Christians strive to follow the example of Jesus. But a belief that the Bible is literally true puts them in the odd position of defending falsehood, bigotry, or violence. This award-winning book is for those who suspect that some Christian beliefs are manmade and flawed. Are you ready to let reason and conscience guide your spiritual journey?
We live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it’s easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.
Is there a way to walk faithfully through doubt and come out the other side with a deeper love for Jesus, the church, and its tradition? Can we question our faith without losing it? Award-winning author, pastor, and professor A. J. Swoboda has witnessed many young people wrestle with their core Christian beliefs. Too often, what begins as a set of critical and important questions turns to resentment and faith abandonment. Unfortunately, the church has largely ignored its task of serving people along their journey of questioning. The local church must walk alongside those who are deconstructing their faith and show them how to reconstruct it. Drawing on his own experience of deconstruction, Swoboda offers tools to help emerging adults navigate their faith in a hostile landscape. Doubt is a part of our natural spiritual journey, says Swoboda, and deconstruction is a legitimate space to encounter the living God. After Doubt offers a hopeful, practical vision of spiritual formation for those in the process of faith deconstruction and those who serve them. Foreword by pastor and author John Mark Comer.
Many Christians struggle with the concept of walking by faith, especially in a world that says faith is all about taking risks--leaping into uncharted territory and expecting everything to be okay. In Despite Doubt, Michael E. Wittmer reexamines this popular viewpoint and encourages readers to get a clear understanding of their assurance in God and salvation. Readers will examine the flip side of doubt that opens the door to questions, answers, and knowledge about securing their trust in God. Helping readers to discover how to embrace a confident faith, Despite Doubt includes questions for reflection and discussion and is a perfect resource for small group study.
Ortberg demonstrates how doubt is very much a part of faith and how uncertainty can lead to trust. "The beliefs that really matter," he writes, "are the ones that guide our behavior. We cannot hope without faith, and so we must not hope for something but someone--Jesus Christ.
Why the social character of scientific knowledge makes it trustworthy Are doctors right when they tell us vaccines are safe? Should we take climate experts at their word when they warn us about the perils of global warming? Why should we trust science when so many of our political leaders don't? Naomi Oreskes offers a bold and compelling defense of science, revealing why the social character of scientific knowledge is its greatest strength—and the greatest reason we can trust it. Tracing the history and philosophy of science from the late nineteenth century to today, this timely and provocative book features a new preface by Oreskes and critical responses by climate experts Ottmar Edenhofer and Martin Kowarsch, political scientist Jon Krosnick, philosopher of science Marc Lange, and science historian Susan Lindee, as well as a foreword by political theorist Stephen Macedo.
The single fastest growing religious group of our time is those who check the box next to the word none on national surveys. In America, this is 20 percent of the population. Exactly who are the unaffiliated? What caused this seismic shift in our culture? Are our churches poised to reach these people? James Emery White lends his prophetic voice to one of the most important conversations the church needs to be having today. He calls churches to examine their current methods of evangelism, which often result only in transfer growth--Christians moving from one church to another--rather than in reaching the "nones." The pastor of a megachurch that is currently experiencing 70 percent of its growth from the unchurched, White knows how to reach this growing demographic, and here he shares his ministry strategies with concerned pastors and church leaders.
It’s time to wake up and become the person you are here to be. In Trust Your Truth, Shannon Algeo invites you on a profound journey to move beyond self-doubt and live the badass life you are meant to live. Self-doubt intensifies whenever we give our power away to people and things outside of us. But your self-worth is always sourced from within you. Organized by the seven chakras—the energetic centers of the body—Trust Your Truth invites you to discover your truth on every level of YOU: to awaken to your true calling, accept yourself wholeheartedly, honor your emotions, trust your intuition, and measure success based on how true you can be to yourself—rather than the expectations of others. When you learn to trust your truth, you open yourself up to becoming the most empowered, present, and alive version of yourself. The powerful practices throughout this book are interwoven with raw, personal stories from Algeo’s own healing journey—showing you how aligning with your purpose and being the True You benefits everyone around you and your collective community as a whole. As Algeo says, “One of the bravest journeys is the journey inward.” Get ready for a journey from head to heart and beyond. This book will be your step forward onto a new path of deeper courage, rich insights, and profound wisdom as you uncover the power of who you truly are.
Christians who struggle with doubt feel deep discouragement-but they should not feel alone. Elyse Fitzpatrick takes a look at famous Bible characters who doubted, offers support for our beliefs, and explores God's promises for those of little faith. Each day's devotional has two takeaway truths to memorize or write out, plus an invitation for personal reflection. Learn to say, "I believe; help my unbelief" when wracked by doubt. Book jacket.