The Dangerous Act of Worship

The Dangerous Act of Worship PDF

Author: Mark Labberton

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2012-10-31

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0830834141

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In this prophetic call to the contemporary church, pastor Mark Labberton redefines Christian worship in the language of justice. He calls us away from individualized worship and into worshiping communities that give expression to righteousness, justice and compassion.

The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor

The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor PDF

Author: Mark Labberton

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2010-10-18

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0830868232

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2011 Christianity Today Book Award winner Jesus didn't see a sick woman, he saw a daughter of God. He didn't see an outcast from society, he saw a child of Israel. He didn't see a sinner, he saw a person in the image of the Creator. Are we able to see others with the eyes of Jesus? Seeing rightly is the beginning of renewal, forgiveness, healing and grace. Seeing rightly, says Mark Labberton, is the beginning of how our hearts are changed. Through careful self-examination in the Spirit, we begin to bear the fruit of love toward others that can make a difference. Here is a chance to reflect on why our ordinary hearts can be complacent about the evils in the world and how we can begin to see the world like Jesus. With each chapter broken into brief segments punctuated by questions, this book is ideal for both personal reflection and group discussion. See what happens when you take a chance on the dangerous act of loving your neighbor. Your vision might just be changed forever.

Dangerous Church

Dangerous Church PDF

Author: John Bishop

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 0310318327

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Dangerous churches are willing to put everything on the line for the one thing that matters most; reaching lost people. Through probing questions and amazing stories of God's grace, John Bishop confronts church leaders to embrace what matters most to the heart of God, whatever the cost. Most churches naturally gravitate to what is safe and familiar. Church leaders who take risks are bound to fail, and fear drives us to continue in our comfortable, but ineffective patterns. But reaching out to a lost world was never meant to be easy. Jesus promised his followers that they would have trouble in this world. Dangerous churches are churches that are willing to risk everything--comfort, safety, and the security of the familiar--for the sake of the one thing that matters most: reaching out to people who may spend eternity separated from the God who created them. God wants us to live on the edge of our margins, walking by faith and not simply following scripted methods or programmed patterns. Dangerous Church takes you back to the Book of Acts and reminds church leaders that the heartbeat of the church is not found in agendas or human plans, but in pursuing the mission of God and reaching out to a lost world. Learn what can happen when church leaders abandon their fears and begin to live a dangerous faith. Dangerous Church is part of the Leadership Network Innovation Series.

The Holy No

The Holy No PDF

Author: Adam Hearlson

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2018-07-10

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1467450502

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In this book Adam Hearlson argues that Christians can say a holy “no” to oppression and injustice through the church’s worship practices. “To speak the holy no,” Hearlson says, “is to refuse to be complicit in the oppression and violence of the ruling power. It is the courageous critique of the present and its claims of immutability.” Hearlson draws widely from Christian history to uncover ways the church has used its traditional practices—preaching, music, sacrament, and art—to sabotage oppressive structures of the world for the sake of the gospel. He tells the stories of particular subversive strategies both past and present, including radical hospitality, genre bending, coded speech, and apocalyptic visions. Blending history, theory, and practice, The Holy No is both a testament to the courage of Christians who came before and an encouragement to take up their mantle of faithful subversion.

The Dangers of Christian Practice

The Dangers of Christian Practice PDF

Author: Lauren F. Winner

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2018-01-01

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0300215827

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Challenging the central place that "practices" have recently held in Christian theology, Lauren Winner explores the damages these practices have inflicted over the centuries Sometimes, beloved and treasured Christian practices go horrifyingly wrong, extending violence rather than promoting its healing. In this bracing book, Lauren Winner provocatively challenges the assumption that the church possesses a set of immaculate practices that will definitionally train Christians in virtue and that can't be answerable to their histories. Is there, for instance, an account of prayer that has anything useful to say about a slave-owning woman's praying for her slaves' obedience? Is there a robustly theological account of the Eucharist that connects the Eucharist's goods to the sacrament's central role in medieval Christian murder of Jews? Arguing that practices are deformed in ways that are characteristic of and intrinsic to the practices themselves, Winner proposes that the register in which Christians might best think about the Eucharist, prayer, and baptism is that of "damaged gift." Christians go on with these practices because, though blighted by sin, they remain gifts from God.

The Art of Curating Worship

The Art of Curating Worship PDF

Author: Mark Pierson

Publisher: Sparkhouse Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 516

ISBN-13: 1451413785

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The Art of Worship is about transitioning our understanding and practice of worship to one of design or curation. According to Mark Pierson, a pioneer in worship, worship needs to be seen as an art form rather than a linear task of filling in the gaps on an order of service. Many practical examples are used to illustrate ways in which worship in regular services as well as in specially designed spaces inside and outside the church building can be designed and delivered for spiritual formation and mission.

Enter His Courts with Praise!

Enter His Courts with Praise! PDF

Author: Andrew E. Hill

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 1997-02-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780801090301

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An exhaustive study of what the Old Testament says about worship renewal, including its form, function, place, and expression. Includes illustrations. As worship leaders struggle to keep (or make) worship alive and meaningful, they are compelled to study the biblical teaching on the subject. They could do no better than turn to Andrew Hill's robust contribution. Hill contends that the Old Testament has much to teach New Testament believers about worship--by theological principle if not by explicit example and direct application. With exceptional care and thoroughness, Hill explores the multifaceted aspects related to worship in the Old Testament. These include worship's form and function, place and piety, arts and actions. In a review in Presbyterion, Robert Yarbrough of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School had this to say about the author's study: "Hill provides solid review of Old Testament history as it relates to development of worship views and styles. He interweaves questions, concerns, and insights, however, that are distinctly modern, making his book engrossing rather than dry reading." This book, explains Hill, should be regarded as one ingredient necessary to concoct a serum for worship renewal in the church. Indeed, the Old Testament has much to teach us about worship. While the needs of individual churches differ, all approaches to worship renewal must be comprehensive enough to consider the biblical, historical, and theological sources of Christian worship.

The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor

The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor PDF

Author: Mark Labberton

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2010-11-01

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0830838406

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Labberton advises that by seeing others through the eyes of Jesus, readers begin to bear the fruit of love towards others that can make a difference.

Worship with Teenagers

Worship with Teenagers PDF

Author: Eric L. Mathis

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2022-02-15

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 149342937X

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This book addresses the vital role of public Christian worship in adolescent spiritual formation and shows how important youth ministry and worship ministry are to each other. Despite numerous research projects, books, articles, and resources that have been published about teenagers and about worship in recent years, the relationship between the two has been addressed only peripherally if not altogether overlooked. Drawing on his extensive experience in worship ministry and youth ministry, Eric Mathis offers insights into the worship practices of teenagers, corrects common misperceptions about worship, and critically examines four prominent worship models in current practice. Mathis invites youth pastors, worship leaders, ministerial students, and congregations to elevate the voices of young people in the worshiping community and enhance worship for all ages. The book includes a foreword by Kenda Creasy Dean.