Countless thoughtful people are now so disgusted with the marriage of bad theology and hypocritical behavior by the church that a new Reformation is required in which the purpose of religion itself is reimagined. Meyers takes the best of biblical scholarship and recasts these core Christian concepts to exhort the church to pursue an alternative vision of the Christian life: Jesus as Teacher, not Savior Christianity as Compassion, not Condemnation Prosperity as Dangerous, not Divine Discipleship as Obedience, not Control Religion as Relationship, not Righteousness This is not a call to the church to move to the far left or to try something brand new. Rather, it is the recovery of something very old. Saving Jesus from the Church shows us what it means to be a Christian and how to follow Jesus' teachings today.
An expose of ancient and modern deceptions, hidden agendas, and overlooked truths. Prepared for the thoughtful reader who is willing to follow the admonition of Patrick Henry: "We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it." (from his Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death speech, March 23, 1775) Compiled and written for the purpose of glorifying God Almighty and His Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. Accomplished through the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Visit www.twochurchesonly.com for more information. - What truly is the source and root of all evil and abomination? - Why do politicians and government leaders break their promises? - Why is there so much war when great efforts are made for peace? - Why do society's problems grow steadily worse over the long run? - Why is organized religion such a culprit in worldwide conflicts? - Why do selfish and greedy people thrive while the humble suffer? - I'm an honest, diligent, good person; can't I be rich and influential too? - Why are so many people stressed, depressed and suicidal today? - What is the cause of all this pain? Who is perpetuating it? WHY? The answers to these questions and many more are in this book. They are painful, difficult answers. Proceed with humility, patience and penitence. PLEASE NOTE: US$19.07 is the lowest price that Amazon/Createspace will allow me to price the book. Amazon distribution does not allow coupon codes, but Createspace does. You can order this book through Createspace direct distribution at this site and purchase a copy at the cost of publication: https: //www.createspace.com/4037581 To get a discount that still provides the author a small donation, enter the discount code: 6TE28RZ7 To purchase the book at the cost of manufacture, please enter discount code: EZNH254J AGAIN, PLEASE NOTE: These codes work ONLY when purchasing the book directly through Createspace. Amazon's distribution applies additional fees per each copy purchased, and does not allow discount codes to be used. Please visit www.twochurchesonly.com "
The Friends of Friendless Churches exist to save beautiful and historic places of worship from demolition or degradation. Founded in 1957 by the devout journalist and author Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, the Friends now own thirty-eight former places of worship, half in England, half in Wales, which they preserve, undertake repair on where necessary and make accessible as peaceful spaces to visitors and the local community. This book, with a Preface by Sir Simon Jenkins and a Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales, details all thirty eight buildings, with photographs that touchingly record these former churches and celebrate the work of the Friends. Included are a short history of the Friends of Friendless Churches, a glossary of terms, and information on visiting the churches.
A money-saving handbook for all who care for and maintain church buildings, this practical and comprehensive guide provides expert advice from a leading church architect and an experienced heritage buildings specialist. They also show how church buildings can be tools for contemporary mission, packed with potential for community engagement.
Recent years have seen unprecedented attention to faith-based institutions as agents of social change, spurred in part by cuts in public funding for social services and accompanied by controversy about the separation of church and state. The debate over faith-based initiatives has highlighted a small but growing segment of churches committed to both saving souls and serving society. What distinguishes faith-based from secular activism? How do religious organizations express their religious identity in the context of social services? How do faith-based service providers interpret the connection between spiritual methodologies and socioeconomic outcomes? How does faith motivate and give meaning to social ministry? Drawing on case studies of fifteen Philadelphia-area Protestant churches with active outreach, Saving Souls, Serving Society seeks to answer these and other pressing questions surrounding the religious dynamics of social ministry. While church-based programs often look similar to secular ones in terms of goods or services rendered, they may show significant differences in terms of motivations, desired outcomes, and interpretations of meaning. Church-based programs also differ from one another in terms of how they relate evangelism to their social outreach agenda. Heidi Rolland Unruh and Ronald J. Sider explore how churches navigate the tension between their spiritual mission and the constraints on evangelism in the context of social services. The authors examine the potential contribution of religious dynamics to social outcomes as well as the relationship between mission orientations and social capital. Unruh and Sider introduce a new vocabulary for describing the religious components and spiritual meanings embedded in social action, and provide a typology of faith-based organizations and programs. Their analysis yields a framework for Protestant mission orientations that makes room for the diverse ways that churches interrelate spiritual witness and social compassion. Based on their observations, the authors offer a constructive approach to church-state partnerships and provide a far more objective understanding of faith-based social services than previously available.
