Search results for ""Christian Faith""

Creeds and confessions throughout Christian history provide a unique vantage point from which to study the Christian faith. To this end, Donald Fairbairn and Ryan Reeves construct a story that captures both the central importance of creeds and confessions over the centuries and their unrealized potential to introduce readers to the overall sweep of church history. The book features texts of classic creeds and confessions as well as informational sidebars.

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If you are new to the Christian faith, these Bible reading notes will help you to develop a daily habit of spending time with God.Inside you will find over fifty daily readings, written to help you engage with God's Word, spend time in prayer, and discover some foundational truths of the Bible and how to apply them to your daily life.Prepare to be encouraged, challenged and inspired!

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In THE PRODIGAL GOD, New York pastor Timothy Keller uses the story of the prodigal son to shine a light on the central, beautiful message of Jesus: the gospel of grace, hope and salvation.Keller argues that the parable of the prodigal son, while Jesus' best-known parable, is also his least understood. He introduces the reader to all the characters in this timeless story, showing that it concerns not just a wayward son, but also a judgemental older brother and, most importantly, a loving father. In this challenging and inspiring book, Timothy Keller invites both faithful believers and curious outsiders to come to a new and totally life-changing understanding of the central message of the Christian faith.

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At the end of his landmark 1994 book, The Soul of the American University, historian George Marsden asserted that religious faith does indeed have a place in today’s academia. Marsden’s contention sparked a heated debate on the role of religious faith and intellectual scholarship in academic journals and in the mainstream media. The contributors to Confessing History: Explorations in Christian Faith and the Historian’s Vocation expand the discussion about religion’s role in education and culture and examine what the relationship between faith and learning means for the academy today. The contributors to Confessing History ask how the vocation of historian affects those who are also followers of Christ. What implications do Christian faith and practice have for living out one’s calling as an historian? And to what extent does one’s calling as a Christian disciple speak to the nature, quality, or goals of one’s work as scholar, teacher, adviser, writer, community member, or social commentator? Written from several different theological and professional points of view, the essays collected in this volume explore the vocation of the historian and its place in both the personal and professional lives of Christian disciples.

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Christians often talk about claiming our cities for Christ and the need to address urban concerns. But according to Eric Jacobsen, this discussion has remained far too abstract. Sidewalks in the Kingdom challenges Christians to gain an informed vision for the physical layout and structure of the city. Jacobsen emphasizes the need to preserve the nourishing characteristics of traditional city life, including shared public spaces, thriving neighborhoods, and a well-supported local economy. He explains how urban settings create unexpected and natural opportunities to initiate friendship and share faith in Christ. Helpful features include a glossary, a bibliography, and a description of New Urbanism. Pastors, city-dwellers, and those interested in urban ministry and development will be encouraged by Sidewalks in the Kingdom.

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How Atheists rely on urban myths about religion to buttress their case against God. God, and the whole business of being dependent upon him, is being downgraded, downsized, downplayed, and most of all, just plain dismissed in the modern, cultured, educated parts of Europe and in academia. This process is powered and driven by a whole, growing series of interlocked urban myths about what is supposed to be involved in being a religious (and often specifically Christian) believer. This book examines and critiques those myths, showing how the Christian faith can be intelligent and supported by reason.

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GIVE THEM JESUS aims to help parents not simply add to their children's stockpile of knowledge, but to cultivate children-disciples who are able to display Christ-likeness in every situation. Parents are the ones primarily responsible for opening up the Scriptures to help their children understand God, the world, and themselves. The family is the divinely appointed discipleship program; the home is first and foremost a place of worship. The introduction of the book discusses the four vital components of family worship: teach, treasure, sing, and pray, and offers practical suggestions for beginning and prioritizing family worship in the rough and tumble of life. Subsequent chapters guide parents to a deeper understanding of the core truths of the historic Christian faith, as summarized in the Apostles' Creed, arming them with appropriate language, helpful illustrations, and relevant object lessons, so that in the end they will be better prepared to pass these truths on to their children. Each chapter concludes with a family worship guide, which includes: 1) family memory verses, 2) nuggets of truth from the chapter, 3) questions for family discussion, 4) songs that celebrate the truths of the Creed, and 5) prayer prompts. GIVE THEM JESUS equips parents to prepare their children to leave home and go out into the world as faithful participants in the great gospel story. "Never stop telling the gospel story to your kids," Thornton says. "Give your children Jesus. Again. And again. And again. And you'll see them walk in the truth."

