The Faith and Friendships of Teenage Boys
Author: Robert C. Dykstra
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 2012-01-01
Total Pages: 141
ISBN-13: 0664233406
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA study of how faith forms through friendship for adolescent boys
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Religious Mourning
Author: Nathan Carlin
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Published: 2014-04-24
Total Pages: 145
ISBN-13: 1630873446
DOWNLOAD EBOOKReligious Mourning is about a common experience among those who study religion: religious loss. When people of faith study religion critically, or when life experiences such as death and divorce trigger personal reflection on faith, religious intellectuals often become estranged from their own tradition. Sometimes this estrangement causes them to leave religion altogether. But for those who study religion from a psychological perspective, a certain kind of introspective and iconoclastic religiosity can be revived by means of academic writing. Religious Mourning explores this phenomenon by focusing on psychobiographical writings about religious leaders--including Donald Capps' portrait of Jesus of Nazareth, James Dittes' portrait of Saint Augustine, and William Bouwsma's portrait of John Calvin--to show how these authors' personal lives, and especially their experiences of loss, influence their scholarship. As Capps, Dittes, and Bouwsma subversively scavenge the lives of Jesus, Augustine, and Calvin to reverse and restore a religion that is rich with experience, including (and especially) their own, they invite us to do the same.
Forging the Male Spirit
Author: W. Merle Longwood
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Published: 2011-12-08
Total Pages: 167
ISBN-13: 1556353057
DOWNLOAD EBOOKYoung men undergo significant changes during their years in college. They wrestle with big questions, which are essentially spiritual questions, as they ponder who they are, what they believe, what kind of persons they want to become, and how they might shape the world into something they can feel comfortable being themselves in. Those who participate in men's groups realize that their involvement can nurture their inner lives as they explore these questions and connect to transcendent values and a vision of a larger whole. This book includes historical and sociological perspectives on men and spirituality and an expanded case study of how one campus pioneered in the development of men's spirituality groups, which became a model for other campuses. It includes quantitative empirical research that explores college men's openness to spirituality and their interest in men's groups. The book's most extensive discussion is based on a qualitative analysis of thirty-six interviews with male college students, focusing on their understanding of the relationship between their masculinity and their spirituality, and how spirituality groups provided a venue in which they could begin to engage what it means to be spiritual and what it means to be a man. Contributors include: W. Merle Longwood, William, Schipper, O.S.B., Philip Culbertson, and Gar Kellom.
New Feminist Christianity
Author: Mary E. Hunt
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
Published: 2012-01-01
Total Pages: 385
ISBN-13: 1594734135
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPowerful insights from ministers, theologians, activists, leaders, artists and liturgists who are shaping the future. "Christianity has been a source of the oppression of women, as well as a resource for unleashing women's full humanity. Feminist analysis and practice have recognized this. Feminist Christianity is reshaping religious institutions and religious life in more holistic, inclusive, and justice-focused ways." —from the Introduction Feminism has brought many changes to Christian religious practice. From inclusive language and imagery about the Divine to an increase in the number of women ministers, Christian worship will never be the same. Yet, even now, there is a lack of substantive structural change in many churches and complacency within denominations. The contributors to this book are the thought leaders who are shaping, and being shaped by, the emerging directions of feminist Christianity. They speak from across the denominational spectrum, and from the many diverse groups that make up the Christian community as it finds its place in a religiously pluralistic world. Taken together, their voices offer a starting point for building new models of religious life and worship. Topics covered include feminist: • Theological Visions • Scriptural Insights • Ethical Agendas • Liturgical and Artistic Frontiers • Ministerial Challenges
Am I Sleeping with the Enemy?
Author: Ron Clark
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Published: 2010-07-01
Total Pages: 105
ISBN-13: 1621890546
DOWNLOAD EBOOKWhen a boy cries, his father trains him in the way of the ancients. He is taught to "man up," and rejects anything feminine in his life. Thus he begins the process of becoming a man in the image of his culture. This transformation comes at the expense of his own calling to reflect the image of God. Men and women, however, were both created in this divine image and were meant to live in harmony rather than enmity. Recently, influential Christian writers and leaders have suggested that men have become too feminized and need to return to their calling to be "real men." Clark believes that this "new masculinity" is in reality a return to the way of the ancients. Drawing from his experiences as a minister, domestic- and sexual- violence prevention advocate, and community leader, Clark suggests that Jesus came to redefine masculinity and resist the cultural view of manhood, power, and oppression.
