Culture is the public manifestation of religion, expressing the values and beliefs that a society treasures. Western culture was built upon the principles of Christian belief. Today, having largely abandoned the triune God and his word in public and private life, we have undermined this cultural foundation. We must recover our footing or collapse.
Is the language of mission clearly evident across the broad reaches of time? Or has the modern missionary enterprise distorted our view of the past? Michael Stroope investigates how the modern church has come to understand, speak of, and engage in the global expansion of Christianity, offering a hopeful way forward in this pressing conversation.
Jesus Manifesto presents a fresh unveiling of Jesus, seeking to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world—and a church—that has lost sight of Him. Christians have made the gospel about so many things—things other than Christ. Religious concepts, ideas, doctrines, strategies, and methods that begin to eclipse the beauty, the glory, and the reality of the Lord Jesus Himself. We know a lot about our Lord, but we don't know Him very well. We know a lot about trying to be like Jesus, but very little about living by His indwelling life. Jesus Manifesto provides clarity on the most important points of our faith. It is a prophetic call to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world and church that has lost sight of Him. This manifesto emphasizes ten crucial areas of restoring the supremacy of Jesus Christ, noting: Christians don’t follow Christianity; they follow Christ Christians don't proclaim themselves; they proclaim Christ Christians don’t point people to core values; they point people to the Cross Christians don't preach about Christ; they preach Christ Read this book to see your Lord like you've never seen Him before and restore the sovereignty of Jesus in your life.
The Latina/o culture and identity have long been shaped by their challenges to the religious, socio-economic, and political status quo. Robert Chao Romero explores the "Brown Church" and how this movement appeals to the vision for redemption that includes not only heavenly promises but also the transformation of our lives and the world.
The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
In today's fast-food world, Christianity can seem outdated or archaic. The temptation becomes to pick up the pace and play the game. But Chris Smith and John Pattison invites us to leave franchise faith behind and enter the kingdom of God, where people know each other well and love one another as Christ loves the church.
The Christian School represents a break with humanistic education, but, too often in leaving the state school, the Christian educator has carried the state's humanism with him. A curriculum is not neutral: it is either a course in humanism or training in a God-centered faith and life. The liberal arts curriculum means literally that course which trains students in the arts of freedom. This raises the key question: is freedom in and of man or Christ? The Christian art of freedom, that is, the Christian liberal arts curriculum, is emphatically not the same as the humanistic one. It is urgently necessary for Christian educators to rethink the meaning and nature of the curriculum. It should be clear then that whether history, science, mathematics, grammar, literature, ecology, civic duty, or law, every aspect of curriculum must be reconstructed along Biblical lines. The overall objective is for Christian families to prepare and equip themselves for service in the Kingdom of God, and this cannot be done without a rethinking of the philosophy of the Christian curriculum. In this study, Rousas John Rushdoony develops the philosophy of the Christian curriculum. It is the pioneering study in this field, and it is important reading for all Christian educators.
A careful and informed assessment of the “emerging church” by a respected author and scholar The “emerging church” movement has generated a lot of excitement and exerts an astonishingly broad influence. Is it the wave of the future or a passing fancy? Who are the leaders and what are they saying? The time has come for a mature assessment. D. A. Carson not only gives those who may be unfamiliar with it a perceptive introduction to the emerging church movement, but also includes a skillful assessment of its theological views. Carson addresses some troubling weaknesses of the movement frankly and thoughtfully, while at the same time recognizing that it has important things to say to the rest of Christianity. The author strives to provide a perspective that is both honest and fair. Anyone interested in the future of the church in a rapidly changing world will find this an informative and stimulating read. D. A. Carson (Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of over 45 books, including the Gold Medallion Award-winning book The Gagging of God, and is general editor of Telling the Truth and Worship by the Book. He has served as a pastor and is an active guest lecturer in church and academic settings around the world.
We all participate daily in culture-building. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, and that he is at work to redeem this fallen world. "Gospel culture" refers to a total meaning for the cosmos, a design plan. In other words, the gospel should impact all our cultural activities.
In a time when the need for and the relevance of the Gospel has seldom been greater, the relevance of the church has seldom been less. The Shaping of Things to Come explores why the church needs to rebuild itself from the bottom up. Frost and Hirsch present a clear understanding of how the church can change to face the unique challenges of the twenty-first century. This missional classic has been thoroughly revised and updated.
