People don't abandon faith because they have doubts. People abandon faith because they think they're not allowed to have doubts. Even as a pastor, Austin Fischer has experienced the shadows of doubt and disillusionment. Leaning into perennial questions about Christianity, he shows that doubt is no reason to leave the faith—instead, it's an invitation to a more honest faith.
"In our lifetime, we have never experienced a disaster with effects as widespread as the COVID-19 pandemic. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 certainly caused upheaval, but they didn't force people to shelter at home or cause churches to stop meeting. As we slowly work back to our normal lives-or a new normal-we must recognize this will not be the last major disaster we will ever have to face. But what does that mean for the Church, especially the local congregation?"--
Michael Rosen shows how the redemptive hope of religion became the redemptive hope of historical progress. This was the heart of German Idealism: purpose lay not in God’s judgment but in worldly projects; freedom required not being subject to arbitrary authority, human or divine. Yet purpose and freedom never shed their theistic structure.
Zacharias invites readers to follow him on this journey through his life and into the lives of others, and see how he has become more convinced with each year that Jesus Christ is the one who came to give us life to the fullest and to point us to the freedom and beauty of truth for everyone--easterner or westerner--all over the world.
Conducting a nonthreatening and accessible conversation about an issue that is presently tearing many churches and denominations apart, Out of the Shadows, into the Light focuses on communication in hopes of creating reconciliation for the Christian community. With views from multiple perspectives, Out of the Shadows, into the Light shows how leading a congregation to discuss this controversial topic can lead to better understanding and facilitate reconciliation in a church. Contributors include: Marvin Ellison, Larry Kent Graham, Janis Hahn, Luis Leon, Irene Monroe, James Oraker, Ken Stone, and Mona West.
Crime, famine, disease, war, earthquakes, floods; we open our newspapers, or switch on our television sets, and are confronted with pain and suffering in the world. And that doesn't include a myriad of lesser hurts: daily ones which, while they don't show up on the news, tear at us nonetheless - relationship breakdowns, disloyalty, rejection. We all experience pain and evil to some extent and are affected by others who experience it as well. Our suffering is made worse by being unable to understand or explain why it is happening - Where is God in this? Why doesn't he do something? Is he cruel? Is he there? Even many Christians, who should know some of the answers, can only offer pop-theology clichés to the question of 'Why bad things happen?' Can't we be more helpful than that? We should have more confidence. The Bible sheds light on the ultimate resolution of the problem of evil, a problem so central to human experience. Dr. Morley explores how there can be a God who is loving, just and righteous in spite of the fact that the world is full of pain and evil. Are you putting the blame in the right place? Morley looks at the major reasons for pain and evil: investigating misconceptions about God and illness, the origins of poverty, birth defects and the causes of war. You will be gripped by the thought-provoking nature of his arguments and enlightened by a coping strategy for pain and evil - one that builds a fully-connected world-view into a realisation of our personal part in resolving the problem of evil. God has understandable and wonderful reasons for bringing about a world like ours - a place of tragedy... and a place of grace. Dr. Brian Morley is the Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics at the Master's College, Santa Clarita, California. He has taught in European and American Graduate Schools and been an European government consultant on education.
"Shadow of the Almighty" is the bestselling account of the martyrdom of Jim Elliot and four other missionaries at the hands of the Huaorani Indians in Ecuador. "Elizabeth Elliot's account is more than inspirational reading, it belongs to the very heartbeat of evangelic witness"--"Christianity Today."
This book is a Christian companion to Facing the Shadow. It provides an early spiritual focus to recovery for those who are beginning to use the Patrick Carnes 30 task model of recovery from sex addiction. Addresses issues of sexuality in a non-shaming way using Biblical scripture to encourage long-term recovery. Shadows of the Cross: -Includes interactive exercises and tasks that complement Facing the Shadow. -Applies world renowned Dr. Patrick Carnes' research-based thirty task model with a Christian twist -Has a Christian approach that tackles the shame that often accompanies sex addiction -Provides readers with suggested Biblical verses to assist in their long-term recovery -Provides a much needed spiritual focus to early recovery
In the Shadows of God, Raven publicly and openly relives her journey through rejection, hurt, rape, negative self-image, sexual strongholds, and single motherhood, with the hope that other women will find strength in her transparency and faith in God. Raven recounts numerous times in her life, from childhood to adulthood, when she persevered through devastation, homelessness, heartbreak, and interior and exterior struggles to arrive at the place of forgiveness, peace, and truth of God's unwavering love-the reality she lives in and shares with others today. From being abandoned by her mother, to becoming her mother's end-of-life caregiver, Raven now recognizes God never abandoned her and she has never been outside the shadows of God.
Chironna tells readers how to acquire doubt-busting faith in order to discover God-given capabilities, competence and significance. He draws upon years of pastoring experience and prophetic insights to take readers from doubting to believing, from victim to victor.
