The Unauthorized Guide to Sex and Church
The Unauthorized Guide to Sex and Church

Author: Carmen Renee Berry

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2005-08-21

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1418553476

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Is it possible to be a Christian and a sexual being? At times it seems like the Church pits sexuality and spirituality against one another. Yet the cost in creating such a dichotomy has resulted in harmful implications on spiritual growth, sexual intimacy, and moral credibility. The Unauthorized Guide to Sex and the Church traces sexual attitudes and practices in Hebrew culture as presented in the Old Testament through the current issues that confront the church today. It addresses questions such as "How has the church become so notorious for sex scandals amongst its leadership?" "Why is the church unable to present a united front on sexual issues such as marriage/divorce, premarital sex, homosexuality, and abortion?" and "How can I make wise and informed choices about these important issues in light of my beliefs?" Blending historical facts with practical wisdom, this lively exploration looks at how Christian views of sex have developed and changed based on doctrinal, cultural, medical, scriptural, and psychological understandings.

What If God Has a Vagina?
What If God Has a Vagina?

Author: John Casperson

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Published: 2020-04-01

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1646286952

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Stars and galaxies, atoms and molecules, all created so to render a divine arena for God to love man and for man to love God. Atoms and molecules of our bodies observe the same physical laws as those stars of the cosmos. Yet divinity rests not with the stars but within each of us whose spirit seeks to touch them. In the twenty-first century, it is now more appropriate to equate gender identity with a spiritual hemisphere (masculine or feminine) than merely biological plumbing (genitalia). I think, too, that the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," falls short of the mark unless the statement applies to animals and plants. Misogyny—the hatred of women. Or more provocatively, is misogyny the hatred of being attracted to women? Evil resides within one's own mind and is pointed toward other people as hate, envy, bigotry, racism, etc. The mind is a wonderful window for the sun to shine in but only works if the shades are open. Men and women participate in the game of sex—the board is the same but men bring checkers and women bring chess pieces! The most marvelous sex organ isn't between the legs, it's between the ears! Let's be clear, worship is not love. Worship is idolatry; love is love. We seek expression, sexual or otherwise, without hindrance to seek and discover self, our unique identity, our inner yearning to reach for infinity left behind yet achingly just ahead. Our souls strive for freedom, and in so doing... "What we commonly call man—the eating, drinking, counting man—does not (as we know him) represent himself. Him we do not respect. But the soul, whose organ he is, would make our knees bend. When it breathes through his intellect it is genius. When it breathes through his will it is virtue. When it flows through his affection it is love" (Walt Whitman).

A Chalice of Miracles
A Chalice of Miracles

Author: John W. Casperson

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2008-12

Total Pages: 622

ISBN-13: 1434395014

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When deciding on a title, I received information from the Brain and Tissue Bank of the University of Maryland saying their symbol was a butterfly. I have Dystonia, which is a neuro-muscular motor, movement disease (involving the brain, the muscles, and coordination). I am donating my brain to the Brain and Tissue Bank, so contemplated how my life could be compared to a butterfly's metamorphosis. A Butterfly's Metamorphosis: Life Story of Libby Karns is divided into three parts, or phases of a butterfly's life-cycle, as represented on the book's cover. There are 16 chapters, two hymns, and two of my poems. Some of the chapter titles are: A Life-changing Experience Odessa (You get to take a trip with me!); Precocious? Shy? Insecure?; Storybook Characters; Dystonia?/Dystonia; and Useless? Useful?.

The Butterfly Effect: Flutters of Wisdom and Kindness
The Butterfly Effect: Flutters of Wisdom and Kindness

Author: John Casperson

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Published: 2016-11-21

Total Pages: 633

ISBN-13: 1683486447

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Butterfly Effect: Flutters of Wisdom and Kindness accentuates the compelling need for random acts of kindness. Each reader of this book can remember someone from his or her past who has made an indelible influence on his or her life. A random act of kindness can resonate with goodness for each person who participates in favor. Unfortunately, other types of acts can have an opposite effect. This work contains hundreds of “flutters” of wisdom and kindness from an eclectic composition of sources from Aristotle to Emile Zola, from Plato to Rudyard Kipling, from Booker T. Washington to Leo Tolstoy, Karl Marx to Janis Joplin. This work attempts to synthesize different thought and observations from people, past and present, from different cultures of east and west that will indicate that we all share an impetus to a common goal . . . if we help each other. Though this may be deemed a work of scholarship, it is presented in non-scholarship terms. Though the subject matters (philosophy, sex, religion, and politics) are matters of gravitas, the answers can be quite simple, if we permit them to be. This is not a “how to” book. Each person has the sovereign right to determine his or her destiny. Nevertheless, interesting and controversial points are covered so that each person may make a more informed choice about how to determine well-being. If the reader pledges to help another, thousands of others will be pledging to help the reader. A Zen Buddhist koan asks, “How does the drop of water know it is part of a wave?” A drop always has a ripple. A flutter of kindness or wisdom can shake the world.

