Reading the Gospel stories of Jesus is for many of you not unlike watching a 3D movie without wearing 3D glasses. You can make out a few details and get a vague sense of what's going on, but the whole screen is fairly distorted and if you stare too long, your head starts to hurt. This book seeks to change that.
"Is your gospel 3D? Western theology emphasizes legal forgiveness of sins, but people in the Majority World seek honor or spiritual power. In today's globalized world, Christians need a three-dimensional gospel. Learn how the Bible speaks to cultures of guilt, shame, and fear, and enhance your cross-cultural ministry among the nations! The 3D Gospel is a concise book explaining the world's three primary culture types and how Christians can fruitfully minister cross-culturally. To equip believers with a dynamic view of gospel, The 3D Gospel explains the following aspects of guilt, shame, and fear cultures: The main cultural characteristics; How people function in everyday life; The biblical narrative of salvation; Doctrines of original sin and the atonement of Jesus; Definitions of 40+ theological categories; Key verses from scripture; Two separate evangelistic approaches; A contextualized form of Christian witness; Practical tips for relationships and communication."--HonorShame.com
This groundbreaking book sets out fresh arguments that common views on the doctrine of the Trinity are mistaken, on three counts. One, the idea of the Trinity can’t be found explicitly in Scripture. Two, it is a mystery irrational to the human mind. Three, the classical creeds of the church are the best place to start. These old ideas break down in light of recent research in biblical studies. Writing in plain English, the author sets out where the Trinity can be found in Hebrew and Christian Scripture; that it is rational and understandable; and that there are biblical ways of understanding it that are easier to get across than the classical creeds. This book offers what many interested in teaching or learning about the Trinity have lacked up to now. And it will be a great help to those who are unsure how to communicate the idea of the Trinity in ways that the nonspecialist can understand. For the scholar interested in biblical and early-church studies, recent insights from temple theology and name theology produce a fresh perspective that will stimulate further discussion on this important subject. In the temple of God, we find the triune God.
When it comes to relating Christianity to modern Western culture, perhaps no topic is more controversial than the relationship between Christianity and science. Outside the church, the myth of a backwards, anti-science Christianity is very common in popular culture and can poison the well before a fruitful dialogue can begin. Within the church, opposing viewpoints on the relation between Christianity and science often lead to division. Three Views on Christianity and Science addresses both types of conflict. Featuring leading evangelical scholars, this book presents three primary options for the compatibility of Christianity and science and models constructive dialogue on the surrounding controversial issues. The highlighted contributors and their views are: Michael Ruse, representing the Independence View - When functioning correctly, science and Christian theology operate independently of each other, seeking answers to different questions through different means. Alister McGrath, representing the Dialogue View - Though the natural sciences and Christian philosophy and theology function differently, they can and should inform each other. Bruce L. Gordon, representing the Constrained Integration View - Science, philosophy, and theology all contribute to our understanding of reality. Their interactions constrain each other and together present an optimally coherent and integrated picture of reality. By engaging with the viewpoints of the contributors, readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the compatibility of science and Christianity, as well as of the positions of those who disagree with them. Scholars, students, pastors, and interested laypeople will be able to make use of this material in research, assignments, sermons and lessons, evangelism, and apologetics. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.
When world-class biblical scholar Bart Ehrman first began to study the texts of the Bible in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of mistakes and intentional alterations that had been made by earlier translators. In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman tells the story behind the mistakes and changes that ancient scribes made to the New Testament and shows the great impact they had upon the Bible we use today. He frames his account with personal reflections on how his study of the Greek manuscripts made him abandon his once ultraconservative views of the Bible. Since the advent of the printing press and the accurate reproduction of texts, most people have assumed that when they read the New Testament they are reading an exact copy of Jesus's words or Saint Paul's writings. And yet, for almost fifteen hundred years these manuscripts were hand copied by scribes who were deeply influenced by the cultural, theological, and political disputes of their day. Both mistakes and intentional changes abound in the surviving manuscripts, making the original words difficult to reconstruct. For the first time, Ehrman reveals where and why these changes were made and how scholars go about reconstructing the original words of the New Testament as closely as possible. Ehrman makes the provocative case that many of our cherished biblical stories and widely held beliefs concerning the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the divine origins of the Bible itself stem from both intentional and accidental alterations by scribes -- alterations that dramatically affected all subsequent versions of the Bible.
DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Beyond Personality: The Christian Idea of God" by C. S. Lewis. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.
Describes the basic doctrines, history, and religious practices of Christianity, including Christian concepts of human nature, and profiles famous Christian figures throughout history.
The world needs godly, trained leaders just as much as the church does. Taking the examples of Jesus and Paul, Reeder presents a model of multiplication that intentionally and continuously raises up other leaders. With its three-pronged approach to leadership development, this book guides readers through a time-tested paradigm that works in real life and is fully grounded in Scripture. The principles, personal illustrations, and practical ideas it contains will effectively equip leaders and the church for their task of transforming first the body of Christ and then our culture.