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Not so long ago it would have been fair to say that the Catholic Church and the Catholic faith determined human life and social existence, more or less unquestioned, in Flanders and in a large part of Western Europe. The Catholic faith community in Flanders today, however, is struggling with the fact that the transmission of the Christian tradition has been flagging in recent years. This has not only led to diminished faith engagement and a massive decline in church attendance, it has also had its effects in the cultural domain: culture has become de-traditionalised; 'traditional' Christian culture is worn out. Even convinced Christians are having problems reflecting on the plausibility of their faith, precisely because of the chasm that has opened up between faith and culture. The author of the present study argues that every new context challenges the Christian tradition to recontextualise its presentation of meaning and purpose in a cogent and credible fashion. Christians today do themselves a disservice when they withdraw into a world of absolute self-justification. At the same time, however, the author avoids any form of appeal for an extensive adaptation to the postmodern context. Only a new dialogue between tradition and culture, respectful of (and indeed thanks to) the growing division between both, can claim to offer a future. In the first part of the book the author provides a pithy description of the vicissitudes of the Christian tradition in modernity and postmodernity. Against this background, he attempts to clarify the situation in which the Christian tradition finds itself today. The second part of the book is devoted to an analysis of the actual context with a view to establishing points of intersection on the basis of which the dialogue between faith and culture may be revivified. The third part of the book endeavours to provide this dialogue with concrete form. The reader is introduced to a challenging image of Jesus, an image that is contextual and theologically motivated, prior to being invited by the author into a reopened reflection on God. The volume concludes by drawing renewed attention to the place of the Christian faith in relation to the other world religions. The results of Boeve's study reveal that Christians do indeed have the capacity to reflect on their faith in a credible and relevant manner in relation to the actual context in which they find themselves and without relapsing into the extremes of traditionalism or relativism. Lieven Boeve is professor of Fundamental Theology at the Faculty of Theology, K.U.Leuven (Belgium). He is also co-ordinator of the research group Theology in a postmodern context.

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'I recommend Streams of Living Water everywhere I go. My own personal copy is dog-eared, underlined and annotated by hand. Anyone with a heart for Christian unity should read and celebrate the message of this book. I consider it to be a seminal title for our time' - Pete GreigIn this landmark work, Richard Foster examines the 'streams of living water' - the six dimensions of faith and practice - that have defined Christian tradition around the world and down the centuries. In this inspiring book he looks at: - the Contemplative tradition - or the prayer-filled life- the Holiness tradition - or the virtuous life- the Charismatic tradition - or the Spirit-empowered life- the Social Justice tradition - or the compassionate life- the Evangelical tradition - or the word-centred life- the Incarnational tradition - or the sacramental lifeFoster's celebration of the spiritual life incorporates history's most significant Christian figures and movements and argues for a rich, well-rounded faith, free of constricting labels.'A book that will make you adore God' - Dallas Willard

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A Rational Defense of the Christian Faith and a Critique of Presuppositional Apologetics.Must a person accept Christianity on faith alone, or is there a reasoned defense for being a Christian? The authors of this book hold that Christianity is eminently reasonable. The primacy of the mind in the Christian faith can be affirmed without denying the importance of the heart. This book embraces reason without rationalism, personal love without personalism, faith without fideism is our capacity to love Him. The book is divided into three parts. Section I is a prolegomenon dealing with the problems and methods of apologetics. Section II develops the theistic proofs and authority of Scripture. Section III is given over to a critique of presuppositionalism in apologetics, particularly with reference to the thought of Cornelius Van Til. Classical Apologetics will help the thoughtful Christian understand his or her faith better, and it will provide more solid grounds for sharing this faith with others.

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Questions! Questions! Questions! Children are full of them. Where did I come from? What is God like? Is there only one God? The Big Book of Questions and Answers is a family guide to the Christian Faith. It contains a wealth of activities, prayers, and Bible references. These interactive resources will bring families closer together as they learn about the Christian faith.

