, how many angels can dance on a pinhead. But it does matter which preposition governs your faith--over, after, against, for, from, under, with. Who knew what huge worlds turn on such tiny words? Who knew what theological riches were laced into the bones of grammar? Skye has done a great service to the church. In prose elegant and clear, with insights keen and deep, he shows how everything changes with just one word: With. It’s a book I want my whole church to read. -Mark Buchanan, author of Spiritual Rhythm Who knew that a preposition had so much influence? Skye's book will challenge the way that you think about God and faith, digging deep into our motivations and heart issues. You can't read this book and not see yourself and others differently! -Margaret Feinberg, author of Scouting the Divine and Hungry for God

Being Interrupted

Being Interrupted PDF Author: Al Barrett
Publisher: SCM Press
ISBN: 0334058627
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Get Book Here

Book Description
Beginning with a ‘Street Nativity Play’ that didn’t end as planned, and finishing with an open-ended conversation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Being Interrupted" locates an institutionally-anxious Church of England within the wider contexts of divisions of race and class in ‘the ruins of empire’, alongside ongoing gender inequalities, the marginalization of children, and catastrophic ecological breakdown. In the midst of this bleak picture, Al Barrett and Ruth Harley open a door to a creative disruption of the status quo, ‘from the outside, in’: the in-breaking of the wild reality of the ‘Kin-dom’ of God. Through careful and unsettling readings in Mark’s gospel, alongside stories from a multicultural outer estate in east Birmingham, they paint a vivid picture of an 'alternative economy' for the Church's life and mission, which begins with transformative encounters with neighbours and strangers at the edges of our churches, our neighbourhoods and our imaginations, and offers new possibilities for repentance and resurrection.

The King Jesus Gospel

The King Jesus Gospel PDF Author: Scot McKnight
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310492998
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Get Book Here

Book Description
Contemporary evangelicals have built a "salvation culture" but not a "gospel culture." Evangelicals have reduced the gospel to the message of personal salvation. This book makes a plea for us to recover the old gospel as that which is still new and still fresh. The book stands on four arguments: that the gospel is defined by the apostles in 1 Corinthians 15 as the completion of the Story of Israel in the saving Story of Jesus; that the gospel is found in the Four Gospels; that the gospel was preached by Jesus; and that the sermons in the Book of Acts are the best example of gospeling in the New Testament. The King Jesus Gospel ends with practical suggestions about evangelism and about building a gospel culture.