Working from the experiences of the later mystics Keating offers the spiritual sense of scripture elaborated by the Fathers and Mothers of the Church, which has been used repeatedly to illustrate insights useful to the various stages of spiritual development. This rich storytelling tradition traces a spiritual journey, outlining a way of listening to God by sharpening the habit of contemporary prayer.
People don't abandon faith because they have doubts. People abandon faith because they think they're not allowed to have doubts. Even as a pastor, Austin Fischer has experienced the shadows of doubt and disillusionment. Leaning into perennial questions about Christianity, he shows that doubt is no reason to leave the faith—instead, it's an invitation to a more honest faith.
2012 was the hardest and best year of my life. I did not see this crisis coming, but am glad it came before it was too late. Throughout this difficult time I discovered my Heavenly Dad likes me just the way I am. Even though my path went through deep waters, God was with me every step of the way. I discovered I cannot hide my toxic issues for eventually they will leak out and hurt those who are closest to me, primarily my wife and children. The more I comprehend the grace of God, the more I am equipped to confront my own baggage and wounds. I hope this book will encourage and affirm others who are going through similar valleys and tribulations. These hard journeys are normal for the Christian. Every person of note in scripture endured at least one life changing crisis. God uses difficult times to work deep in our hearts, reveal more of Himself, and transform us into the image of His Son. When we draw near to God, let Him bear our burden, ask for help from the body of Christ, and acknowledge our stuff, our recovery will begin. May God help us to do the necessary work of confronting our issues with the help of God and our brethren. For as we do, our wives and children will flourish in a safe home where they can love and honor their husband and father without fear.
A present-day terrorist attack on the proposed site of a Manhattan mosque kills several young women, prompting the President of the United States to take the issue of religiously motivated terrorism more seriouslya growing trend among radical Christians. Economic uncertainty, involvement in two wars, and a healthcare crisis prompts the President to commission an elite task force to examine and identify the root of escalating religious fanaticism, both at home and abroad. In a time of national turmoil, Crisis of Faith shows what happens when the most powerful man in the world challenges the most powerful book in the world.
The Victorian crisis of faith has dominated discussions of religion and the Victorians. Stories are frequently told of prominent Victorians such as George Eliot losing their faith. This crisis is presented as demonstrating the intellectual weakness of Christianity as it was assaulted by new lines of thought such as Darwinism and biblical criticism. This study serves as a corrective to that narrative. It focuses on freethinking and Secularist leaders who came to faith. As sceptics, they had imbibed all the latest ideas that seemed to undermine faith; nevertheless, they went on to experience a crisis of doubt, and then to defend in their writings and lectures the intellectual cogency of Christianity. The Victorian crisis of doubt was surprisingly large. Telling this story serves to restore its true proportion and to reveal the intellectual strength of faith in the nineteenth century.
Trusting Jesus is hard. It requires following the unseen into an unknown, and believing Jesus's words over and against the threats we see or the fears we feel. Through the imaginative retelling of 35 Bible stories, Not by Sight gives us glimpses of what it means to walk by faith and counsel for how to trust God's promises more than our perceptions and to find rest in the faithfulness of God.
BOOK FORWARD- There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:6-7. Have you ever faced a crisis of belief on your faith journey of following Jesus? A similar term one might use to describe such a crisis of belief is: "a test of faith".In this autobiography, James shares many of his tests of faith which set him up for several inspired God encounters, resulting in supernatural covenant provision and miracles. A true page-turner, you may find yourself rushing through the story, eager to find out what happens next. I encourage you, however, to take your time to read through it again, the second time to focus on a unique feature in this book; the rich and inspiring scripture references at the end of each of the forty chapters. I propose you consider taking a 40-day journey, using this book as a devotional, to digest and assimilate every verse more fully as it relates to your own personal walk with the Lord.In Luke 9:23, Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." James shares his journey of taking to heart these words of Jesus. Every disciple of Christ will experience a crisis of belief at various times; indeed, for our faith to be proven genuine it must be tried by fire and purified like gold.After reading this autobiography, the one word I believe best describes James' faith journey is perseverance, which reminds me of the story in the Bible about the persistent widow. In this story, the widow's persistence proved her unrelenting faith. At the end of the story, Jesus states, "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" The challenge set before each of us is whether or not we will dare to walk down the path of genuine, proven faith that few follow. Juliet Canha, District Pastor Forerunner Church
After working with thousands of struggling Latter-day Saint members, the authors have written a book offering hope and answers for those struggling with faith crisis. In a head-to-head, behind-the-scenes-battle, 20th century traditional leaders resisted intellectual progressives working in the Church History Department and at BYU.