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Do Christianity and modern liberal democracy share a common moral vision, or are they opposed and even hostile to each other? In Christian Faith and Modern Democracy, Robert Kraynak challenges the commonly accepted view that Christianity is inherently compatible with modern democratic society. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Kraynak argues that there is no necessary connection between Christianity and any form of government and that, in many important respects, Christianity is weakened by its close alliance with contemporary versions of democracy and human rights. Christian Faith and Modern Democracy was written, in part, to convince secular intellectuals that modern democracy needs God. But it was also written in response to the new consensus about politics that has emerged among Christian believers. Almost all churches and theologians now think that the form of government most compatible with Christianity is democracy and that the historic opposition of the Christian tradition to democracy and to various forms of liberalism was a mistake. What caused Christians to change their view of political authority and to embrace liberal democracy? Were they wise to change their view? This provocative book attempts to answer these questions by reexamining the relationship between democracy and Christianity through the lens of St. Augustine’s distinction between the city of God and the earthly city, applied to the conditions of the modern age. Kraynak argues that St. Augustine’s teaching provides the basis for a Christian theory of constitutional government and permits a variety of legitimate forms of government, including constitutional democracy. Yet, unlike contemporary Christian doctrines, it does so without embracing the subversive premises of liberalism that have threatened to turn the Christian faith into little more than a mirror image of the modern world. Sure to spark controversy among secular intellectuals and Christian believers alike, this insightful volume is an outstanding work of political philosophy with a firm foundation in theology.

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Will strengthen your personal faith by demonstrating the reliability of both the Word of God and the person of Jesus Christ. Provides clear, concise, evangelistic tools to help you share that faith with others.

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The last decade has seen dramatic advances in artificial intelligence and robotics technology, raising tough questions that need to be addressed. The Robot Will See You Now considers how Christians can respond to these issues – and flourish – in the years ahead. Contributions from a number of international experts, including editors John Wyatt and Stephen Williams, explore a range of social and ethical issues raised by recent advances in AI and robotics. Considering the role of artificial intelligence in areas such as medicine, employment and security, the book looks at how AI is perceived as well as its actual impact on human interactions and relationships. Alongside are theological responses from an orthodox Christian perspective. Looking at how artificial intelligence and robotics may be considered in the light of Christian doctrine, The Robot Will See You Now offers a measured, thoughtful view on how Christians can understand and prepare for the challenges posted by the development of AI. This is a book for anyone who is interested in learning more about how AI and robots have advanced in recent years, and anyone who has wondered how Christian teaching relates to artificial intelligence. Whatever your level of technical knowledge, The Robot Will See You Now will give you a thorough understanding of AI and equip you to respond to the challenges it poses with confidence and faith.

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Conjoined twins dilemma... Suicide of terminally ill patient... Designer baby transplant success... Woman gives birth at sixty-six... Rarely are human dilemmas out of the news. And what medical science can do and ought to do - or ought not to do - impinges on our personal lives, families and societies. John Wyatt examines the issues surrounding the beginning and end of life against the background of current medical-ethical thought. Writing out of a deep conviction that the Bible's view of our humanness points a way forward, he suggests how Christian healthcare professionals, churches and individuals can respond to today's challenges and opportunities

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A comprehensive and contemporary statement of classic Reformed faithA New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith expresses a fully biblical Reformed faith, showing its enduring appeal, coherence, and truthfulness. This standard of Reformed theology is saturated with Scripture, performing more exegesis and quoting more Scripture than other one-volume theologies and always encouraging the reader to measure theological assertions by the ultimate standard of Scripture itself. The result is theology that is God-centered.Other important features include: A truly systematic theology: comprehensive--covering all the main teachings of Scripture; coherent--showing how these teachings interrelate; contextual--relating biblical teachings to current issues; and conversational--engaging biblical, historical, and contemporary points of view Distinctively biblical perspectives on matters such as a presuppositional approaches to Scripture, the use of traditional arguments for God's existence, the description and classification of God's attributes, the view of the Trinity freed from medieval embellishments; and much more Upholds classic Calvinist positions on baptism, the Trinity, church government, and much more Interacts with contemporary issues, the work of other theologians, and important contemporary theological documents, including Catechism of the Catholic Church and "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" Terms from biblical languages appear in Hebrew or Greek and in transliteration, allowing English-only readers full access. Numerous appendices covering special topics Abundant resources for further study through footnotes, and a carefully compiled theological bibliography The book captures the author's warmth and sensitivity born of more than twenty-five years as a professor at leading Reformed seminaries Theology students, preachers, teachers, and professional theologians alike will benefit from A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, finding it to be a rich resource for study and reference as they seek to understand and communicate about God and his ways.

