How can Christianity touch the imagination of our contemporaries when ever fewer people in the West identify as religious? Timothy Radcliffe argues we must show how everything we believe is an invitation to live fully. God says: 'I put before you life and death: choose life'. Anyone who understands the beauty and messiness of human life – novelists, poets, filmmakers and so on – can be our allies, whether they believe or not. The challenge is not today's secularism but its banality. We accompany the disciples as they struggle to understand this strange man who heals, casts out demons and offers endless forgiveness. In the face of death, he teaches them what it means to be alive in God. Then he embraces all that afflicts and crushes humanity. Finally, Radcliffe explores what it means for us to be alive spiritually, physically, sacramentally, justly and prayerfully. The result is a compelling new understanding of the words of Jesus: 'I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.'
Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport examines religion in America today, reviews just how powerfully intertwined religion is with every aspect of American society, and explores what appears to be religion's vibrant future in the U.S. -- all based on more than a million interviews conducted by Gallup since 2008. Popular books such as The God Delusion have dismissed religion as a delusional artifact of evolution and ancient superstitions. But should millions of Americans' statements of belief and their behavior be dismissed that quickly? The pattern of religious influence in American society suggests mass consequence rather than mass delusion. In God Is Alive and Well, Frank Newport, Gallup's Editor-in-Chief, provides a new evidence-based analysis of Americans' religious beliefs and practices -- and bold predictions about religion's future in the U.S. Most Americans are at least marginally religious, significantly more so than in most developed nations around the world. The majority of Americans believe in God and say that religion is important in their daily lives. And Americans routinely participate in religious rituals. Levels of religious consciousness are not distributed equally. Systematic patterns of differences in religion occur with surprising regularity. An American's religiosity is very much bound up with social position and geographic space. There is an important interplay between religion and life status factors -- age, gender, marital status, having children -- and with achieved status distinctions -- class, education, income. Those who are most religious are demonstrably different across a wide spectrum of outcomes from those who are not. These include lifestyle choices, social participation, ideology, partisanship, and views on political and social issues. Religion can be the driver for highly disruptive social behaviors, up to and including the taking of human life. Unlike citizens of any other country in the world, Americans group themselves into hundreds of distinct micro religious groups and denominations. These groups are constantly evolving, splitting like amoeba to form new groups. The most common pattern today is the development of the "no name" religious group, consisting of Americans who worship only under the banner of their own nondenominational predilections. These religious groupings are sociologically related to social status, geography, politics, and social and political attitudes. The emotional, non-negotiable bases of religion and the nature of its appeal to the most ultimate of rationales mean that highly religious Americans are one of the most potentially influential groups in society. Religious beliefs provide a foundation for much of today's American politics. America is and will remain a religious nation, and it is entirely possible that in many ways, religion will be more, rather than less, important in the years ahead. The foundation for God Is Alive and Well is the perspective of science -- analyzing what people think, do, and believe about religion. Frank Newport's distinction as a well-known social scientist and authority on American life, his media experience, and his unique personal history as the son of a Southern Baptist theologian will increase this book's sales potential. God Is Alive and Well is based in large part on more than a million interviews Gallup has conducted in recent years -- interviews that asked Americans about their religion, their religious beliefs, and their religious behavior. The resulting data provide an unparalleled and unprecedented database of information about Americans and their religions. Written for lay readers using a conversational tone, God Is Alive and Well presents new information with an entertaining style.
Have you ever wondered if God is real? Have you asked either yourself or others, "Is God truly real?" only to never receive a definitive answer? Perhaps, you've grown up in a Christian household, or are a devout Christian, or perhaps you are a nonbeliever. But whoever you are, at your core, you do not know for sure if God is truly real. This book unlocks the truth of how real God is and how alive He is in our lives today. In this book, Pastor Ae Cha, through her personal relationship with God, shares individual testimonies revealing in detail how God answered her to prove that He indeed is real. Within the chapters of this book, she not only reveals that God is real and alive, but she also demonstrates that God is a loving and caring Father. These stories illustrate in detail how much our Heavenly Father cares and loves His greatest creation""humanity. Each story reveals how He loves you and yearns to be in a personal relationship with you. Contained within each chapter is the revelation of how God is with you when you need a job, when you are facing severe health issues, dealing with feelings of unbelief and doubt, mistaken understandings about His character, and so much more. Within the pages of this book lies the answer of whether or not "God is Real" and the truth of His existence and never-ending love to help you in every area of life.
