Author: Paul David Tripp
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433535858
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
After traveling the globe and speaking to thousands of churches worldwide, Paul David Tripp has discovered a serious problem within pastoral culture. He is not only concerned about the spiritual life of the pastor, but also with the very community of people that trains him, calls him, relates to him, and restores him if necessary. Dangerous Calling reveals the truth that the culture surrounding our pastors is spiritually unhealthy—an environment that actively undermines the wellbeing and efficacy of our church leaders and thus the entire church body. Here is a book that both diagnoses and offers cures for issues that impact every member and church leader, and gives solid strategies for fighting the all-important war that rages in our churches today.
Dangerous Calling
Author: Paul David Tripp
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433535858
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
After traveling the globe and speaking to thousands of churches worldwide, Paul David Tripp has discovered a serious problem within pastoral culture. He is not only concerned about the spiritual life of the pastor, but also with the very community of people that trains him, calls him, relates to him, and restores him if necessary. Dangerous Calling reveals the truth that the culture surrounding our pastors is spiritually unhealthy—an environment that actively undermines the wellbeing and efficacy of our church leaders and thus the entire church body. Here is a book that both diagnoses and offers cures for issues that impact every member and church leader, and gives solid strategies for fighting the all-important war that rages in our churches today.
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433535858
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
After traveling the globe and speaking to thousands of churches worldwide, Paul David Tripp has discovered a serious problem within pastoral culture. He is not only concerned about the spiritual life of the pastor, but also with the very community of people that trains him, calls him, relates to him, and restores him if necessary. Dangerous Calling reveals the truth that the culture surrounding our pastors is spiritually unhealthy—an environment that actively undermines the wellbeing and efficacy of our church leaders and thus the entire church body. Here is a book that both diagnoses and offers cures for issues that impact every member and church leader, and gives solid strategies for fighting the all-important war that rages in our churches today.
Dangerous Prayers
Author: Craig Groeschel
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310343135
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193
Book Description
Be inspired to pray boldly, pray powerfully, pray with passion, and trade ineffective prayers and lukewarm faith for raw, daring prayers that will transform your daily life. Do you ever wonder if God answers your prayers? Do you wish you could see the evidence that prayer changes lives? Do you long for more than playing it safe in your faith? Join New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel as he helps you discover the power of authentically communicating with God, breaking out of the restrictive spiritual safety bubble, and expanding your ideas about what's possible with God. The Bible tells us that prayer has the power to move God's heart, but some prayers move him more than others. He wants more for us than a tepid faith and half-hearted routines at the dinner table. God called you to a life of courage, not comfort. In Dangerous Prayers, Groeschel will show you how to pray the prayers that search your soul, break your habits, and send you out to pursue the calling God has for you. But be warned: If you're fine with settling for what's easy, or if you're okay with staying on the sidelines, this book isn't for you. You'll be challenged. You'll be tested. You'll be moved to take a long, hard look at your heart. But you'll be inspired, too. Dangerous Prayers will give you the encouragement and tools you need to: Transform the patterns around your daily prayer life Truly embrace and believe in the power of intentional prayer Start to pray daring, faith-filled, God-honoring, life-changing, world-transforming prayers You'll discover the secret to overcoming fears of loss, rejection, failure, and the unknown, and you'll welcome the blessings God has for you on the other side. But best of all, you'll gain the courage it takes to pray dangerous prayers.
