God's Wider Presence
God's Wider Presence

Author: Robert K. Johnston

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2014-10-14

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 1441246282

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What are we to make of those occasional yet illuminating experiences of God's presence that occur outside both church and Scripture? We may encounter God's revelatory presence as we experience a beautiful sunset, the birth of a child, or a work of art, music, or literature. While theologians have tended to describe such experiences abstractly as mere traces or echoes, those involved often recognize such moments of transcendence as transformative. Here senior theologian Robert Johnston explores how Christians should think theologically about God's wider revelatory presence that is mediated outside the church through creation, conscience, and culture. The book offers a robust, constructive biblical theology of general revelation, rooting its insights in the broader Trinitarian work of the Spirit. Drawing in part from the author's theological engagement with film and the arts, the book helps Christians understand personal moments of experiencing God's transcendence and accounts for revelatory experiences of those outside the believing community. It also shows how God's revelatory presence can impact our interaction with nonbelievers and those of other faiths.

God's Presence
God's Presence

Author: Frances Young

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-10-10

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 1107470951

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In 2011, Frances Young delivered the Bampton Lectures in Oxford to great acclaim. She offered a systematic theology with contemporary coherence, by engaging in conversation with the fathers of the church - those who laid down the parameters of Christian theology and enshrined key concepts in the creeds - and exploring how their teachings can be applied today, despite the differences in our intellectual and ecclesial environments. This book results from a thorough rewriting of those lectures in which Young explores the key topics of Christian doctrine in a way that is neither simply dogmatic nor simply historical. She addresses the congruence of head and heart, through academic and spiritual engagement with God's gracious accommodation to human limitations. Christianity and biblical interpretation are discussed in depth, and the book covers key topics including Creation, anthropology, Christology, soteriology, spirituality, ecclesiology and Mariology, making it invaluable to those studying historical and constructive theology.

Presence, Power and Promise
Presence, Power and Promise

Author: David G. Firth

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2011-10-06

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 0830839577

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From the first verses of Genesis, the Spirit of God makes a dramatic appearance in the Bible. However, despite the importance of the Spirit in the Old Testament, it has been the focus of surprisingly little scholarship. In response, this volume assemblesa host of premier Old Testament scholars to address various aspects of the subject. Major thematic essays and studies of relevant biblical texts are arranged in eight main sections: orientation of the Ancient Near Eastern context; the Spirit and its relation to creation, wisdom, creativity, prophecy, leadership and the future, and finally the Spirit at Qumran.

The People of God's Presence
The People of God's Presence

Author: Terry L. Cross

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2019-10-15

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1493417967

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In an age when the church is sometimes viewed as irrelevant and inauthentic, leading Pentecostal theologian Terry Cross calls the people of God to a radical change of structure and mission based on theological principles. Cross, whose work is respected by scholars from across the ecumenical landscape, offers an introduction to ecclesiology that demonstrates how Pentecostals can contribute to and learn from the church catholic. A forthcoming volume by the author, Serving the People of God's Presence, will focus on the role of leadership in the church.

Experience God's Presence
Experience God's Presence

Author: Melissa Lanza

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2017-04-10

Total Pages: 102

ISBN-13: 9781545122822

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This is the companion journal for the book Experience God's Presence. One can use this to write down their experiences from the book, as a personal diary, or hold onto it as a prayer journal.

Theology for Psychology and Counseling
Theology for Psychology and Counseling

Author: Kutter Callaway

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2022-02-08

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1493434705

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This book winsomely explores the significance of theology and the Christian faith for the practice of psychology. The authors demonstrate how psychology and the Christian faith can be brought together in a mutually enriching lived practice, helping students engage in psychology in a theologically informed way. Each chapter includes introductory takeaways, questions for reflection and discussion, and resources for further study and reading.

The Illusion of God's Presence
The Illusion of God's Presence

Author: John C. Wathey

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 1633880745

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An essential feature of religious experience across many cultures is the intuitive feeling of God's presence. More than any rituals or doctrines, it is this experience that anchors religious faith, yet it has been largely ignored in the scientific literature on religion.Starting with a vivid narrative account of the life-threatening hike that triggered his own mystical experience, biologist John Wathey takes the reader on a scientific journey to find the sources of religious feeling and the illusion of God's presence. His book delves into the biological origins of this compelling feeling, attributing it to innate neural circuitry that evolved to promote the mother-child bond. Dr. Wathey argues that evolution has programmed the infant brain to expect the presence of a loving being who responds to the child's needs. As the infant grows into adulthood, this innate feeling is eventually transferred to the realm of religion, where it is reactivated through the symbols, imagery, and rituals of worship. The author interprets our various conceptions of God in biological terms as illusory supernormal stimuli that fill an emotional and cognitive vacuum left over from infancy. These insights shed new light on some of the most vexing puzzles of religion, like the popular belief in a god who is judgmental and punishing, yet also unconditionally loving; the extraordinary tenacity of faith; the greater religiosity of women relative to men; religious obsessions with sex; the mysterious compulsion to pray; the seemingly irrepressible feminine attributes of God, even in traditionally patriarchal religions; and the strange allure of cults. Finally, Dr. Wathey considers the hypothesis that religion evolved to foster reproductive success, arguing that, in an age of potentially ruinous overpopulation, magical thinking has become a luxury we can no longer afford, one that distracts us from urgent threats to our planet.Deeply researched yet elegantly written in a jargon-free and accessible style, this book presents a compelling interpretation of the evolutionary origins of spirituality and religion.

Desperate for His Presence
Desperate for His Presence

Author: Rhonda Hughey

Publisher: Bethany House

Published: 2004-09-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780764200076

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Desperate for His Presence will help intercessors, pastors, and leaders tap into God's heart for churches and cities, in order to bring about city-wide revival. As the church rekindles her passion for her first love, Jesus Christ, the book will become a true agent of transformation. From her experiences in Argentina and Guildford, England, Rhonda Hughey, director of City Transformation Ministry at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, relates what happens to cities when churches are radically transformed by the passion of Christ.

God Dwells Among Us
God Dwells Among Us

Author: G. K. Beale

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 9781783591916

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The writers and chief actors of the Old Testament expressed a deep longing for the presence of God. This longing is symbolized through history in the Garden of Eden, the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle that housed it, the temple, and the ruins of the temple. In response to this longing, God shares his ultimate mission, in which his people play a part: the expansion of Eden - the temple of God's presence - to all peoples throughout the earth. The temple has always been a source of rich scholarship and theological reflection - but what does it mean for the church's ongoing mission in the world? Beale and Kim build a bridge from the world of biblical theology to our modern-day life. They help us to see clearly that the themes of Eden, the temple, God's glorious presence, new creation, and the mission of the church are ultimately facets of the same reality. Hence, from Eden to the New Jerusalem, God's people are his temple on the earth, the first-fruits of the new creation. God has always desired to dwell among us; now the church needs to follow its calling to extend the borders of God's kingdom and take his presence to the ends of the earth.