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The Middle Way is the practical principle of avoiding both positive and negative absolutes, so as to develop provisional beliefs accessible to experience. Although inspired initially by the Buddha’s Middle Way, in Middle Way Philosophy Robert M. Ellis has developed it as a critical universalism: a way of separating the helpful from the unhelpful elements of any tradition. In this book, the Middle Way is applied to the Christian tradition in order to argue for a meaningful and positive interpretation of it, without the absolute beliefs that many assume to be essential to Christianity. Faith as an embodied, provisional confidence is distinguished from dogmatic belief. Recent developments in embodied meaning, brain lateralization from neuroscience, Jungian archetypes and the Jungian model of psychological integration are drawn on to support an account of how Christian faith is not only possible without `belief’ in God or Christ, but indeed puts us in a better position to access inspiration, moral purpose, responsibility and the basis of peace.

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An introduction to the Bible, its contents, and its message through the explanation of keywords to inform and expand understanding. Find out about who wrote the Bible, the books and range of writing styles, and the structure of the Bible. Discover the meaning of key terms such as testament, prophets and apostle. Provides a quick and accessible reference to the story of the Jewish people and the fulfilment of the prophecies through Jesus. The Keywords series is written and designed to support children develop good reference skills through asking questions and clearly identifying key terms, so that the information needed is quickly found on a page. Facts are presented in easy-to-read bite-size explanations with visuals. Includes contents page, index and glossary for children to access the information and definitions, expand vocabulary and engage with the topic.

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Those looking for a single resource that collects clear teachings on the most important doctrines of Christianity need look no further than Gregg Allison's 50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith. This volume covers foundational doctrines of the nature and works of God, the Bible, God's created beings, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, and the end times. And each chapter features clear guidance for how to teach and apply the doctrine today. Pastors, Sunday school teachers, and lay students of theology will find this an indispensable resource for understanding and teaching Christian theology.

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Surely faith is irrational? And hasn’t science buried God? Isn’t faith a psychological crutch or sociological construct? Don’t you need evidence? Wasn’t Jesus just another myth? Can we really believe the miracle stories? How do we know that the accounts of Jesus weren’t just made up? Hasn’t the Bible been distorted? Did Jesus really claim to be God? Did the resurrection actually happen? And what has it got to do with us anyway? The Christian faith may seem attractive, but is it true? … And what if it is true? Could our desires actually be a pointer to the God who really is there and desires to be known by us?

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Accompanying all the new studies of the life of Jesus has been the question of Jesus' identity. Was he anything more than a human creature? A key issue in this debate is the claim of Jesus' pre-existence as the divine, uncreated Son of God before his incarnation on earth. Doug McCready provides a thorough survey of the doctrine, covering New Testament teaching, Jewish and Hellenistic background and historical development. He carefully weighs the evidence and engages the arguments for and against the orthodox Christian conviction of Christ's pre-existence. Drawing on expert scholarship McCready makes this important subject of debate accessible to students and other non-experts who want to know the evidence and arguments for this central doctrine of Christian faith. This book will be especially useful as a supplementary text for theology courses on Christology or in biblical studies courses on the New Testament witness to Jesus Christ.