If in an earlier generation people sometimes were said to be so heavenly-minded that they were no earthly good," begins Carl F. H. Henry, "in our day the very opposite is more apt to be the case." At the same time the hunger for spiritual vitality is growing. What, then, is the nature of spiritual experience, and how can it be integrated into Christian and academic disciplines?
A Child Died, a Father Cried . . . and God Answered At 2:30 a.m. on July 12, 2005, Mark Canfora received a call from his sixteen-year-old daughter: "Daddy, Marky's dead." His eighteen-year-old son had passed away. As a result of this tragedy, Mark would never be the same. This heartbroken father tells his story with honesty and vulnerability, sharing his journey from grief-stricken thoughts of his own suicide to God-fueled courage and a ministry that now offers comfort and hope to thousands. Mark Canfora writes, "Acting on my faith in God and my love for Him, I hope and pray that this book will help and encourage others who suffer the shocking loss and excruciatingly painful tragedy of the death of a loved one, especially the death of a child."
Dynamic, Never-Before-Published Work on the Holy Spirit from A.W. Tozer What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit in our lives? Many look to extraordinary experiences and manifestations as evidence of the Spirit. But what happens when the event is over? How can we experience the Holy Spirit in the ordinary, everyday world? How can we be filled with the Spirit? In this material taken from Tozer's sermons, he answers these questions and explores life in the Spirit from a balanced perspective. The church needs the gifts of the Spirit--all of them--or it will never be what God intends it to be. But this has to happen in wisdom and humility. Many people talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit, but very few accept the conditions for being filled. Tozer lays down requirements for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and transform us into Spirit-filled people. Though every Christian has the Holy Spirit, not every Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit. He explains the difference and how it could change the evangelical church of today.
Every 12.3 minutes someone completes suicide, and I was almost one of them. I had written letters, picked a day, and packed up all my belongings because I believed my life was worthless and disposable.What lies ahead of you is my journey from suicide attempt towards abundant life. I share it with you in hopes that you can see yourself or someone you love in my story and find the courage to start conversations about faith, mental health, depression, and suicide.I am not a pastor, a deep-sea diver, an Avenger, or a mongoose whisperer. I have never sawed off my own arm, had my hand digested by a shark, or experienced any other amazing feat of humanity. I am just an average guy who found his world slipping away and-in a moment of extreme clarity-made the terrifying decision to stay and chase a life that is fully and recklessly alive.
Shares the author's story of his return to physical, mental, and spiritual health, highlighting the action steps that will help readers live life to the fullest.
"In our secular age, there is perhaps no claim more stupendous than that Jesus Christ rose from the grave, for this claim introduces an unacceptable supernaturalism into the culture's materialist worldview. Yet, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the center of the Christian religion. From the earliest days of the faith, Christians proclaimed that Christ was risen, and not only that, but His resurrection means something. In Alive: How the Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything, Dr. Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer demonstrates that there is good reason to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He explores the evidence for the resurrection, rebuts popular arguments against it, and provides application for Christians in a hostile culture. Dr. Fluhrer begins by surveying the current landscape of ideas when it comes to the resurrection, focusing especially on the arguments of Bart Ehrman of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He goes to sketch out some plausibility structures for the historical reality of Christ's resurrection, including the marked change seen in the Apostles. Next, he provides an overview of the Bible's testimony concerning the resurrection, beginning in the Old Testament and continuing with an examination of the Gospels, Acts, and the rest of the New Testament. Finally, Dr. Fluhrer concludes with some applications regarding how understanding the reality of the resurrection bears on the Christian life"--
These newly revised storybooks provide a wonderful way to nurture faith in children while establishing devotional habits of Bible reading and prayer. Each book retells a Bible story in simple language that young children can understand, a prayer, and suggestions for learning-through-play activities. Children will learn about God's wonderful creation and people like Abraham, Hannah, David, Simeon, Anna, Peter, Jesus and Pauland all the wonderful stories in between. Children will be engaged by fresh, vivid illustrations and simple language as parents, grandparents, child care providers, and preschool teachers delight in sharing with them the stories they cherish. The books also make a great gift for baby showers, baptisms, birthdays, and holidays.
