MARK'S GROUP DISCOUNT: In this HANDY 6x9" edition, your teenager will be thrilled to discover how Jesus might have spent his youth in preparation to become the Messiah. This faux biography of Jesus reconstructs the historic settings in which Jesus lived among mankind as one of us. The "missing years" are an interpolation of the birth story and his mission. The many characters are presented with familiar motives and concerns. This set of four Gospel novels presents a theologically correct depiction of the Trinity at work as God prepares His son to deal with his own flesh in this material world. As you preview the carefully worded sexual passages, your eyes will open to the modern dilemma that young people face today. You will recognize the Holy Spirit's voice, as God molds and forges Jesus in the same way that Jesus can mold and forge you. Both the humanity of Jesus and his divinity are portrayed in this romantic story of the adventure that Jesus began - an adventure that continues to this day.
1983 was a great year for America. In 1983, President Reagan found what President Nixon had been looking for. The stock market began a historic bull run, and a thousand students were rescued from Grenada before being taken hostage by a new Communist regime. But it was a lousy year for me. I'd been framed for an arson by the same crowd that had tried to kill me in 1970. I should never have gotten mixed up with them. But in the long run, it's a good thing that I did. Let me tell you how all of this "teflon" happened. And while I'm at it, I'll tell you some of the things I learned about drugs and gambling and homosexuality and suicide and the "cultural revolution" and the Mafia Commission and the Vietnam war and how Communism nearly took over America. It's an adventure that I'm ashamed of, but I can't help being proud of having been part of something so historic, so important, so BIG! Join me in this adventure, and America will never look the same to you.
PART I: "The Magi's Gold" will bring the Gospel to life for even the most skeptical readers. From Joseph's dilemma with his new young bride, to Herod's reckless slaughter of the innocents, you'll follow the unfolding of events as God brings His Own son into this material world. Here is a realistic drama of how the world's greatest adventure began, with motivated characters in a difficult ancient setting. This smallest of the four Gospel novels, part of the "God Becomes Man" series, will set the stage with depth and clarity for an adventure that continues to this day. Without sacrificing reverence, this fictional dramatization of the Christmas story can enhance the reader's familiar bond with the living Jesus. Every parent should make this dramatic Gospel story available to their teenagers.
Hurting people ask heart-felt questions about God and suffering. Some "answers" they receive appeal to mystery: “God’s ways are not our ways”. Some answers say God allows evil for a greater purpose. Some say evil is God's punishment. The usual answers fail. They don't support the truth that God loves everyone all the time. God Can't gives a believable answer to why a good and powerful God doesn't prevent evil. Author Thomas Jay Oord says God’s love is inherently uncontrolling. God loves everyone and everything, so God can't control anyone or anything. This means God cannot prevent evil singlehandedly. God can’t stop evildoers, whether human, animal, organism, or inanimate objects and forces. In God Can't, Oord gives a plausible reason why some are healed, but many others are not. God always works to heal everyone, but sometimes our bodies, organisms, or other creatures do not cooperate with God's healing work. Or the conditions of creation are not right for the healing God wants to do. Some people think God causes or allows suffering to teach us lessons or build our character. God Can't disagrees. Oord says God squeezes good from the evil God didn’t want in the first place. God uses pain and suffering without willing or even allowing it. Most people think God can overcome evil singlehandedly. In God Can't, Oord says God needs cooperation for love to reign now and later. This leads to a better view of the afterlife called “relentless love.” It rejects traditional ideas of heaven, hell, and annihilation. Relentless love holds to the possibility all creatures and all creation will respond to God’s love. God Can't is written in understandable language. As a world-renown theologian, Thomas Jay Oord brings credibility to the book’s radical ideas. He explains these ideas through true stories, illustrations, and scripture. God Can't is for those who want answers to tragedy, abuse, and other evils that make sense! What They're Saying... “If conventional notions of God make less and less sense to you, you’ll find Thomas Jay Oord’s new book a breath of fresh air. Simply put, “God Can’t” presents an understanding of God that thoughtful, ethical people can believe in.” -- Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration "I did not want this book to end. I wish Dr. Oord had written it 100 years ago, or 1000 years ago... To find your understanding of life and your love for God renewed, read this book." -- Dr. Karen Strand Winslow, Ph.D., Biblical and Jewish Studies Professor of Bible, Azusa Pacific University "As a clinical psychologist working with people in trauma, I owe Thomas Jay Oord an enormous debt of gratitude for recasting the so-called problem of evil in terms that are conceptually satisfying, theologically consistent, and pastorally liberating.” -- Dr Roger Bretherton- Principal Lecturer at the University of Lincoln (UK), Chair of the British Association of Christians in Psychology “Victims of trauma sometimes hear theological responses that imply their suffering is somehow “God’s will." A more careful theological reflection on the nature of the power of a God who is love can help. Oord gives us a clear and compelling alternative in this profoundly insightful and admirably concrete and accessible book.” -- Dr. Anna Case-Winters, Professor of Theology at McCormick Theological Seminary “I know of no book that speaks to suffering with the depth of theological sophistication and psychological sensitivity as God Can’t. This book is a rare combination of depth and accessibility, truly written for the wounded. I recommend it to my students, parishioners, and therapy clients.” -- Dr. Brad D. Strawn, Professor of the Integration of Psychology and Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary
Have you ever wondered... How Did God Do It? How did God perform the many miracles and supernatural events described in the Holy Bible - without violating the laws of physics and chemistry that He Himself put into place? And without conflicting with the basic tenets of Judaism and Christianity? This book proposes a theory that marries faith and rationality in a symphony of science and scripture....
For two centuries, Jesus has connected the Latter-day Saints to broader currents of Christianity, even while particular Mormon beliefs have been points of differentiation. From the author of the definitive life of Brigham Young comes a biography of the Mormon Jesus that enriches our understanding of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Latina/o culture and identity have long been shaped by their challenges to the religious, socio-economic, and political status quo. Robert Chao Romero explores the "Brown Church" and how this movement appeals to the vision for redemption that includes not only heavenly promises but also the transformation of our lives and the world.
The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave
This visionary text professes to tell the complete story of Jesus' life, including the "lost" years, during which he traveled and studied in Tibet, Egypt, India, Persia, and Greece. First published in 1908, this mystical work is the cornerstone of a Christian denomination, the Aquarian Christine Church Universal, and it offers intriguing, controversial assertions about Christ's message. Jesus was conceived by a human father, author Levi Dowling states, and by effort and prayer rendered himself a fit vessel for "the Christ" — the model for human existence and ultimate salvation. Dowling, who devoted forty years of preparation to the task of transcribing this volume's contents from original Akashic records, further asserts the reality of reincarnation and its culmination in the perfection of the human soul. Tracing Jesus' life from his birth in Bethlehem to his ascension from the Mount of Olives, Dowling offers complete details concerning the savior's years among monks, wise men, and seers throughout the Orient. Readers with an interest in occult lore and the history of religion will find this remarkable volume a source of endless fascination.