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From the beginning, the gospel has been understood and articulated in terms borrowed from the cultural context in which it finds itself. For the largest part of the church's history, the prevailing context has worked with a static vision of humanity and the world. Theology and philosophy perpetuated this static worldview. This was both legitimate and necessary as long as the culture was shaped by such a worldview. Since the advent of modernity, however, this is no longer the case. The advent of science and technology has seen the static view of things give way to an understanding of ourselves and our world as dynamic entities. This has made the traditional understanding of faith increasingly untenable. One might say that the gospel has become the prisoner of its previous embodiments. The church's determination to hold on to established forms, and with them the traditional understanding of humanity and the world, has led to its increasing alienation from the prevailing culture, especially in the West. For many in our society, the church's language has become increasingly incomprehensible and its message increasingly untenable. In this book, the author argues that the church's attachment to a static worldview is the fundamental cause of the current crisis, especially as this is manifest in western Europe. He provides a detailed discussion of the European context and analyzes the main features of the traditional, static understanding of faith and its roots in classical culture. He then examines the contemporary crisis of faith and offers a critical evaluation of attempts at 'restoration'. Finally, he proposes a vision of the way forward for the church as it struggles to come to terms with the modern worldview.

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Praise for We Make the Road by Walking: 'innovative and refreshing' - Christianity magazineIn his 2014 book We Make the Road by Walking Brian McLaren gave a basic orientation on what it means to be 'a new kind of Christian' through 52 sermons, working within the framework of the church year and providing a Genesis-Revelation overview of the Bible. It was designed to be used in church services and small groups, and was praised by New Testament scholar Paula Gooder and enthusiastically adopted by many. Seeking Aliveness is a repurposing of this material for use by individuals, breaking up the text into daily devotions, along with the original suggested Bible readings and with a prayer, thought or action point for each day. Brian's original writing is transformed beautifully into a daily read, for admirers of the original book as well as a new audience. 'An ideal resource' - Church Times

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The "Great Commission," which Jesus gave to his disciples according to Matthew 28:19-20, is seen in Christianity as the origin of the mission and the practice of baptism in the church. This text has undergone a great deal of intensive exegesis. In the last 300 years in particular, it was the basis for the missionary work done by many Western churches in all parts of the world, and apart from its significance for the motivation and validation of religious mission, this text was also used as a means of strengthening colonial ideas and interests in developing countries. This volume deals with aspects of the early Christian mission. The articles, which were presented originally at a symposium which took place from 30 September to 1 October 2014, cover problem areas in New Testament exegesis (Gospels, Acts, Paul and Deutero-Pauline letters) as well as in church history (referring to traditions of mission in Africa and Asia), and together they provide an introduction into possible interpretations and perspectives that emerge when reading selected literature attentively.

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‘An incredible resource, earthed in academic rigour but packed to the gills with useful exercises that have been honed by reality and experience.’ Black Theology Commended as essential reading by reviewers, this insightful guide shows how Black theology makes a difference to Christian thought and practice. Full of Bible studies and practical exercises, here is a stimulating resource that encourages a new awareness of ourselves and others. This timely new edition includes a new afterword on the Black Lives Matter movement, and the difference it is making in the struggle for a society where we are all equally accepted and respected as God's children. ‘Forges the wisdom of Black theology into a powerful tool for change – not just to the way we think but to how we live.’ Elaine Graham, Research Professor of Practical Theology, University of Chester ‘Theological institutions, ordinary people, preachers, worship leaders and house group facilitators should wrestle with this little volume.’ Methodist Recorder

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From the Stories of Faith and Fame series - the stories of men and women who went all over the world with their Christian faith. The story of John G. Paton is one of the world's most famous missionary stories. From Scotland to the remote islands of the New Hebrides, always living dangerously, J.G. Paton was a great prophet of the Christian faith.

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This book winsomely explores the significance of theology and the Christian faith for the practice of psychology. The authors demonstrate how psychology and the Christian faith can be brought together in a mutually enriching lived practice, helping students engage in psychology in a theologically informed way. Each chapter includes introductory takeaways, questions for reflection and discussion, and resources for further study and reading.

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Olive explores Obama's controversies, anti-war stance, the Christian faith and his racially-charged remarks.

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This book speaks to contemporary people on the classic themes of Christian faith.

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Shepherd ' s Notes: Christian Classics Series is designed to give readers a quick, step-by-step overview of some of the enduring treasures of the Christian faith. Each volume is designed to be used alongside the classic itself -- either in individual study or in a study group. Shepherd's Notes gives pastors, laypersons, and students quick, concise, and easy-to-understand access to many treasured classic writings of the Christian faith.

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