Dare to dream and brace yourself for miracles as Pulitzer Prize-winning editor Andy Cook writes about the power, promises, and practical truths of Acts . . . still relevant and available today.
Josh Hamilton was the first player chosen in the first round of the 1999 baseball draft. He was destined to be one of those rare "high-character " superstars. But in 2001, working his way from the minors to the majors, all of the plans for Josh went off the rails in a moment of weakness. What followed was a 4-year nightmare of drugs and alcohol, estrangement from friends and family, and his eventual suspension from baseball. BEYOND BELIEF details the events that led up to the derailment. Josh explains how a young man destined for fame and wealth could allow his life to be taken over by drugs and alcohol. But it is also the memoir of a spiritual journey that breaks through pain and heartbreak and leads to the rebirth of his major-league career. Josh Hamilton makes no excuses and places no blame on anyone other than himself. He takes responsibility for his poor decisions and believes his story can help millions who battle the same demons. "I have been given a platform to tell my story" he says. "I pray every night I am a good messenger."
A fascinating exposé of the global revolution you've never heard of: a deep-pocketed, tech-savvy Christian movement reshaping our societies from within. How has a Christian movement, founded at the turn of the twentieth century by the son of freed slaves, become the fastest-growing religion on Earth? Pentecostalism has 600 million followers; by 2050, they'll be one in ten people worldwide. This is the religion of the Holy Spirit, with believers directly experiencing God and His blessings: success for the mind, body, spirit and wallet. Pentecostalism is a social movement. It serves impoverished people in Africa and Latin America, and inspires anti-establishment leaders from Trump to Bolsonaro. In Australia, Europe and Korea, it throws itself into culture wars and social media, offering meaning and community to the rootless and marginalised in a fragmenting world. Reporting this revolution from twelve countries and six US states, Elle Hardy weaves a timeless tale of miracles, money and power, set in our volatile age of extremes. By turns troubling and entertaining, Beyond Beliefexposes the Pentecostal agenda: not just saving souls, but transforming societies and controlling politics. These modern prophets, embedded in our institutions, have the cash and the influence to wage their holy war.
Pose the question, "What is the gospel?" to a group of Christians, and back comes the automatic response: "The gospel is the good news." Not to everyone, it isn't. To some Christians, the gospel seems almost hopelessly confusing. Is it justification--or sanctification--or both? What do those words really mean? And if the gospel is such good news, why isn't the church stirred, galvanized, electrified by it? The gospel is so much more than a spiritual warm fuzzy. Prepare yourself for a discovery that is truly Beyond Belief! - Preface. The Sin Problem. God's Redemptive Love. The Gospel Defined. Christ Our Substitute. The Two Adams: Romans 5. The Two Adams: 1 Corinthians 15. The Cross and the Great Controversy. The Cross and the Atonement. The Cross and the Human Race. Righteousness by Faith. Justification and Sanctification. The Joyous Experience of Salvation. The Principle of the Cross. The Work of the Holy Spirit. Spirit, Soul, and Body. Law and Grace-I. Law and Grace--II The Sabbath Rest. Appendix
In Beyond Belief, renowned religion scholar Elaine Pagels continues her groundbreaking examination of the earliest Christian texts, arguing for an ongoing assessment of faith and a questioning of religious orthodoxy. Spurred on by personal tragedy and new scholarship from an international group of researchers, Pagels returns to her investigation of the “secret” Gospel of Thomas, and breathes new life into writings once thought heretical. As she arrives at an ever-deeper conviction in her own faith, Pagels reveals how faith allows for a diversity of interpretations, and that the “rogue” voices of Christianity encourage and sustain “the recognition of the light within us all.”
Todd Hunter presents a new paradigm for Christian discipleship that shows how salvation is not just a question of whether we are saved but also a call to progressively grow more like Christ. Hunter's biblical perspective might just change the way you look at life forever.
"What you think about God, another person, or the world, means nothing and it means everything. It means nothing because it often has nothing to do with how they actually are in their fullness. It means everything because it has everything to do with how you will see and experience them. To your absolute good fortune Their Truth is Beyond your Belief!"
Learn how everyday life can be your most vital spiritual practice, no matter what your religion or tradition. This book crosses all of the spiritual and religious boundaries through the commonality of our everyday experience. It is a deeply personal book giving a down-to-earth account of the experience of spiritual awakening and the process of bringing awakening into each moment.
Not simply an element of religion, faith is central to mankind's eternal quest. In this book, Dr. Clarence E. McClendon reveals the universal law and power of the God kind of faith: Faith equals conviction or persuasion plus corresponding action. Readers are admonished to find out how to apply this formula to every challenge in life.
What do people actually mean when they say 'God'? Around two-thirds of us say we believe in God or some 'higher power', but fewer than one in ten Australians attend church weekly. In Beyond Belief, Hugh Mackay presents this discrepancy as one of the great unexamined topics of our time. He argues that while our attachment to a traditional idea of God may be waning, our desire for a life of meaning remains as strong as ever. Mackay interviews dozens of Australians representing many different points on the spectrum of faith, including some who are part of the emerging 'spiritual but not religious' movement. He exposes the deep vein of ambivalence about religion that runs through our society: we may not actively worship, but we still like to see local churches operating in our midst, and we use 'our' church to marry, christen our babies, educate our children and commemorate our dead. He points out some uncomfortable truths, such as our tendency to call on God only in a crisis, and unpacks our human need for 'answers', even when science can't find them. He endorses the Christian ideal of the good life - a life lived for others - but acknowledges that there are many pathways to that same goal, not all of them religious. Written with all the insight and compassion we have come to expect of our leading chronicler of Australian life, Beyond Belief is an engrossing exploration of the ways we find spiritual fulfilment in an avowedly secular age.