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310343135
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193
Book Description
Be inspired to pray boldly, pray powerfully, pray with passion, and trade ineffective prayers and lukewarm faith for raw, daring prayers that will transform your daily life. Do you ever wonder if God answers your prayers? Do you wish you could see the evidence that prayer changes lives? Do you long for more than playing it safe in your faith? Join New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel as he helps you discover the power of authentically communicating with God, breaking out of the restrictive spiritual safety bubble, and expanding your ideas about what's possible with God. The Bible tells us that prayer has the power to move God's heart, but some prayers move him more than others. He wants more for us than a tepid faith and half-hearted routines at the dinner table. God called you to a life of courage, not comfort. In Dangerous Prayers, Groeschel will show you how to pray the prayers that search your soul, break your habits, and send you out to pursue the calling God has for you. But be warned: If you're fine with settling for what's easy, or if you're okay with staying on the sidelines, this book isn't for you. You'll be challenged. You'll be tested. You'll be moved to take a long, hard look at your heart. But you'll be inspired, too. Dangerous Prayers will give you the encouragement and tools you need to: Transform the patterns around your daily prayer life Truly embrace and believe in the power of intentional prayer Start to pray daring, faith-filled, God-honoring, life-changing, world-transforming prayers You'll discover the secret to overcoming fears of loss, rejection, failure, and the unknown, and you'll welcome the blessings God has for you on the other side. But best of all, you'll gain the courage it takes to pray dangerous prayers.
How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon
Author: Frank A. Thomas
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1501856847
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 186
Book Description
Learn to use four characteristics of "preaching with moral imagination" to proclaim freedom for all. The author describes the four characteristics using examples like Robert F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,Prathia Hall, and the Moral Monday Movement, along with musicians and other artists of today. Moral imagination helps the hearer to see what they cannot see, to hear what they cannot hear--to inhabit the lives of others, so that they can embody Christ and true freedom for those others. This book equips and empowers preachers to transcend their basic skills and techniques, so that their proclamation of the Word causes actual turnaround in the hearts and lives of their hearers, and in their communities. "Frank Thomas has written a passionate summons: amid the current destructive chaos of our society there is an urgent need for moral imagination. Such imagination is the antithesis of “diabolic” and “idolatrous” imagination that is all to the fore in our public discourse and practice. Thomas fleshes out “moral imagination” with close reflection on the practice of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Before he finishes Thomas shows how the urgency of “moral imagination” belongs peculiarly to the work of the preacher. This book is a welcome call for gospel-grounded courage and truth about the neighbor issued in a way that refuses the self-serving fakery that dominates our public life." --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary "Timely and prophetic, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon presents a homiletic essential for our churches today. Thomas insists that it is up to the preacher to recapture and reclaim the moral imagination of our nation so that the Gospel’s message of freedom is true for all people. With attention to specific figures whose witness models the qualities and characteristics of moral imagination, Thomas inspires the preacher toward powerful proclamation that both challenges and critiques any speech that subjugates or subordinates. How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon is must read for preachers to recover and reimagine the leadership role of the church for the sake of justice for all." --Karoline M. Lewis, Associate Professor of Biblical Preaching and the Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary; author of She: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry. "In this lucid and compelling book, Frank Thomas plumbs the depths of American moral rhetoric for insights that will help preachers. How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon provides new and dramatic ways in which the moral imagination in a democratic society can be nurtured by visionary, empathic, wise, and artistic preachers."--John S. McClure, Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship, Vanderbilt Divinity School "Warning: Preachers, if you are comfortable with the status quo of white privilege, patriarchy, hetero-normativity, and classism, do not read this book. If you are comfortable with sermon series that reduce the gospel to self-help acronyms, don’t read this book. But if you have the courage to look honestly at our landscape and bring the moral imagination of the Christian tradition to bear on it, open these pages and your sermons may never be the same again. But then again neither will the church--or the world--be the same anymore, if enough of us follow Thomas’s advice." --O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1501856847
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 186
Book Description
