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Still Christian

Author: David P. Gushee

Publisher: Presbyterian Publishing Corp

Published: 2017-09-15

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1611648270

This is a book for folks whose commitment to Jesus has put them at odds with American evangelicalism. —Shane Claiborne So many Americans today love their faith but have found their church doesn't love them back. They then leave, seeking community elsewhere. Of all those personal stories, few have ever been told by someone so far inside the powerful places of white evangelical Christianity. In this provocative tell-all, David Gushee opens the door to the frictions and schisms of evangelicalism, tells his own story of leaving, and shows that you, too, can find a Christianity that is worth following. Gushee’s experiences begin with becoming a born-again Southern Baptist in 1978 and end with being kicked out of evangelicalism in 2014 for his principled stance on full LGBTQ inclusion. But his religious pilgrimage proves even broader than that, as he leads his doctoral studies at Union Seminary in New York, his dismay when the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary expelled female professors and fellow colleagues, to his days as every evangelical’s least-favorite liberal, and more. In telling his story, Gushee speaks to those who have been disillusioned by American Christianity. As he describes his own struggles to find the right path at different stages of his journey, he highlights the turning points and decisions that we all face. When do we compromise, and when do we stand our ground? Is holding to moral conviction worth sacrificing friendship, jobs, and security? As he takes us through his sometimes-amusing, sometimes-heartbreaking, and always-stirring journey, Gushee shows us that we can retain our faith in Christ even when Christians disappoint us.

What's the Least I Can Believe and Still be a Christian?

Author: Martin Thielen

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 0664236839

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A national worship and preaching consultant offers a provocative look at the core elements of Christian faith, articulating centrist, mainline Christianity in a way that is fresh and easy to understand. Original.

Unbelievable?

Author: Justin Brierley

Publisher: SPCK

Published: 2017-06-15

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 0281077991

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Conversations matter. Yet, recently, good conversations about faith have been increasingly squeezed out of the public sphere. Seeking to reopen the debate, Justin Brierley began to invite atheists and sceptics on to Premier Christian Radio to air arguments for and against the Christian faith. But how has ten years of discussion with atheists affected the presenter’s faith? Reflecting on conversations with Richard Dawkins, Derren Brown and many more, Justin explains why he still finds Christianity the most compelling explanation for life, the universe and everything. And why, regardless of belief or background, we should all welcome the conversation. ‘Beautifully written, brilliantly argued, Justin’s book will thrill Christians and challenge atheists.’ R. T. Kendall, author and pastor ‘Justin has that happy knack of being able to get people of diametrically opposed opinions debating the big issues.’ John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford

Why I Still Believe

Author: Mary Jo Sharp

Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM

Published: 2019-11-05

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0310353882

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For anyone who feels caught in the tension between the beauty of God's story and the ugliness of human hypocrisy, Why I Still Believe offers a stirring story of hope. Why would anyone be a Christian when there is so much hypocrisy in the church? Mary Jo Sharp shares her journey as a skeptical believer who still holds to a beautiful faith despite wounding experiences in the Christian community. At a time when de-conversion stories have become all too common, this is an earnest response - the compelling conversion of an unlikely believer whose questions ultimately led her to irresistible hope. Sharp addresses her own struggle with the reality that God's people repeatedly give God's story a bad name and takes a careful look at how the current church often inadvertently produces atheists despite its life-giving message. For those who feel the ever-present tension between the beauty of salvation and the dark side of human nature, Why I Still Believe is a candid and approachable case for believing in God when you really want to walk away. With fresh and thoughtful insights, this spiritual narrative presents relevant answers to haunting questions like: Isn't there too much pain and suffering to believe? Is it okay to have doubt? What if Jesus' story is a copy of another story? Is there any evidence for Jesus' resurrection? Does atheism explain the human experience better than Christianity can? How can the truth of Christianity matter when the behaviors of Christians are reprehensible? At once logical and loving, Sharp reframes the gospel as it truly is: the good news of redemption. With firmly grounded truths, Why I Still Believe is an affirming reminder that the hypocrisy of Christians can never negate the transforming grace and truth of Christ.

And You Call Yourself a Christian

Author: E.N. Joy

Publisher: Urban Books

Published: 2012-04-24

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1599832720

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Out of all the divas at New Day Temple of Faith, Unique has to be the most colorful one--she and her mother Lorain, that is. Never one to hold her tongue in the name of keepin' it real, it's no surprise that Unique has not been saved all her life. It's safe to say that Lorain wasn't born on the church pew either. Let the church folk tell it, the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree when it comes to Unique. Lorain--once known as the tight skirt, V-neck blouse, too much makeup-wearing leader of the New Day Singles Ministry--claims she's there to look out for her daughter and try to keep her in check. But how in the world does Lorain think she can even begin to keep her daughter on the straight and narrow with her own crooked life? Some might say Lorain has failed miserably as a mother when Unique ends up in jail for three counts of murder. One who would agree is the woman who raised Unique while Lorain was out living her life freely. As an all-out war takes place between Unique's birth mother and the woman who raised her, will Unique have any support while she fights for her life behind bars? Will all forsake her while they are too busy with their own agendas? Only God holds the answer to this one.

