Nomad for God
Nomad for God

Author: Rev. Dusty Pruitt

Publisher: Trafford Publishing

Published: 2020-03-09

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 1490799796

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This book is Dusty Pruitt’s memoir about growing up Born Again in a fundamentalist Baptist household, coming out as a lesbian as a young woman in her ‘20’s, and her struggle to reconcile God, Gays and the Bible. Along the way Pruitt recounts her time as an active duty officer in the Women’s Army Corps, and her lawsuit against the US Army to be able to serve as an openly gay servicemember. Pruitt’s life as a pastor to the LGBT+ community and beyond chronicles the joys and heartaches of being a pastor to which all clergy who have served local parishes can relate. The theme that runs throughout all the book is God’s faithfulness and the enduring lessons learned in early childhood about how to “keep the faith”.

Wandering God
Wandering God

Author: Morris Berman

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 0791493245

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The third book in Morris Berman's much acclaimed trilogy on the evolution of human consciousness, Wandering God continues his earlier work which garnered such praise as "solid lessons in the history of ideas" (KIRKUS Reviews), "filled with piquant details" (Common Boundary), and "an informative synthesis and a remarkably friendly, good-natured jeremiad" (The Village Voice). Here, in a remarkable discussion of our hunter-gatherer ancestry and the "paradoxical" mode of perception that it involved, Berman shows how a sense of alertness, or secular/sacred immediacy, subsequently got buried by the rise of sedentary civilization, religion, and vertical power relationships. In an integrated tour de force, Wandering God explores the meaning of Paleolithic art, the origins of social inequality, the nature of cross-cultural child rearing, the relationship between women and agriculture, and the world view of present-day nomadic peoples, as well as the emergence of "paradoxical" consciousness in the philosophical writings of the twentieth century.

Original Blessing
Original Blessing

Author: Danielle Shroyer

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2016-10-24

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 150642029X

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Of the worlds major religions, only Christianity holds to a doctrine of original sin. Ideas are powerful, and they shape who we are and who we become. The fact that many Christians believe there is something in human nature that is, and will always be, contrary to God, is not just a problem but a tragedy. So why do the doctrines assumptions of human nature so infiltrate our pulpits, sermons, and theological bookshelves? How is it so misconstrued in times of grief, pastoral care, and personal shame? How did we fall so far from Gods original blessing in the garden to this pervasive belief in humanitys innate inability to do good? In this book, Danielle Shroyer takes readers through an overview of the historical development of the doctrine, pointing out important missteps and overcalculations, and providing alternative ways to approach often-used Scriptures. Throughout, she brings the primary claims of original sin to their untenable (and unbiblical) conclusions. In Original Blessing, she shows not only how we got this doctrine wrong, but how we can put sin back in its rightful place: in a broader context of redemption and the blessing of humanitys creation in the image of God.

Disunity in Christ
Disunity in Christ

Author: Christena Cleveland

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2013-10-04

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 0830864954

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Despite Jesus' prayer that all Christians "be one," divisions have been epidemic in the body of Christ. Though we may think we know why this happens, Christena Cleveland says we probably don't. Learn the hidden reasons behind conflict and divisions, the unseen dynamics at work that tend to separate us from others. Here are the tools we need to build bridges.

A More Christlike God
A More Christlike God

Author: Bradley Jersak

Publisher: Plain Truth Ministries

Published: 2015-09-01

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1889973173

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Whether our notions of ‘god’ are personal projections or inherited traditions, author and theologian Brad Jersak proposes a radical reassessment, arguing for A More Christlike God: a More Beautiful Gospel. If Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of God’s likeness,” what if we conceived of God as completely Christlike—the perfect Incarnation of self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love? What if God has always been and forever will be ‘cruciform’ (cross-shaped) in his character and actions? A More Christlike God suggests that such a God would be very good news indeed—a God who Jesus “unwrathed” from dead religion, a Love that is always toward us, and a Grace that pours into this suffering world through willing, human partners.