Learn to use four characteristics of "preaching with moral imagination" to proclaim freedom for all. The author describes the four characteristics using examples like Robert F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,Prathia Hall, and the Moral Monday Movement, along with musicians and other artists of today. Moral imagination helps the hearer to see what they cannot see, to hear what they cannot hear--to inhabit the lives of others, so that they can embody Christ and true freedom for those others. This book equips and empowers preachers to transcend their basic skills and techniques, so that their proclamation of the Word causes actual turnaround in the hearts and lives of their hearers, and in their communities. "Frank Thomas has written a passionate summons: amid the current destructive chaos of our society there is an urgent need for moral imagination. Such imagination is the antithesis of “diabolic” and “idolatrous” imagination that is all to the fore in our public discourse and practice. Thomas fleshes out “moral imagination” with close reflection on the practice of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Before he finishes Thomas shows how the urgency of “moral imagination” belongs peculiarly to the work of the preacher. This book is a welcome call for gospel-grounded courage and truth about the neighbor issued in a way that refuses the self-serving fakery that dominates our public life." --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary "Timely and prophetic, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon presents a homiletic essential for our churches today. Thomas insists that it is up to the preacher to recapture and reclaim the moral imagination of our nation so that the Gospel’s message of freedom is true for all people. With attention to specific figures whose witness models the qualities and characteristics of moral imagination, Thomas inspires the preacher toward powerful proclamation that both challenges and critiques any speech that subjugates or subordinates. How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon is must read for preachers to recover and reimagine the leadership role of the church for the sake of justice for all." --Karoline M. Lewis, Associate Professor of Biblical Preaching and the Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary; author of She: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry. "In this lucid and compelling book, Frank Thomas plumbs the depths of American moral rhetoric for insights that will help preachers. How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon provides new and dramatic ways in which the moral imagination in a democratic society can be nurtured by visionary, empathic, wise, and artistic preachers."--John S. McClure, Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship, Vanderbilt Divinity School "Warning: Preachers, if you are comfortable with the status quo of white privilege, patriarchy, hetero-normativity, and classism, do not read this book. If you are comfortable with sermon series that reduce the gospel to self-help acronyms, don’t read this book. But if you have the courage to look honestly at our landscape and bring the moral imagination of the Christian tradition to bear on it, open these pages and your sermons may never be the same again. But then again neither will the church--or the world--be the same anymore, if enough of us follow Thomas’s advice." --O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
The God of the Dangerous Sermon
Author: Frank A. Thomas
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1791020232
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Book Description
Learn to engage with a dangerous God, to preach the sermons your community needs today. Every sermon has a theology, and a god of that theology behind it. Preaching is more effective, and has more integrity when preachers understand the god behind their theology. Specifically, whether the god is a universal God, like the one expressed by Christ and the Christian faith, or a tribal god, which is sometimes dressed up to resemble Christianity but is something else entirely. Frank A. Thomas culminates his exploration of the Dangerous Sermon with this book, which leads readers through the process of identifying and understanding the gods behind theology, and their connection to preaching. The reader is equipped to discern the metaphors, symbols, and rhetorical indicators which point to the god a preacher is serving and calling others to serve. Praise for The God of the Dangerous Sermon Enlightening, vibrant, and memorable. A vital resource for anyone who seeks to preach substantive sermons. –Donyelle McCray, Associate Professor of Homiletics, Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT With dexterous and definitive argument, Thomas compels preachers to be accountable for the God behind their rhetoric. –Karoline M. Lewis, Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Professor of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN The God of the Dangerous Sermon and its two companion books will raise up the next wave of preachers who simultaneously nurture faith communities and bear witness to the God of justice we know in the face of Jesus Christ. –Gregory V. Palmer, Resident Bishop of the Ohio West Episcopal Area, United Methodist Church Warning to all preachers: Do not open this book by Frank Thomas unless you are ready to be changed. No one else lays out the promise and perils of preaching with such clarity and compassion. I know I do not live up to the call of the God of the Dangerous sermon every single Sunday, but Frank Thomas sure makes me want to. Great teachers and preachers will do that. –Lillian Daniel, senior pastor of First Congregational Church in Dubuque, IA; author of Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don’t Belong To In God of the Dangerous Sermon, Frank Thomas refines his theoretical vision of celebration in African American preaching and demonstrates how and why theological content is at the heart of his project. For Thomas, celebration is rhetorical theology made possible because of the actions and character of a God whose divine performance consists of healing the brokenhearted, liberating the oppressed, and refusing to be tribal. A legend in his time, this is Thomas at the height of his native genius and creative powers. –Kenyatta R. Gilbert, professor of homiletics, Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, DC; author of Exodus Preaching: Crafting Sermons about Justice and Hope from Abingdon Press
