Good News for Anxious Christians, expanded ed.

Good News for Anxious Christians, expanded ed. PDF

Author: Phillip Cary

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2022-08-09

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 1493437569

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A talented teacher unpacks the riches of traditional Christian spirituality for Christians burdened by the guilt and anxiety of introspective, in-my-heart spiritual techniques. Phillip Cary explains that knowing God is a gradual, long-term process that comes through the gospel experienced in Christian community. The first edition has sold over 17,000 copies. The expanded edition includes a new afterword that offers further insights since the first edition was published over ten years ago.

The Meaning of Protestant Theology

The Meaning of Protestant Theology PDF

Author: Phillip Cary

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2019-06-18

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 1493416677

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This book offers a creative and illuminating discussion of Protestant theology. Veteran teacher Phillip Cary explains how Luther's theology arose from the Christian tradition, particularly from the spirituality of Augustine. Luther departed from the Augustinian tradition and inaugurated distinctively Protestant theology when he identified the gospel that gives us Christ as its key concept. More than any other theologian, Luther succeeds in carrying out the Protestant intention of putting faith in the gospel of Christ alone. Cary also explores the consequences of Luther's teachings as they unfold in the history of Protestantism.

Flee, Be Silent, Pray

Flee, Be Silent, Pray PDF

Author: Ed Cyzewski

Publisher: MennoMedia, Inc.

Published: 2019-02-12

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1513804367

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What if prayer could be simple rather than strenuous? Anxious, results-driven Christians can never pray enough, serve enough, or study enough. But what if God is calling us not to frenzied activity but to a simple spiritual encounter? What if we must merely receive what God has already given us? In Flee, Be Silent, Pray, writer and contemplative retreat leader Ed Cyzewski guides readers out of the anxiety factory of contemporary Christianity and toward a God whose love astounds those quiet long enough to receive it. With helpful guidance into solitude, contemplative prayer, and practices such as lectio divina and the Examen, Cyzewski guides readers toward the Christ whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. Ready to shed the fear of the false self and the exhaustion of a duty-driven faith? Flee. Be silent. Pray.

Why We Love the Church

Why We Love the Church PDF

Author: Kevin L. DeYoung

Publisher: Moody Publishers

Published: 2009-06-24

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1575673533

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This book presents the case for loving the local church. It paints a picture of the local church in all its biblical and real life guts, gaffes, and glory in an effort to edify local congregations and entice the disaffected back to the fold. It also provides a solid biblical mandate to love and be part of the body of Christ and counteract the "leave church" books that trumpet rebellion and individual felt needs. Why We Love the Church is written for four kinds of people - the Committed, the Disgruntled, the Waffling & the Disconnected.

History of Christianity

History of Christianity PDF

Author: Paul Johnson

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-03-27

Total Pages: 816

ISBN-13: 1451688512

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First published in 1976, Paul Johnson’s exceptional study of Christianity has been loved and widely hailed for its intensive research, writing, and magnitude—“a tour de force, one of the most ambitious surveys of the history of Christianity ever attempted and perhaps the most radical” (New York Review of Books). In a highly readable companion to books on faith and history, the scholar and author Johnson has illuminated the Christian world and its fascinating history in a way that no other has. Johnson takes off in the year AD 49 with his namesake the apostle Paul. Thus beginning an ambitious quest to paint the centuries since the founding of a little-known ‘Jesus Sect’, A History of Christianity explores to a great degree the evolution of the Western world. With an unbiased and overall optimistic tone, Johnson traces the fantastic scope of the consequent sects of Christianity and the people who followed them. Information drawn from extensive and varied sources from around the world makes this history as credible as it is reliable. Invaluable understanding of the framework of modern Christianity—and its trials and tribulations throughout history—has never before been contained in such a captivating work.