Toward Spiritual Sovereignty
Toward Spiritual Sovereignty

Author: John W. Casperson

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2007-06-11

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 146782982X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Toward Spiritual Sovereignty diagnoses societal samodaya (Buddhist terminology for emotional craving). The author uses extensive knowledge and wisdom from masters of ages past and present to refocus the spirit of man (spiritus mundi) on a wholesome re-creation of the world community. Every soul has the divine right to determine his or her sacred path to their unique destiny upon the horizons of learned choice. Political aggression, (governmental power), religious aggression (proselytizing), and financial aggression (voracious capitalism) provide conflict and work against the realization of happiness and wellbeing. These works are an attempt to advocate for the abolition of hindrance toward those ends, to advocate, without fetter, for spiritual sovereignty of every soul.Each person, Homo Divinitas (man of Divinity) should be able to experience life without threat. Threat can manifest in the form of hunger, poverty, illiteracy, illness, or physical/emotional/spiritual aggression. The 21st century provides an atmosphere of escalating violence, and terror, amidst the Middle East in particular, and the world in general. Such as the Roman Forum prior to the turn of the first millennia after Christ, mankind seems unable or unwilling to cease participation in the spiritual morphine of violence whether real, virtual, or vicarious. Mr. Casperson's authorship proposes effective measures for self-enlightenment and effective ways to cope with violence and political and religious terrorism. Comments and e-dialog are encouraged at the johncasperson.com website blog/site.

Justice, Mercy, and Well-Being
Justice, Mercy, and Well-Being

Author: Peter G. Bolt

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2020-03-10

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 1532674678

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This collection of essays examines how God’s justice and mercy intersect in the lives of individuals and their communities, with a view to the establishment of personal and social well-being in the world. The authors, drawn from England and Australia, approach the theme from a variety of methodological and interdisciplinary perspectives. Theological, exegetical, historical, healthcare, moral, and visual arts approaches are brought to bear in an investigation relevant for the identity and mission of the church in a world characterized by cycles of revenge, the perpetration of injustice, and the marginalization and persecution of various ethnic groups. The practical outcome of these studies has wide-ranging relevance for our attitudes toward indigenous peoples, the well-being of single and married people, healthcare throughout the ages, the spiritual care of people (including those suffering dementia), the personal experience of trauma, issues of moral judgement, and the abiding value of the creative arts.

That Famous Fig Leaf
That Famous Fig Leaf

Author: Chad W. Thompson

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2019-10-29

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 1532659881

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Nothing that God created is the source of our human temptation. To the contrary! The human body is the crown of God's creation--consummated by his declaration that it was good. That God's people are unable to view the body without sinning is not an indictment of the body itself, but of the immaturity of the post-modern evangelical mind. We live in a culture whose inhabitants spend billions of dollars a year to see each other naked on internet sites and in pornographic films, yet are often uncomfortable changing in front of each other in locker rooms or even being seen in a swimsuit on the beach. Could it be that we have so profoundly fused the image of the exposed body with sexual gratification that there is no context left for it to be laid bare without evoking either shame or arousal? In That Famous Fig Leaf, Chad Thompson explores the spiritual implications of the physical body and, surprisingly, uncovers a new kind of freedom from sexual addiction along the way. Chad critiques the Christian purity movement for conflating purity with prudery, and reveals that changing how we esteem our bodies has the power to heal the hypersexualized body consciousness of our culture.

Our Godly Sexual Beings
Our Godly Sexual Beings

Author: Donna Mack with Kristi Miller

Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

Published: 2023-09-08

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Our Godly Sexual Beings explores scripture and other ancient texts to unveil one of humanity's great mysteries--God's purpose for designing our Godly sexual beings. After thirty years of committed research and study, Donna Mack perceived an essential missing link from the age-old battle of God vs. Satan. While other books have attempted to discuss human sexuality, none have done so with as many biblical and scholarly-backed references as Our Godly Sexual Beings. One fascinating revelation in scripture is just how sacred human sexuality exists for God. The Bible sings with this truth, and Donna dives into this mystery to reveal the greatest love story ever told! With the help of over 1,300 references, Donna uncovers God's design for sex and Satan's influence that morphed this gift into a lie of lust. This book is full of many revelations and truths that will allow the reader to experience freedom from sexual sin, shame, and bondage.

Redeeming Sex
Redeeming Sex

Author: Debra Hirsch

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2015-04-06

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 0830898107

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Nothing has exposed the gap between the church and the broader society quite like the volatile topics of sexuality, relationships, identities, orientations and even gender. With a pastor's heart and a missiologist's mind, Debra Hirsch helps us discover a holistic, biblical vision of sex and gender that honors God and offers good news to the world.