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1791020232
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 132
Book Description
Learn to engage with a dangerous God, to preach the sermons your community needs today. Every sermon has a theology, and a god of that theology behind it. Preaching is more effective, and has more integrity when preachers understand the god behind their theology. Specifically, whether the god is a universal God, like the one expressed by Christ and the Christian faith, or a tribal god, which is sometimes dressed up to resemble Christianity but is something else entirely. Frank A. Thomas culminates his exploration of the Dangerous Sermon with this book, which leads readers through the process of identifying and understanding the gods behind theology, and their connection to preaching. The reader is equipped to discern the metaphors, symbols, and rhetorical indicators which point to the god a preacher is serving and calling others to serve. Praise for The God of the Dangerous Sermon Enlightening, vibrant, and memorable. A vital resource for anyone who seeks to preach substantive sermons. –Donyelle McCray, Associate Professor of Homiletics, Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT With dexterous and definitive argument, Thomas compels preachers to be accountable for the God behind their rhetoric. –Karoline M. Lewis, Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Professor of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN The God of the Dangerous Sermon and its two companion books will raise up the next wave of preachers who simultaneously nurture faith communities and bear witness to the God of justice we know in the face of Jesus Christ. –Gregory V. Palmer, Resident Bishop of the Ohio West Episcopal Area, United Methodist Church Warning to all preachers: Do not open this book by Frank Thomas unless you are ready to be changed. No one else lays out the promise and perils of preaching with such clarity and compassion. I know I do not live up to the call of the God of the Dangerous sermon every single Sunday, but Frank Thomas sure makes me want to. Great teachers and preachers will do that. –Lillian Daniel, senior pastor of First Congregational Church in Dubuque, IA; author of Tired of Apologizing for a Church I Don’t Belong To In God of the Dangerous Sermon, Frank Thomas refines his theoretical vision of celebration in African American preaching and demonstrates how and why theological content is at the heart of his project. For Thomas, celebration is rhetorical theology made possible because of the actions and character of a God whose divine performance consists of healing the brokenhearted, liberating the oppressed, and refusing to be tribal. A legend in his time, this is Thomas at the height of his native genius and creative powers. –Kenyatta R. Gilbert, professor of homiletics, Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, DC; author of Exodus Preaching: Crafting Sermons about Justice and Hope from Abingdon Press
Surviving a Dangerous Sermon
Author: Frank A. Thomas
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1501896555
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
Preachers increasingly see the need for to deliver sermons that are "dangerous" in a variety of ways, the way they challenge hearers' comfort levels and challenge established powers and hierachies. Thomas helps readers understand those dangers—especially the forces of power and hierarchy that are so intrinsic in our everyday lives and in society as a whole. He teaches how to anticipate and navigate those forces, to open opportunities for dangerous preaching, and to mitigate negative impact on congregants, the preacher, and the preacher-congregation relationships. Surviving a Dangerous Sermon is a logical follow-up to Thomas's previous book, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon.It equips preachers to say what must be said, in a way that it is heard, so that the sermon has a chance to do its work on human hearts, without negative consequences.
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1501896555
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
Preachers increasingly see the need for to deliver sermons that are "dangerous" in a variety of ways, the way they challenge hearers' comfort levels and challenge established powers and hierachies. Thomas helps readers understand those dangers—especially the forces of power and hierarchy that are so intrinsic in our everyday lives and in society as a whole. He teaches how to anticipate and navigate those forces, to open opportunities for dangerous preaching, and to mitigate negative impact on congregants, the preacher, and the preacher-congregation relationships. Surviving a Dangerous Sermon is a logical follow-up to Thomas's previous book, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon.It equips preachers to say what must be said, in a way that it is heard, so that the sermon has a chance to do its work on human hearts, without negative consequences.
