The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World
The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World

Author: Deanna A. Thompson

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2016-11-01

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 1501815199

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We live in a wired world where 24/7 digital connectivity is increasingly the norm. Christian megachurch communities often embrace this reality wholeheartedly while more traditional churches often seem hesitant and overwhelmed by the need for an interactive website, a Facebook page and a twitter feed. This book accepts digital connectivity as our reality, but presents a vision of how faith communities can utilize technology to better be the body of Christ to those who are hurting while also helping followers of Christ think critically about the limits of our digital attachments. This book begins with a conversion story of a non-cell phone owning, non-Facebook using religion professor judgmental of the ability of digital tools to enhance relationships. A stage IV cancer diagnosis later, in the midst of being held up by virtual communities of support, a conversion occurs: this religion professor benefits in embodied ways from virtual sources and wants to convert others to the reality that the body of Christ can and does exist virtually and makes embodied difference in the lives of those who are hurting. The book neither uncritically embraces nor rejects the constant digital connectivity present in our lives. Rather it calls on the church to a) recognize ways in which digital social networks already enact the virtual body of Christ; b) tap into and expand how Christ is being experienced virtually; c) embrace thoughtfully the material effects of our new augmented reality, and c) influence utilization of technology that minimizes distraction and maximizes attentiveness toward God and the world God loves.

Life in the Body of Christ
Life in the Body of Christ

Author: Curtis C. Thomas

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9780971336186

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Thomas offers practical, biblical instruction on a wide range of issues involving individual and corporate participation and responsibility in the life of a local church. (Christian)

Rediscover Church
Rediscover Church

Author: Collin Hansen

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2021-07-28

Total Pages: 149

ISBN-13: 1433579596

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"A Christian without a church is a Christian in trouble." Since a global pandemic abruptly closed places of worship, many Christians have skipped church life, even neglecting virtual services. But this was a trend even before COVID-19. Polarizing issues, including political and racial strife, convinced some people to pull away from the church and one another. Now it's time to recommit to gathering as brothers and sisters in Christ. In Rediscover Church, Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman discuss why church is essential for believers and God's mission. Through biblical references and personal stories, they show readers God's true intention for corporate gathering: to spiritually strengthen members as individuals and the body of Christ. In an age of church-shopping and livestreamed services, rediscover why the future of the church relies on believers gathering regularly as the family of God. Published in partnership with the Gospel Coalition and 9Marks.

How the Body of Christ Talks
How the Body of Christ Talks

Author: C. Christopher Smith

Publisher: Brazos Press

Published: 2019-04-16

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1493417053

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In today's highly charged social and political environment, we often don't know how to talk well with others--especially with people whose backgrounds differ from our own. C. Christopher Smith, coauthor of the critically acclaimed and influential Slow Church, addresses why conversation has become such a challenge in the 21st century and argues that it is perhaps the most-needed spiritual practice of our individualistic age. Smith likens practicing conversation to the working of the human body. Bodies are wondrous symphonies of diverse, intricate parts striving for our health, and our health suffers when these parts fail to converse effectively. Likewise, we must learn to converse effectively with those who differ from us in the body of Christ so we can embody Christ together in the world. In community, we learn what it means to belong to others and to a story that is bigger than ourselves. Smith shows how church communities can be training hubs where we learn to talk with and listen to one another with kindness and compassion. The book explores how churches can initiate and sustain conversation, offers advice for working through seasons of conflict, suggests spiritual practices and dispositions that can foster conversation, and features stories from several congregations that are learning to practice conversation.

The Mystical Body of Christ
The Mystical Body of Christ

Author: Fulton J. Sheen

Publisher: Ave Maria Press

Published: 2015-03-09

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0870612956

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The Mystical Body of Christ captures the theological precision and communicative genius of Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979), whose radio and television broadcasts, including Life Is Worth Living, have reached millions of homes since the 1950s. With more than thirty of his works still in print, Sheen is one of the most beloved Catholic evangelists of all time. This full-length and fully developed work on the Church as an extension of the Incarnation reveals Sheen’s accessible and theologically astute teaching style in the early years of his ministry. First published in 1935, the book’s themes of the Eucharist as a source of unity for the Mystical Body of Christ—the Church—and the link between the liturgy and works of social justice were echoed in the Second Vatican Council several decades later.

The Glorious Body of Christ
The Glorious Body of Christ

Author: Rienk Bouke Kuiper

Publisher: Banner of Truth

Published: 1967

Total Pages: 383

ISBN-13: 9780851513683

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'Glorious' is probably the last adjective most modern writers would use to describe the Christian Church. Yet R. B. Kuiper chose his title, The Glorious Body of Christ, advisedly, for he wished to emphasize what he believed to be a sadly neglected aspect of the subject, that the Church of Christ is glorious. Dr. Kuiper, who died in 1966, was for many decades a teacher of theology, and his great concern was for the popular presentation of Christian doctrine. His own books went far to meet that need, including his God-Centered Evangelism (also published by the Trust) and For Whom Did Christ Die? on the extent of the atonement. In addition to his vigorous and clear style, Kuiper is also noted for the comprehensive way in which he treats his subject. The Glorious Body contains no less than fifty-three chapters, and among the aspects of the subject dealt with are unity, the marks of the Church, the offices of the Church, its responsibilities and privileges, and the Church and the world. Although this book is worthy of the widest possible circulation, it may be particularly commended as a manual for office-bearers in the Church.

What You Do Best in the Body of Christ
What You Do Best in the Body of Christ

Author: Bruce Bugbee

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 0310257352

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An acclaimed authority shows Christians how to discover and apply their unique passion, spiritual gifts, and relational style within the church. Expanded Edition.

The Church of God
The Church of God

Author: Louis Bouyer

Publisher: Ignatius Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 636

ISBN-13: 1586173243

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How does the Church perceive herself? Fr. Louis Bouyers "The Church of God" sets out to answer that question, in light of Tradition and theological reflection through the centuries, but especially by drawing on the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. This book is a highly-readable, thorough synthesis of ecclesiology after the Council, presented by one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century. The author, himself a former Lutheran minister, also explores Reformation views of the Church, as well as the Catholic Churchs deepened understanding of her distinctive identity and her imperfect but real communion with the Orthodox churches and Protestant ecclesial communities. The Church of God is a major contribution to the ecclesiology of communion fostered by the Second Vatican Council and continued by Pope Paul VI, but especially by John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Indeed, the book reflects the hermeneutic of reform Pope Benedict XVI insists should guide the interpretation of Vatican II.