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 Free Download Church Planting in the Secular West : Learning from the European Experience By Stefan Paas 2016 | 260 Pages | ISBN: 1467446181 | EPUB | 1 MB An expert study of church planting in the most secular part of contemporary Europe In this book Stefan Paas offers thoughtful analysis of reasons and motives for missionary church planting in Europe, and he explores successful and unsuccessful strategies in that post-Christian secularized context. Drawing in part on his own involvement with planting two churches in the Netherlands, Paas explores confessional motives, growth motives, and innovation motives for church planting in Europe, tracing them back to different traditions and reflecting on them from theological and empirical perspectives. He presents examples from the European context and offers sound advice for improving existing missional practices. Paas also draws out lessons for North America in a chapter coauthored with Darrell Guder and John Franke. Finally, Paas weaves together the various threads in the book with a theological defense of church planting. Presenting new research as it does, this critical missiological perspective will add significantly to a fuller understanding of church planting in our contemporary context.  Free Download Christology in the New Testament By David L. Bartlett 2017 | 123 Pages | ISBN: 1426766351 | EPUB | 1 MB New Testament writers offer varied and persuasive pictures of Jesus that seek to draw people into faith. For David Bartlett, New Testament Christology is "not so much a set of doctrines as a variety of stories, songs and scriptural interpretations that help Christian believers and Christian churches follow the Jesus they read about, hear about, and praise." Early Christians framed and told stories, shared teachings, testified to encounters, found solutions to problems, acted out in faith and love, and sang songs about and to Jesus Christ- the resurrected one who represents and shares God's very self to repair and redeem a broken world. Baptized by John the Baptist. Embarrassingly crucified. Teacher and interpreter of Torah. Reformer. Messiah. Proclaimer and agent of a new Kingdom era. Lord above and beyond Caesar's empire. And most of all, a suffering, resurrected savior addressed through poetry, songs, stories, titles, and ongoing encounters with the community gathered by and in his name. Bartlett takes readers on a quick look journey through the New Testament writers' understanding of Jesus and his saving significance. In the process, he reminds Christians and those who would understand their founding documents that these differing, context-dependent portraits of Jesus are vehicles of a practical, living faith. They don't just say something, they do something, revealing an underlying conviction: somehow God was in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to God's very self (2 Corinthians 5:19).  Free Download Christianity On Trial : Arguments Against Anti-Religious Bigotry By Vincent Carroll; David Shiflett 2001 | 262 Pages | ISBN: 1893554155 | PDF | 1 MB In "Christianity on Trial," Vincent Carroll and David Shiflett do not shrink from confronting the tragedies that have been perpetrated throughout the ages in the name of Christianity. But they argue that the current indulgence of anti-Christian rhetoric in our culture not only involves bad taste, but tunnel vision and willful historical illiteracy as well. Carroll and Shiflett dispassionately consider the indictment of Christianity--specifically that it has justified racism and misogyny, encouraged ignorance, and promoted the despoliation of the environment and even justified genocide. Then, in a narrative whose intellectual elegance and verve calls up comparisons to "How the Irish Saved Civilization," they answer these charges, showing how in fact the Christian tradition has not only injected morality into our political order, but softened brutal practices and confining superstitions, created the foundation for intellectual inquiry, and created the compassionate! impulse. "Christianity on Trial" challenges readers of all beliefs--even those with a belief in disbelief itself--to question the anti-religious bigotry that thrives in our intellectual world and to reevaluate the role of Christianity not only as a source of consolation but of enlightenment and human liberation as well.  Free Download Christian Zionism : Navigating the Jewish-Christian Border By Faydra L. Shapiro; Brad H. Young 2015 | 192 Pages | ISBN: 162564292X | EPUB | 1 MB Christian Zionism has received no small amount of criticism from observers who take issue with the movement's pro-Israel politics or its theology. What if we listened seriously to what Christian Zionists and Jewish partners said about Jews, Judaism, and Israel? Christian Zionism is a vibrant contemporary movement that--agree or disagree--has more than just political implications. Christian Zionism has also brought an unprecedented number of Jews and Christians into contact and dialogue, in houses of worship, community centers, rallies, and, of course, in Israel. As such, Christian Zionism is a useful case that allows us to think about contemporary Jewish-Christian relations in new ways. While some would argue that this is really "just" about pro-Israel alliance building, Christian Zionism: Navigating the Jewish-Christian Border shows how this movement significantly engages basic questions of identity and the borders between Judaism and Christianity. Christian Zionism serves as one chapter in the history of two religious communities--and the fraught relationships between them--facing together the globalized world of the twenty-first century.  