A Christian Survival Guide

A Christian Survival Guide PDF

Author: Ed Cyzewski

Publisher: Kregel Academic

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 0825443318

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No one ever plans to fail in their faith. We all think we'll be the kind of Christian who follows the straight and narrow, ending our days with the relief of knowing we were ultimately a good and faithful servant. So why do so many leave that road? What enables some to survive as Christians when so many others have faltered? With A Christian Survival Guide, Ed Cyzewski steps up to be your trail guide and provide some possible answers. He addresses some of the biggest, toughest questions in Christianity, including: - Disturbing Bible stories - Hell and what it means - Does the Bible have to be "true"? - The question of evil- Money and the church- Evangelizing when no one wants to listen Candid and wry, Cyzewski deals with the tension of hard questions without resorting to empty answers, cliches, relativism, or the smug certainty that can so often drive seekers and strugglers further away. This popular blogger also has a knack of making long-ago biblical figures absolutely recognizable in today's issues. This survival guide is not meant to be a "one size fits all" handbook. It is a first step to confronting the big issues and challenges of a life of faith--even the ones that Christians fear most. Cyzewski writes for those who both care and question deeply, and offers survival tips to help readers move from living on the edge to a place of health and life.

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die PDF

Author: Sarah J. Robinson

Publisher: WaterBrook

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0593193539

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A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

A Letter to My Anxious Christian Friends

A Letter to My Anxious Christian Friends PDF

Author: David P. Gushee

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

Published: 2016-08-02

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 1611646944

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The last few years have seen dizzying social change in the United States. Many of these changes—such as the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage—seem to challenge or overturn long-standing Christian teachings, while disputes over issues such as immigration, racism, and the abuse of police authority create uncertainty and confusion about what a faithful Christian response looks like. Small wonder, then, that the dominant mood among many Christians is anxiety about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the world today. In a clear and readable style, leading Christian ethicist David P. Gushee explores the many social and political changes that are causing Christian anxiety, offering ways to understand and act on these issues that are grounded in the reign of God rather than in human fear. What do we see when we look at a given political issue, argument, or candidate? What do we wish to see? And what might Christian faith contribute to seeing, interpreting, and acting rightly in this particular moment? Gushee helps average Christians think through and make sense of their fears and anxieties about rapid social change in American society, showing how our faith is calling us not to fear and worry but to hope.

Kingdom Calling

Kingdom Calling PDF

Author: Amy L. Sherman

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2011-11-02

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0830869557

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Christianity Today Book Award winner Imagine the scenarios: a CEO successfully negotiates a corporate merger, avoiding hundreds of layoffs in the process an artist completes a mosaic for public display at a bank, showcasing neighborhood heroes a contractor creates a work-release program in cooperation with a local prison, growing the business and seeing countless former inmates turn their lives around a high-school principal graduates 20 percent more students than the previous year, and the school's average scores go up by a similar percentage Now imagine a parade in the streets for each event. That's the vision of Proverbs 11:10, in which the tsaddiqim—the people who see everything they have as gifts from God to be stewarded for his purposes—pursue their vocation with an eye to the greater good. Amy Sherman, director of the Center on Faith in Communities and scholar of vocational stewardship, uses the tsaddiqim as a springboard to explore how, through our faith-formed calling, we announce the kingdom of God to our everyday world. But cultural trends toward privatism and materialism threaten to dis-integrate our faith and our work. And the church, in ways large and small, has itself capitulated to those trends, while simultaneously elevating the "special calling" of professional ministry and neglecting the vocational formation of laypeople. In the process, we have, in ways large and small, subverted our kingdom mandate. God is on the move, and he calls each of us, from our various halls of power and privilege, to follow him. Here is your chance, keeping this kingdom calling in view, to steward your faith and work toward righteousness. In so doing, you will bless the world, and as you flourish, the world will celebrate.

Gospelbound

Gospelbound PDF

Author: Collin Hansen

Publisher: Multnomah

Published: 2021-04-06

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0593193571

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A profound exploration of how to hold on to hope when our unchanging faith collides with a changing culture, from two respected Christian storytellers and thought leaders. “Offers neither spin control nor image maintenance for the evangelical tribe, but genuine hope.”—Russell Moore, president of ERLC As the pressures of health warnings, economic turmoil, and partisan politics continue to rise, the influence of gospel-focused Christians seems to be waning. In the public square and popular opinion, we are losing our voice right when it’s needed most for Christ’s glory and the common good. But there’s another story unfolding too—if you know where to look. In Gospelbound, Collin Hansen and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra counter these growing fears with a robust message of resolute hope for anyone hungry for good news. Join them in exploring profound stories of Christians who are quietly changing the world in the name of Jesus—from the wild world of digital media to the stories of ancient saints and unsung contemporary activists on the frontiers of justice and mercy. Discover how, in these dark times, the light of Jesus shines even brighter. You haven’t heard the whole story. And that’s good news.