Bold Parenting
Author: Lars Rood
Publisher: Group Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2013-12-01
Total Pages: 78
ISBN-13: 0764490095
DOWNLOAD EBOOKWhat kind of parent does God want you to be? Sometimes we think God calls us to raise children who follow the rules, obey the speed limit, cordially deliver apples to their teachers, and help old ladies walk across the street. We passionately focus on helping our kids shine in the classroom, excel in sports, and succeed in the arts. But God has an even higher calling for you as a parent. As you read the pages of Bold Parenting, veteran youth worker Lars Rood—a husband and father of three—will challenge you to think more deeply and more clearly about the faith you’re responsible for passing on to your children. Lars will help you examine the traps we fall into as parents directing the spiritual journey of our kids, and then he’ll discuss resources and ideas that can help you to redirect the faith journey toward a rich, robust, real connection with Jesus. Bold Parenting will help you discover the joy and rewards of passing on your faith story to your children. And if you’re a youth worker, this book and its accompanying study questions will help you guide parents along this amazing journey.
These Are Our Bodies: Intermediate Parent Book
Author: Jenny Beaumont
Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2017-08-01
Total Pages: 57
ISBN-13: 0898690188
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFaith formation resource for children on human sexuality For use in congregational, home, and school settings This sexuality education resource from a mainline/progressive denominational prospective aids the leader, child (participant), and parent in learning about their body and using skills that enable them to embrace and affirm the wholeness of sexuality as part of who they are. Session plans will address facts about sexuality, vocabulary, decision making, faith and daily life, respect, growth and change, behavior, responsibility, values, prayer, and intentionality in an age appropriate manner for children and their parents. One Leader Guide will cover all ages, with three Parent Books (Preschool: 3- to 5-year-olds, Primary: 6- to 8-year-olds, and Intermediate: 9- to 11-year-olds), and two Participant Books (Primary and Intermediate ages).
Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife
Author: J. Harold Ellens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Published: 2013-07-25
Total Pages: 1146
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKChristianity, Islam, and Judaism all feature ideas about heaven, hell, and afterlife, and these concepts have evolved over time within these religions. This work supplies a detailed and coherent understanding of the broad scope of spiritual thinking in the last 3,000 years within the Abrahamic traditions. Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife: Eternity in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam provides an all-encompassing examination of historic and contemporary perspectives on afterlife in Western religions. In these three volumes, Judaic, Christian, and Muslim scholars join forces, providing an unprecedented review of their individual faith's traditions. Every significant issue and major theme is discussed; no controversial topic is avoided. From ancient doctrines to modern-day outlooks of conservatives, progressives, and liberals in all three religions, all are analyzed and presented here. The framework of the volumes underscores how the ethics and concepts of eternity in the Western "action" religions contrast with Eastern religions that tend to be characterized as "passive" or "withdrawal" religions in their ethics and their notions of afterlife as absorption within universal spirit, Nirvana, or nonexistence. This work is well-suited for undergraduate and graduate students, general readers interested in religion, and professional scholars, particularly those in fields corollary to religious study.
Engaging College Men
Author: Gar Kellom
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Published: 2019-03-18
Total Pages: 314
ISBN-13: 1532675321
DOWNLOAD EBOOKEngaging College Men is a ground-breaking collection of essays by mentors of college men and high school boys on what works to increase their engagement as citizens and participants in the common good. Sponsored by the Lilly Endowment, Engaging College Men presents a variety of programs at fourteen colleges and universities and select high schools and reports on their widely differing ways of guiding men to vocational discernment and a sense of purpose in life. As enrollments of men in college decline, this book is essential reading for college services administrators, teachers, and counselors who are committed to involving males in academic life and service to the community.
Reflections from the Marriage Table
Author: Ron Clark
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Published: 2016-11-01
Total Pages: 91
ISBN-13: 1498298125
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn the midst of hectic and fast paced families, one stable element that can bring grace, love, and joy is the table. Biblically, the table was a place of mercy, unity, and hospitality. Marriage also is a uniting of male and female, to complement and partner, to create a new family, ministry, and community. When the marriage table becomes a central element, sacred and safe spaces are created for individuals, couples, and families to thrive and mature as God intended. Ron and Lori Clark share their experiences as a couple in ministry, working with family violence, and creating safe spaces for their marriage and children to mature and develop healthy self-esteem. This book, with discussion questions, is designed to help couples find partnership, peace, and grow together in relationship and love, whether in ministry or simply seeking to be who God called them to be.