7 Truths That Changed the World (Reasons to Believe)
Author: Kenneth R. Samples
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441238506
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Ideas have consequences, sometimes far-reaching and world-changing. The Christian faith contains many volatile truths that challenged--and continue to challenge--the cultural and religious status quo of the world. This biblical, historical, and philosophical exploration of some of Christianity's most transformational ideas offers a unique look at how the world changed when Christ and his followers came on the scene. These ideas include the resurrection Jesus as God incarnate creation out of nothing the compatibility of faith and reason justification by grace through faith humankind in God's image the greater good of suffering Pastors, students, and thoughtful Christians will be strengthened to face contemporary challenges to these truths and will find the confidence to impact their world for Christ.
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441238506
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Ideas have consequences, sometimes far-reaching and world-changing. The Christian faith contains many volatile truths that challenged--and continue to challenge--the cultural and religious status quo of the world. This biblical, historical, and philosophical exploration of some of Christianity's most transformational ideas offers a unique look at how the world changed when Christ and his followers came on the scene. These ideas include the resurrection Jesus as God incarnate creation out of nothing the compatibility of faith and reason justification by grace through faith humankind in God's image the greater good of suffering Pastors, students, and thoughtful Christians will be strengthened to face contemporary challenges to these truths and will find the confidence to impact their world for Christ.
Winning the War in Your Mind
Author: Craig Groeschel
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310362733
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
MORE THAN 500,000 COPIES SOLD! Are your thoughts out of control--just like your life? Do you long to break free from the spiral of destructive thinking? Let God's truth become your battle plan to win the war in your mind! We've all tried to think our way out of bad habits and unhealthy thought patterns, only to find ourselves stuck with an out-of-control mind and off-track daily life. Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel understands deeply this daily battle against self-doubt and negative thinking, and in this powerful new book he reveals the strategies he's discovered to change your mind and your life for the long-term. Drawing upon Scripture and the latest findings of brain science, Groeschel lays out practical strategies that will free you from the grip of harmful, destructive thinking and enable you to live the life of joy and peace that God intends you to live. Winning the War in Your Mind will help you: Learn how your brain works and see how to rewire it Identify the lies your enemy wants you to believe Recognize and short-circuit your mental triggers for destructive thinking See how prayer and praise will transform your mind Develop practices that allow God's thoughts to become your thoughts God has something better for your life than your old ways of thinking. It's time to change your mind so God can change your life.
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310362733
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
MORE THAN 500,000 COPIES SOLD! Are your thoughts out of control--just like your life? Do you long to break free from the spiral of destructive thinking? Let God's truth become your battle plan to win the war in your mind! We've all tried to think our way out of bad habits and unhealthy thought patterns, only to find ourselves stuck with an out-of-control mind and off-track daily life. Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel understands deeply this daily battle against self-doubt and negative thinking, and in this powerful new book he reveals the strategies he's discovered to change your mind and your life for the long-term. Drawing upon Scripture and the latest findings of brain science, Groeschel lays out practical strategies that will free you from the grip of harmful, destructive thinking and enable you to live the life of joy and peace that God intends you to live. Winning the War in Your Mind will help you: Learn how your brain works and see how to rewire it Identify the lies your enemy wants you to believe Recognize and short-circuit your mental triggers for destructive thinking See how prayer and praise will transform your mind Develop practices that allow God's thoughts to become your thoughts God has something better for your life than your old ways of thinking. It's time to change your mind so God can change your life.
