Friendship (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)
Friendship (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)

Author: Victor Lee Austin

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2020-07-21

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 1493421565

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"A rare and wonderful theological book that turns something ordinary--being a friend--into an expression of God's greatness."--Jeremiah Rood, Foreword (starred review) In this vibrant theological reflection on the meaning of friendship, experienced pastor and leading Christian ethicist Victor Lee Austin argues that friendship is the medium through which God shares grace with his creatures. Mixing personal reflection and theological commentary, Austin provides a fresh reading of classical writers and biblical texts; shows how a robust theology of friendship addresses contemporary controversies in the areas of marriage, celibacy, and homosexuality; and draws on cultural examples of the desire for true friendship. Ultimately, Austin helps readers understand the strange yet real possibility of friendship with God. About the Series Pastors are called to help people navigate the profound mysteries of being human, from birth to death and everything in between. This series, edited by leading pastoral theologian Jason Byassee, provides pastors and pastors-in-training with rich theological reflection on the various seasons that make up a human life, helping them minister with greater wisdom and joy.

Following (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)
Following (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)

Author: Jason Byassee

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2021-08-10

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1493430661

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"[An] insightful exploration of Christian discipleship in the digital age."--Publishers Weekly This book offers theological perspectives on the challenges of discipleship in a digital age, showing how new technologies and the rise of social media affect the way we interact with each other, ourselves, and the world. Written by a Gen X digital immigrant and a Millennial digital native, the book explores a faithful response to today's technology as we celebrate our embodied roles as followers of Christ in a disembodied time.

Disability (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)
Disability (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)

Author: Brian Brock

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2021-05-18

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 1493430645

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Leading ethicist and pastoral theologian Brian Brock reflects on the challenge of disability, refuting widely held misconceptions and helping readers respond well to the pastoral implications of disability. Brock, the father of a child with special needs, weaves together theological commentary with narrative reflection, offering rich theological wisdom for shepherding people with disabilities. He shows pastors and ministers-in-training that thinking more closely and theologically about disability is a doorway into a more vibrant and welcoming church life for all Christians.

Aging (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)
Aging (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)

Author: Will Willimon

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2020-04-21

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1493422561

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★ Publishers Weekly starred review Seasoned pastor and church leader Will Willimon excels at creating thought-provoking, accessible books for working pastors and seminarians. In Aging, he takes a theologically rich look at numerous aspects of growing old. Drawing on Scripture, literature, current research, and his experiences as an aging adult, Willimon reflects on aging as a spiritual journey. He explores the challenging realties as well as the rewarding joys of growing old and shows pastors how to help their congregants grow old gracefully and in good Christian hope. Willimon also offers practical advice on helping church members as they encounter retirement, aging, caring for the aging, loss, bereavement, and finding faith in the last quarter of life. This eloquent, delightfully Christian perspective on aging will be of interest to all who care for aging souls--not only pastors but also chaplains and other ministers in hospitals, hospices, and extended care facilities. About the Series Pastors are called to help people navigate the profound mysteries of being human, from birth to death and everything in between. This series, edited by leading pastoral theologian Jason Byassee, provides pastors and pastors-in-training with rich theological reflection on the various seasons that make up a human life, helping them minister with greater wisdom and joy.

Recovering (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)
Recovering (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)

Author: Aaron White

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1493423711

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This book provides a theologically rich commentary on the challenge of addiction and the long road to recovery. Written by a minister with extensive experience working with people who struggle with addictions, this book helps pastors understand the roots and realities of our universal human struggle with addictions and attachments while showing that together we have great hope for freedom, wholeness, and recovery. Readers will learn how to create and foster a Beatitude Community, the kind of environment Jesus prescribed for his people, to help addicts and those who love them heal from brokenness. Foreword by Bob Ekblad. About the Series Pastors are called to help people navigate the profound mysteries of being human, from birth to death and everything in between. This series, edited by leading pastoral theologian Jason Byassee, provides pastors and pastors-in-training with rich theological reflection on the various seasons that make up a human life, helping them minister with greater wisdom and joy.

Birth (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)
Birth (Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well)

Author: James C. Howell

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2020-04-21

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 149342226X

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This volume explores the connections between our own birth, the experience of having children, and the new birth of the Christian life. Seasoned pastor James Howell offers theological perspectives on a variety of themes associated with birth, such as who we are in light of having once lived in utero, why people might have children, infertility, adoption, baptism, and how to make sense of it all in light of God coming to us first in Mary's womb and then as an infant. The book includes paintings, photos, and drawings. About the Series Pastors are called to help people navigate the profound mysteries of being human, from birth to death and everything in between. This series, edited by leading pastoral theologian Jason Byassee, provides pastors and pastors-in-training with rich theological reflection on the various seasons that make up a human life, helping them minister with greater wisdom and joy.

