The gospel of Jesus has not always been good news for Native Americans. But despite the far-reaching effects of colonialism, some Natives have forged culturally authentic ways to follow Jesus. In his final work, Richard Twiss surveys the complicated history of Christian missions among Indigenous peoples and voices a hopeful vision of contextual Native Christian faith.
Countless thoughtful people are now so disgusted with the marriage of bad theology and hypocritical behavior by the church that a new Reformation is required in which the purpose of religion itself is reimagined. Meyers takes the best of biblical scholarship and recasts these core Christian concepts to exhort the church to pursue an alternative vision of the Christian life: Jesus as Teacher, not Savior Christianity as Compassion, not Condemnation Prosperity as Dangerous, not Divine Discipleship as Obedience, not Control Religion as Relationship, not Righteousness This is not a call to the church to move to the far left or to try something brand new. Rather, it is the recovery of something very old. Saving Jesus from the Church shows us what it means to be a Christian and how to follow Jesus' teachings today.
An inside look at the young, diverse, and progressive Christians who are transforming the evangelical movement Deborah Jian Lee left the evangelical world because she was frustrated by its conservative politics. But over the years, she noticed how evangelical culture and politics were changing—and moving in a more progressive direction. What Lee came to find is that most of what we think we know about evangelicals is wrong, or is well on its way to becoming dated. In Rescuing Jesus, she ventures into the world of progressive evangelicalism, telling the stories of those at the forefront of a movement that could change the face and the substance of religion in the United States. These men and women are a young and diverse array of people—LGBTQ and straight; white, black, Asian, Hispanic, and indigenous—who are working to wrest political power away from conservatives. These young evangelicals are more likely than their elders to accept same-sex marriage, more inclined to think of “pro-life” issues as being about supporting society’s disenfranchised, and more accepting of equality between men and women. With empathy, journalistic rigor, and powerful storytelling, Lee unpacks the diverse and complex strands of this movement—and what it means for the rest of us. Given the clout that evangelicals still hold in national politics, Lee argues, this movement is important not only for the future of evangelicalism but also for the future of our country.
In this theological resource for spiritual transformation and social change, Carter Heyward rethinks the figure and import of Jesus for church, academy, and society. Rather than focus on the endlessly variable pictures of Jesus in contemporary biblical scholarship, and in radical opposition to the Jesus of the Christian Right, Heyward presents Jesus as our brother, infused with a sacred power and passion for embodying right (mutual) relation, and ourselves with him in this commitment. She goes on to explore, concretely, how we might live this way.Wonderfully clear-sighted, this brief, faithful, and intelligent Christology offers reconstructions of incarnation, atonement, evil, suffering, and fear. It also sheds light on the significance of Jesus for ecological, racial, economic, and gender justice. Heyward's book envisions a mighty counter-cultural force, which she names christic power, that can help save American culture from its greed and domination and save the figure of Jesus from culture-generated distortions. In short, Heyward's book will help people come to terms with the life-changing implications of Jesus' person and ethic. To a generation in search of the transforming potential of Christian commitment, Heyward's most important work offers both spiritual depth and unwavering commitment to the human good. A study guide to this book is available here on fortresspress.com. Click on the tab Letter from the Author.
From one of the most daring and sensuous young writers in America, Jesus Saves, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, is a suburban gothic that explores the sources of evil, confronts the dynamic shifts within theology, and traces the consequences of suburban alienation. Set in the modern launch pads of adolescent ritual, the strip malls and duplexes on the back side of suburbia, it’s the story of two girls: Ginger, a troubled minister’s daughter; and Sandy Patrick, who has been abducted from summer camp and now smiles from missing-child posters all over town. Layering the dreamscapes of Alice in Wonderland with the subculture of River’s Edge, Darcey Steinke’s Jesus Saves is an unforgettable passage through the depths of the literary imagination.
A serious attempt to free Jesus from the confining garments of both New Testament studies and orthodox Christianity, to discover a better understanding of Jesus.
Jesus promised that those who truly put his teachings into practice would do all the wonders he did and greater. Why then, even after 2,000 years, has there never yet been any significant sign of these wonders happening in any of the more than 20,000 Christian Churches and Congregations that are proud to bear his name today? The Crucifixion took place on the eve of Passover. That major Jewish Festival centered on the sacrifice of a lamb on the altar of the Temple. The shedding of its blood was believed to wash our sins in the sight of God. It was almost inevitable that the earliest followers of Jesus would have tied Jesus to the Sacrificial Lamb of Passover. Over the centuries this warped belief that Jesus is a Suffering Savior, who came here to die for our sins, has dealt a crippling blow to the emergence of the spiritual power that he promised us. There is hope. This book assaults those crippling beliefs by an investigation that ranges through history, the religious mindset, and the workings of the brain. It shows how we can learn to change these deeply embedded and subconscious programs. As Jesus said: "Those who have ears to hear let them hear."
They followed the wondrous Star a thousand torturous miles to help save the Christ child from the fury of a jealous king. For over a century the Jews of Palestine were victims in a tug of war between Imperial Rome and the mighty Parthian Empire. As a result, the Jewish people seethed with rebellion and waited impatiently for the Messiah they dreamed would deliver them. But while the Palestinians simmered, a group of Wise Men far to the East began following a wondrous Star, only to find themselves embroiled in a cauldron of political and religious intrigue, their lives in danger. Those Jewish "Wise Men" were heirs of the "Sages" of Old. They had advised kings, instructed the young, and penned the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes.* "Saving Jesus" is the untold story of the Wise Men who defied the world's rulers by delivering the means to save the baby Jesus from the wrath of King Herod. Whether you consider it legend or legacy, the biblical account of the Wise Men is well attested, and the child they visited ultimately changed the history of the world. Jeremiah listed the Wise Men with the Priests and the Prophets, and considered their ministry to be vital to the practical and philosophical life of Israel (See Jeremiah 18:18).
Calming the storm. Healing the sick. Raising the dead. These are just a few of the wondrous works of Jesus Christ. Yet these miracles are only a small glimpse into his most wondrous miracle of all-redeeming his children. Examining thirteen miracles of Jesus in the gospel of Luke, Richard Phillips traces their underlying significance straight to the cross. In this exciting study, Phillips expounds the true meaning and intention of these miracles and shows how each one reveals God's mighty saving grace.
Ambition needs to be rescued and put to work for God's glory. This book will encourage and embolden believers to pursue their dreams with a godly ambition that seeks more for God and from God.