The Prayer of Protection
Author: Joseph Prince
Publisher: FaithWords
ISBN: 1455569119
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
In these days of danger, trouble, and evil, New York Times bestselling author Joseph Prince reveals how God's children can have round-the-clock protection through the power of prayer. The Prayer of Protection unveils the Bible's ultimate psalm of protection, Psalm 91, to help you understand more about how God guards His children. Joseph Prince offers simple keys and practical advice to finding and resting in the secret place of the Most High, where no evil can even come near you. You'll begin to live unafraid and with boldness as you allow the certainty of your heavenly Father's love and the sure promises of His Word to guard your heart against every fear. Come under the wings of the Almighty and live life divinely protected, positioned, and free from all fears with our covenant-keeping God!
Publisher: FaithWords
ISBN: 1455569119
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 196
Book Description
In these days of danger, trouble, and evil, New York Times bestselling author Joseph Prince reveals how God's children can have round-the-clock protection through the power of prayer. The Prayer of Protection unveils the Bible's ultimate psalm of protection, Psalm 91, to help you understand more about how God guards His children. Joseph Prince offers simple keys and practical advice to finding and resting in the secret place of the Most High, where no evil can even come near you. You'll begin to live unafraid and with boldness as you allow the certainty of your heavenly Father's love and the sure promises of His Word to guard your heart against every fear. Come under the wings of the Almighty and live life divinely protected, positioned, and free from all fears with our covenant-keeping God!
A Most Dangerous Book
Author: Christopher B. Krebs
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393062651
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
Traces the five-hundred year history and wide-ranging influence of the Roman historian's unflattering book about the ancient Germans that was eventually extolled by the Nazis as a bible.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393062651
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
Traces the five-hundred year history and wide-ranging influence of the Roman historian's unflattering book about the ancient Germans that was eventually extolled by the Nazis as a bible.
Some Mistakes of Moses
Author: Robert Green Ingersoll
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
There was a time when a falsehood, fulminated from the pulpit, smote like a sword; but, the supply having greatly exceeded the demand, clerical misrepresentation has at last become almost an innocent amusement. Remembering that only a few years ago men, women, and even children, were imprisoned, tortured and burned, for having expressed in an exceedingly mild and gentle way, the ideas entertained by me, I congratulate myself that calumny is now the pulpit's last resort. The old instruments of torture are kept only to gratify curiosity; the chains are rusting away, and the demolition of time has allowed even the dungeons of the Inquisition to be visited by light. The church, impotent and malicious, regrets, not the abuse, but the loss of her power, and seeks to hold by falsehood what she gained by cruelty and force, by fire and fear. Christianity cannot live in peace with any other form of faith. If that religion be true, there is but one savior, one inspired book, and but one little narrow grass-grown path that leads to heaven. Such a religion is necessarily uncompromising, unreasoning, aggressive and insolent. Christianity has held all other creeds and forms in infinite contempt, divided the world into enemies and friends, and verified the awful declaration of its founder -- a declaration that wet with blood the sword he came to bring, and made the horizon of a thousand years lurid with the fagots' flames.....Robert Green Ingersoll
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
There was a time when a falsehood, fulminated from the pulpit, smote like a sword; but, the supply having greatly exceeded the demand, clerical misrepresentation has at last become almost an innocent amusement. Remembering that only a few years ago men, women, and even children, were imprisoned, tortured and burned, for having expressed in an exceedingly mild and gentle way, the ideas entertained by me, I congratulate myself that calumny is now the pulpit's last resort. The old instruments of torture are kept only to gratify curiosity; the chains are rusting away, and the demolition of time has allowed even the dungeons of the Inquisition to be visited by light. The church, impotent and malicious, regrets, not the abuse, but the loss of her power, and seeks to hold by falsehood what she gained by cruelty and force, by fire and fear. Christianity cannot live in peace with any other form of faith. If that religion be true, there is but one savior, one inspired book, and but one little narrow grass-grown path that leads to heaven. Such a religion is necessarily uncompromising, unreasoning, aggressive and insolent. Christianity has held all other creeds and forms in infinite contempt, divided the world into enemies and friends, and verified the awful declaration of its founder -- a declaration that wet with blood the sword he came to bring, and made the horizon of a thousand years lurid with the fagots' flames.....Robert Green Ingersoll