Naked Christians comprises a collection of poems which either warns of the lack of eternal life in the souls of many naked Christians (1) who think they live as the body of Christ but do not, (2) who dare to call themselves Christians but have not as yet been born again, (3) who have been duped by false shepherds into believing that there are many ways to God the Father other than the only way of Jesus Christ, (4) who believe that repentance is just a one-time act if it is even necessary at all in the first place, (5) who may be weakening, if saved at all, while they are being engulfed by deniers of God’s word. Who can sit in a naked church in the midst of naked Christians being instructed by a naked pastor and still hope to be found in the presence of the Lord in the millennium?
Jim C. Cunningham considers his latest 588-page work, Nudity & Christianity, to be his "magnum opus." It represents the fruit of thirty years of research, meditation, discussion and many personal experiences. Though much of the material is new, Jim has included the best of his twenty-three years of naturist publishing. Although all of his previous publications (see naturistlife.com) were highly photographic, this latest is 100% textual, in hopes of reaching those who might be intimidated even by tasteful graphics. The insightful ideas of dozens of authors from various denominations are represented here, from Pope John Paul II to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, C.S. Lewis to Kahlil Gibran and even Mark Twain. The purpose of this book is to encourage readers to probe the reasons for wearing clothes. Today, Western convention tends to assume that "nude is lewd," but it was not always that way. For half the Church's history, catechumens--men, women, boys and girls, were routinely baptized together, nude, by full immersion. Today, we recoil at learning this, but how have cultural attitudes toward the body changed to effect this reaction? Jim asks those hard questions about the body and the meaning of true modesty, and exhorts Christians to lead the way in asserting God's definition of the body, rather than Playboy's. Instead of allowing pornographers to define the body for us, and then create a virtue of modesty to fit that false definition, Christians should assert God's definition as found in Scripture and Church Tradition. When we view the body as Jesus did, our definition of modesty becomes radically different from what is conventionally presumed. Two highly detailed indices (Scriptural and Topical) make this an excellent reference book. Readers are exhorted to live what they learn. Jim proposes attending "Theology of the Body Retreats." For more information go to JIMCCUNNINGHAM.COM.
Why this book is so important to me and why I would love for everyone to read it: When we find the Naked Jesus, we uncover the freedom to put our faith into action; we desire to do something and not just believe something; we stop talking a good game and get dirty playing the game; we are freed from the institutional church structure that desires to define us and stand invited to the table where the Naked Jesus help us discover who we are; we are freed from the garbage it brings to the party; and we no longer swim in the slime of the shallow end of the pool.
This book is for anyone who grew up in the Church, but did their growing up far away from it. Author Craig Borlase offers answers for those looking for vulnerable Christianity, the kind that makes us unafraid of being naked before each other and God. If you feel you fit just outside of what the Church has to offer, this book offers answers based in Scripture and will lead you into a more authentic relationship with Christ and others. ?The Naked Christian is a book that makes me glad I'm a Christian, and that hasn't happened in a very long time.? Mike Yaconelli ?Craig Borlase shakes off the dust, longing for a purer and more real walk with God. The Naked Christian helps us rethink some of our ?church-culture? mindsets, with refreshingly blunt honesty.? Matt Redman
The Naked Gospel is a chapter-by-chapter assault on the churchy jargon and double talk of our day. It puts forth a message that is simple but life-changing. With a fresh take on Scripture and unapologetic style, The Naked Gospel will challenge you to re-examine everything you thought you already knew.
The cross of Christ is undeniably central to the Christian faith. But, how can the cruelty and brutality of a two-thousand-year-old Roman cross touch base with a hedonistic world that has been so desensitized towards violence? Within the postmodern setting of a body-obsessed culture, Christianity urgently requires an innovative and stimulating way of understanding the cross and its atoning significance. At the heart of this book is the Naked Christ--an emblem through which the author draws on the rich resources of the Christian tradition in its portrayal of the cross. He explores how the metaphors of nakedness and clothing can encapsulate aspects of atonement and enable them to be understood within a variety of contemporary contexts. The Naked Christ is a useful resource for anyone seeking fresh ways to express what the cross of Christ means to contemporary culture.
Is Your Conscience Condemning You? What exactly is your conscience? What role does it play in your life? And does it help or hurt you? In Who Told You That You Were Naked? Andrew Wommack answers these questions and more as he outlines how the conscience affects us. Andrew shares how the vast majority of Christians dont understand how the conscience operates. If they did, they would no longer struggle with the fear, shame, guilt, and doubt that keep them from Gods best. As you learn about your conscience, youll learn how to walk in greater intimacy with Jesus, how to pray with boldness and confidence, how to receive Gods promises, and how to break free from fear and doubt once and for all.
Originally published in 1983, Leo Steinberg's classic work has changed the viewing habits of a generation. After centuries of repression and censorship, the sexual component in thousands of revered icons of Christ is restored to visibility. Steinberg's evidence resides in the imagery of the overtly sexed Christ, in Infancy and again after death. Steinberg argues that the artists regarded the deliberate exposure of Christ's genitalia as an affirmation of kinship with the human condition. Christ's lifelong virginity, understood as potency under check, and the first offer of blood in the circumcision, both required acknowledgment of the genital organ. More than exercises in realism, these unabashed images underscore the crucial theological import of the Incarnation. This revised and greatly expanded edition not only adduces new visual evidence, but deepens the theological argument and engages the controversy aroused by the book's first publication.
“[A] brilliant and provocative work . . . demonstrating the centrality of the flesh to the mysteries and doctrines of the Christian faith.” —Carol Zaleski, Smith College A sustained and systematic theological reflection on the idea that being a Christian is, first and last, a matter of the flesh, Christian Flesh shows us what being a Christian means for fleshly existence. Depicting and analyzing what the Christian tradition has to say about the flesh of Christians in relation to that of Christ, the book shows that some kinds of fleshly activity conform well to being a Christian, while others are in tension with it. But to lead a Christian life is to be unconstrained by ordinary ethical norms. Arguing that no particular case of fleshly activity is forbidden, Paul J. Griffiths illustrates his message through extended case studies of what it is for Christians to eat, to clothe themselves, and to engage in physical intimacy. “In this trenchant and careful theological treatment of our embodiment, Paul Griffiths puts the stress exactly where it should be put––on the possibility of transfigured touch. By focusing on the varieties of touch, he is able to untangle several unfortunate arguments between liberals and conservatives in a most refreshing way.” —John Milbank, University of Nottingham “Very few theologians can boast a comparable combination of profound questioning and precise reasoning. This is a book worthy of the most serious reflection, debate, and admiration.” —David Bentley Hart, Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study “Supremely lucid and beautifully austere.” —Evan Sandsmark, Modern Theology “A model of well-reasoned, stimulating and enduring theology.” —R. David Nelson, International Journal of Systematic Theology