Free Download Christian Theologies of the Sacraments : A Comparative Introduction By Justin S. Holcomb; David A. Johnson 2017 | 400 Pages | ISBN: 0814724329 | EPUB | 1 MB Delves into the ancient debate regarding the nature and purpose of the seven sacraments What are the sacraments? For centuries, this question has elicited a lively discussion and among theologians, and a variety of answers that do anything but outline a unified belief concerning these fundamental ritual structures. In this extremely cohesive and well-crafted volume, a group of renowned scholars map the theologies of sacraments offered by key Christian figures from the Early Church through the twenty-first century. Together, they provide a guide to the variety of views about sacraments found throughout Christianity, showcasing the variety of approaches to understanding the sacraments across the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox faith traditions. Chapters explore the theologies of thinkers from Basil to Aquinas, Martin Luther to Gustavo Gutiérrez. Rather than attempting to distill their voices into a single view, the book addresses many of the questions that theologians have tackled over the two thousand year history of Christianity. In doing so, it paves the way for developing theologies of sacraments for present and future contexts. The text places each theology of the sacraments into its proper sociohistorical context, illuminating how the church has used the sacraments to define itself and its congregations over time. The definitive resource on theologies of the sacraments, this volume is a must-read for students, theologians, and spiritually interested readers alike.  Free Download Christian Morality : An Interdisciplinary Framework for Thinking about Contemporary Moral Issues By Geoffrey W. Sutton; Brandon Schmidly 2016 | 200 Pages | ISBN: 1498204767 | EPUB | 1 MB Should society care about Christian morality? Are Christians out of touch with complex moral decision-making? Christian Morality: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Thinking about Contemporary Moral Issues provides readers with a framework for identifying and applying Christian moral principles to divisive issues. First, readers learn of the theological and philosophical foundations of Christian ethics. Two additional chapters explain how personal and social factors influence our capacity to think critically and Christianly about morality. Second, readers will learn about forming Christian moral judgments by seeing how different thinkers address six contemporary moral issues: abortion, same-sex relationships, equal treatment of men and women in the workplace, sex education, and racial bias in incarceration polices.  Free Download Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear By Matthew Kaemingk; James K. A. Smith 2018 | 278 Pages | ISBN: 0802874584 | EPUB | 1 MB An alternative, uniquely Christian response to the growing global challenges of deep religious difference In the last fifty years, millions of Muslims have migrated to Europe and North America. Their arrival has ignited a series of fierce public debates on both sides of the Atlantic about religious freedom and tolerance, terrorism and security, gender and race, and much more. How can Christians best respond to this situation? In this book theologian and ethicist Matthew Kaemingk offers a thought-provoking Christian perspective on the growing debates over Muslim presence in the West. Rejecting both fearful nationalism and romantic multiculturalism, Kaemingk makes the case for a third way-a Christian pluralism that is committed to both the historic Christian faith and the public rights, dignity, and freedom of Islam.  Free Download Christian Higher Education : A Global Reconnaissance By Joel Carpenter; Perry L. Glanzer; Nicholas S. Lantinga 2014 | 296 Pages | ISBN: 1467440396 | EPUB | 1 MB This book offers a fresh report and interpretation of what is happening at the intersection of two great contemporary movements: the rapid growth of higher education worldwide and the rise of world Christianity. It features on-site, evaluative studies by scholars from Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. Christian Higher Education: A Global Reconnaissance visits some of the hotspots of Christian university development, such as South Korea, Kenya, and Nigeria, and compares what is happening there to places in Canada, the United States, and Europe, where Christian higher education has a longer history. Very little research until now has examined the scope and direction of Christian higher education throughout the world, so this volume fills a real gap.  Free Download Christ Across the Disciplines : Past, Present, Future By Roger Lundin; Stephen M. Barr; Katherine Clay Bassard; David Bebbington; Jeremy S. Begbie 2013 | 194 Pages | ISBN: 1467439096 | EPUB | 1 MB In Christ across the Disciplines a group of distinguished scholars from across the theological spectrum explores the dynamic relationship between the Christian faith and the life of the mind. Although the essays in this volume are rooted in a rich understanding of the past, they focus primarily on how Christian students, teachers, and scholars might best meet the challenges of intellectual and cultural life in a global world. This book ranges widely over the broad terrain of contemporary academic and cultural life, covering such topics as the enormous growth of political activism in late twentieth-century evangelicalism, the dynamics of literature and faith in the African-American experience, the dramatic implications of globalization for those who profess Christ and practice the life of the mind, and more!  Free Download Chosen : Strategies for Revolutionary Leadership By Jamelle Sanders; Valerie Tibbs 2016 | 49 Pages | ISBN: 0985075937 | EPUB | 1 MB Chosen is a timely book from one of the most respected leadership experts in the world. In his unique style, Jamelle addresses the challenges, crossroads and cures for leadership in the twenty-first century. This book shatters every preconceived notion and idea that you have about leadership. You will be challenged to shift your perspective on leadership and redefine how you lead in this era. Chosen introduces you to new concepts in leadership like authenticity, selflessness and heart-centered leadership. Chosen will challenge your character, development and principles. The world is looking for soul leaders with the courage to propel radical change! |
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