Born Again This Way
Born Again This Way

Author: Rachel Gilson

Publisher:

Published: 2020-03

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781784983901

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Addresses some of the questions raised by Christians with same-sex attraction. As a Christian who experiences same-sex attraction, is it possible to live a life that's both faithful and fulfiling? Rachel Gilson wants to show you that it is and that it's not just a case of limping to the finish line, it's possible to run the race with joy. In this powerful and personal book, she describes her own unexpected journey of coming out and coming to faith... and what came next. As she does so, she addresses many of the questions that Christians living with same-sex attraction are wrestling with: Am I consigned to a life of loneliness? How do I navigate my friendships? Will my desires ever change? Is there some greater purpose to all this? What comes next, and next, and next? Drawing on insights from the Bible and the experiences of others, Born Again This Way provides assurance and encouragement for Christians with same-sex attraction, and paints a compelling picture of discipleship for every believer. Whatever your sexuality, this book is an inspiring testimony of how a life submitted to Jesus will be fulfilling and fruitful, but not always in the ways we might expect.

Losing Susan
Losing Susan

Author: Victor Lee Austin

Publisher: Brazos Press

Published: 2016-06-21

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13: 1493404695

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The Story of Brain Disease and the Priest's Wife This is the story of Susan--a wife, mother, Christian believer, lover of children, writer of stories, and woman of extraordinary intellect. Susan was diagnosed with a brain tumor in her late thirties. Although it was successfully treated, the process led to her slow, unending decline. In this personal story of love and loss, Victor Lee Austin shares how caring for his wife during her painful struggle with brain cancer and its aftereffects brought him face-to-face with his God and with his faith in unsettling ways. God gave Victor what his heart most desired--marriage to Susan--then God took away what he had given. Yet God never withdrew his presence. Weaving together autobiographical details and profound theological insights, this powerful narrative shows that we are called to turn to God in the face of suffering.

Growing Old in Christ
Growing Old in Christ

Author: Stanley Hauerwas

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2003-06-20

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9780802846075

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One of the hallmarks of contemporary culture is its attitude toward aging and the elderly. Youth and productivity are celebrated in today's society, while the elderly are increasingly marginalized. This not only poses difficulties for old people but is also a loss for the young and middle-agers, who could learn much from the elderly, including what it means to grow old (and die) "in Christ." Growing Old in Christ presents the first serious theological reflection ever on what it means to grow old, particularly in our culture and particularly as a Christian. In a full-orbed discussion of the subject, eighteen first-rate Christian thinkers survey biblical and historical perspectives on aging, look at aging in the modern world, and describe the "Christian practice of growing old." Along the way they address many timely issues, including the medicalization of aging, the debate over physician-assisted suicide, and the importance of friendships both among the elderly and between the elderly and the young. Weighty enough to instruct theologians, ethicists, and professional caregivers yet accessible enough for pastors and general readers, this book will benefit anyone seeking faith-based insight into growing old. Contributors: David Aers David Cloutier Rowan A. Greer Stanley Hauerwas Judith C. Hays Richard B. Hays Shaun C. Henson L. Gregory Jones Susan Pendleton Jones Patricia Beattie Jung D. Stephen Long M. Therese Lysaught David Matzko McCarthy Keith G. Meador Charles Pinches Joel James Shuman Carole Bailey Stoneking Laura Yordy

Vile Bodies
Vile Bodies

Author: Adrian Thatcher

Publisher: SCM Press

Published: 2023-11-30

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 0334063604

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Vile Bodies are bodies that have been vilified by Christian thought, often with catastrophic consequences. The bodies of women, Jews, Muslims, slaves, Blacks, LGBT people, children, wives have all been harmed by negative Christian teaching about bodies. This book sidesteps the endless controversies in the churches about sexuality and gender and goes deeper – unmasking instead the abusive theology that ensures these controversies and their harmful outcomes persist. Drawing extensively from scripture, and from two millennia of church history and theology, Vile Bodies slowly exposes how churches have preferred doctrine to compassion, orthodoxy to justice, and legalism to love, culminating in the global abuse crises in the churches that have largely destroyed their moral credibility.