Nomad
Nomad

Author: Brandan Robertson

Publisher: Augsburg Books

Published: 2020-08-11

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1506467369

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"The deeper I grow in my own faith as a Christian, the greater my desire to explore. My faith whets my appetite for discovering what God is doing in and through the world each and every day. This book is a chronicle of some of the most important lessons I have learned thus far. I write to encourage my fellow nomads who, like me, so often feel alone in their wanderings yet are a part of a much larger caravan of fellow wanderers seeking to discover for ourselves the meaning and mysteries of life." Part-autobiography, part-Christian spirituality, Nomad offers penetrating insight into the minds of the new generations of progressive evangelical followers of Jesus in the global Church. Themes include community, war, redemption, wonder, grace, sexuality, and the Eucharist.

Seeking the God Beyond
Seeking the God Beyond

Author: J. P. Williams

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2019-07-29

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1532685785

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Apophatic theology, or negative theology, attempts to describe God, the Divine Good, by negation, to speak only in terms of what may not be said about the perfect goodness that is God. It is a way of coming to an understanding of who God is, which has played a significant role across centuries of Christian tradition but is very often treated with suspicion by those engaging in theological study today. This book seeks to introduce students to this oft-misunderstood form of spirituality. Beginning by placing apophatic spirituality within its biblical roots, the book later considers the key pioneers of apophatic faith and a diverse range of thinkers, including C. S. Lewis and Keats, to inform us in our negative theological journey. A final section explores what difference a negative theological approach might make to our practice and our liturgy.

Christian Minimalism
Christian Minimalism

Author: Becca Ehrlich

Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.

Published: 2021-05-17

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1640653899

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"Ehrlich’s insightful self-help guide will resonate with Christians wishing to streamline an overstuffed life."—Publishers Weekly Logically, we all know our purpose in life is not wrapped up in accumulating possessions, wealth, power, and prestige—Jesus is very clear about that—but society tells us otherwise. Christian Minimalism attempts to cut through our assumptions and society’s lies about what life should look like and invites readers into a life that Jesus calls us to live: one lived intentionally, free of physical, spiritual, and emotional clutter. Written by a woman who simplified her own life and practices these principles daily, this book gives readers a fresh perspective on how to live out God’s grace for us in new and exciting ways and live out our faith in a way that is deeply satisfying.

The Dream of God
The Dream of God

Author: Verna J. Dozier

Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.

Published: 2021-08-17

Total Pages: 89

ISBN-13: 1640654895

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A beloved teacher helps modern people live the Bible’s message more fully. Respected teacher and author Verna Dozier explores the ways that humanity and the institutional church have strayed far from Jesus’s original message. To help us get back on track, she examines the Bible: a theological and historical record of hundreds of years in which two communities of faith (Jewish and early Christian) explored their own life experiences. Our task now is not to ask which interpretations are correct, but to ask “what did it mean to them” and “what does it mean for us?” Dozier encourages us to see Christianity not as creed or institution, but as “the vision of a new possibility for human life rooted in an ancient understanding of God and lived out by a Nazarene carpenter.” Through adept storytelling and study, Dozier reawakens our sense of calling and our desire for truth. This new and revised edition includes a new foreword by Sophfronia Scott and a study guide.

Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind
Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind

Author: David Quammen

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2004-09-17

Total Pages: 532

ISBN-13: 039307630X

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"Rich detail and vivid anecdotes of adventure....A treasure trove of exotic fact and hard thinking." —New York Times Book Review For millennia, lions, tigers, and their man-eating kin have kept our dark, scary forests dark and scary, and their predatory majesty has been the stuff of folklore. But by the year 2150 big predators may only exist on the other side of glass barriers and chain-link fences. Their gradual disappearance is changing the very nature of our existence. We no longer occupy an intermediate position on the food chain; instead we survey it invulnerably from above—so far above that we are in danger of forgetting that we even belong to an ecosystem. Casting his expert eye over the rapidly diminishing areas of wilderness where predators still reign, the award-winning author of The Song of the Dodo and The Tangled Tree examines the fate of lions in India's Gir forest, of saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia, of brown bears in the mountains of Romania, and of Siberian tigers in the Russian Far East. In the poignant and troublesome ferocity of these embattled creatures, we recognize something primeval deep within us, something in danger of vanishing forever.