How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian

Author: John Dominic Crossan

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2015-03-03

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0062203622

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The acclaimed Bible scholar and author of The Historical Jesus and God & Empire—“the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation” (John Shelby Spong) —grapples with Scripture’s two conflicting visions of Jesus and God, one of a loving God, and one of a vengeful God, and explains how Christians can better understand these passages in a way that enriches their faith. Many portions of the New Testament, introduce a compassionate Jesus who turns the other cheek, loves his enemies, and shows grace to all. But the Jesus we find in Revelation and some portions of the Gospels leads an army of angels bent on earthly destruction. Which is the true revelation of the Messiah—and how can both be in the same Bible? How to Read the Bible and Still be a Christian explores this question and offers guidance for the faithful conflicted over which version of the Lord to worship. John Dominic Crossan reconciles these contrasting views, revealing how different writers of the books of the Bible not only possessed different visions of God but also different purposes for writing. Often these books are explicitly competing against another, opposing vision of God from the Bible itself. Crossan explains how to navigate this debate and offers what he believes is the best central thread to what the Bible is all about. He challenges Christians to fully participate in this dialogue, thereby shaping their faith by reading deeply, reflectively, and in community with others who share their uncertainty. Only then, he advises, will Christians be able to read and understand the Bible without losing their faith.

Unapologetic

Author: Francis Spufford

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2013-10-15

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 0062300482

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Francis Spufford's Unapologetic is a wonderfully pugnacious defense of Christianity. Refuting critics such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the "new atheist" crowd, Spufford, a former atheist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, argues that Christianity is recognizable, drawing on the deep and deeply ordinary vocabulary of human feeling, satisfying those who believe in it by offering a ruthlessly realistic account of the grown-up dignity of Christian experience. Fans of C. S. Lewis, N. T. Wright, Marilynne Robinson, Mary Karr, Diana Butler Bass, Rob Bell, and James Martin will appreciate Spufford's crisp, lively, and abashedly defiant thesis. Unapologetic is a book for believers who are fed up with being patronized, for non-believers curious about how faith can possibly work in the twenty-first century, and for anyone who feels there is something indefinably wrong, literalistic, anti-imaginative and intolerant about the way the atheist case is now being made.

The Perfect Christian

Author: E.N. Joy

Publisher: Urban Books

Published: 2012-07-01

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1622860462

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Mother Doreen thought she'd never love again after the death of her first love, so when a pastor from her hometown proposes, she sees it as a gift from God. As the founder of the Singles Ministry at the New Day Temple of Faith, her departure is bittersweet for the single saints she'll be leaving behind. Mother Doreen is a little nervous embarking on her new role as a pastor's wife, but everyone agrees that she will make the perfect first lady. After all, no one has known her to be anything other than a perfect Christian. When her imperfect past comes to the forefront, however, her image is shattered. Even with the support of all the single ladies, it's going to take the hand of God for this fairytale wedding to happen. Otherwise, Mother Doreen's happily ever after might quickly turn into a sadly never ever.

Still Stace

Author: Stacey Chomiak

Publisher: Beaming Books

Published: 2021-10-19

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 1506469523

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Is it possible to be gay and Christian? Stacey loves being a Christian. Her best friends are also her church friends. Her favorite place on earth is Bible camp every summer. And she talks to God like they are old friends. But one summer, she meets a girl who turns everything upside down. Is this feeling she has for her more than just friendship? Could it be a crush? Filled with dread, Stacey embarks on a journey to discover what it means to be gay, whether it is possible to change, and how to reconcile her identity with her faith. Will it even be possible? In this young-adult illustrated memoir, Stacey Chomiak tells the true story of her teenage and young-adult years: of heartbreak, family conflict, trying to become ex-gay, wrestling with her faith, and finding love. Uncovering happiness and joy while surrounded by the loneliness of a world that actively excludes her seems insurmountable. Until she learns to love her full self. Then the possibility of being both gay and Christian seems not just possible, but the best answer of all.

Do I Stay Christian?

Author: Brian D. McLaren

Publisher: St. Martin's Essentials

Published: 2022-05-24

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1250262801

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Dubbed "a heroic gate-crasher" by New York Times bestselling author Glennon Doyle, Brian D. McLaren explores reasons to leave or stay within the church and if so how... "Brian's new book on remaining Christian knocks it out of the ballpark in terms of framing and naming the questions. I cannot stop reading it. Thank you, Brian!" —Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, author of The Universal Christ "Any thoughtful Christian has been asking the questions McLaren tackles here, but many of us are afraid to voice them aloud. In Do I Stay Christian? we’re gifted a gentle guide who opens ideas and voices the questions we cannot, naming our frustration, fear, and hesitant hope." —Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, former Senior Minister, The Riverside Church; Founder, Invested Faith Do I Stay Christian? addresses in public the powerful question that surprising numbers of people—including pastors, priests, and other religious leaders—are asking in private. Picking up where Faith After Doubt leaves off, Do I Stay Christian? is not McLaren's attempt to persuade Christians to dig in their heels or run for the exit. Instead, he combines his own experience with that of thousands of people who have confided in him over the years to help readers make a responsible, honest, ethical decision about their religious identity. There is a way to say both yes and no to the question of staying Christian, McLaren says, by shifting the focus from whether we stay Christian to how we stay human. If Do I Stay Christian? is the question you're asking—or if it's a question that someone you love is asking—this is the book you've been waiting for.