Forty-seven early houses of worship from all areas of the state. Nearly three hundred stunning color photographs capture the simple elegance of these sanctuaries and their surrounding grounds and cemeteries.
As a coach and mentor to hundreds of pastors, Chris Sonksen has had a front-row seat to the unfortunate outcomes when a team member begins to drift from the vision of the church and the leader they serve. But the good news is, these situations never come out of left field. There are always warning signs that, if heeded, allow church leaders to rise to the challenge of keeping their team healthy, unified, and moving forward together. In this powerfully practical book, Sonksen unpacks six subtle behaviors that undermine team unity and lead to problems that can derail your ministry and even split your church, including - pride - artificial harmony - isolation - a critical spirit - divisiveness - disrespect Beyond merely identifying the problems, this book offers you a blueprint for what to do when you see or feel evidence of these behaviors creeping into team dynamics. Alignment of vision and purpose doesn't happen by accident, and it isn't maintained without careful attention and proactive strategies. But with Chris Sonksen's help, you can save your church from itself.
You Can Love God and Still Get a Divorce. And get this, God will still love you. Really. Are you in a destructive marriage? One of emotional, physical, or verbal abuse? Infidelity? Neglect? If yes, you know you need to escape, but you're probably worried about going against God's will. I have good news for you. You might need to divorce to save your life and sanity. And God is right beside you. In "The Life-Saving Divorce" You'll Learn: - How to know if you should stay or if you should go.- The four key Bible verses that support divorce for infidelity, neglect, and physical and/or emotional abuse. - Twenty-seven myths about divorce that aren't true for many Christians. - Why a divorce is likely the absolute best thing for your children. - How to deal with friends and family who disapprove of divorce. - How to find safe friends and churches after a divorce. Can you find happiness after leaving your destructive marriage? Absolutely yes! You can get your life back and flourish more than you thought possible. Are you ready? Then let's go. It's time to be free. This book includes multiple first-person interviews. Explains psychological abuse, gaslighting, the abuse cycle, Christian divorce and remarriage, children and divorce, domestic violence, parental alienation, mental abuse, and biblical reasons for divorce. Includes diagrams such as the Duluth Wheel of Power and Control (the Duluth Model) and the Abuse Cycle, as well as graphs based on Paul Amato's 2003 study analyzing Judith Wallerstein's book, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce. Includes quotes by Leslie Vernick, Lundy Bancroft, Shannon Thomas, David Instone-Brewer, Natalie Hoffman, LifeWay Research, Kathleen Reay, Gottman Institute, Glenda Riley, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Steven Stosny, Michal Gilad, Leonie Westenberg, Nancy Nason-Clark, Julie Owens, Marg Mowczko, Justin Holcomb, Barna Group, Justin Lehmiller, Alan Hawkins, Brian Willoughby, William Doherty, Brad Wright, Bradford Wilcox, Sheila Gregoire, E Mavis Hetherington, John Kelly, Betsey Stevenson, Justin Wolfers, Norm Wright, Virginia Rutter, Judith Herman, and Bessel van der Kolk. Recommended reading list includes: Henry Cloud, John Townsend Boundaries books, Richard Warshack books.
There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty. This is a book about those two numbers. Jesus Wants to save Christians is a book about faith and fear, wealth and war, poverty, power, safety, terror, Bibles, bombs, and homeland insecurity. It's about empty empires and the truth that everybody's a priest. It's about oppression, occupation, and what happens when Christians support, animate and participate in the very things Jesus came to set people free from. It's about what it means to be a part of the church of Jesus in a world where some people fly planes into buildings while others pick up groceries in Hummers.
