The Captivation of the Will provocatively revisits a perennial topic of controversy: human free will. Highly esteemed Lutheran thinker Gerhard O. Forde cuts to the heart of the subject by reexamining the famous debate on the will between Luther and Erasmus. Following a substantial introduction by James A. Nestingen that brings to life the historical background of the debate, Forde thoroughly explores Luther's "Bondage of the Will" and the dispute between Erasmus and Luther that it reflects. In the process of exposing this debate's enduring significance for Christians, Forde highlights its central arguments about Scripture, God, the will, and salvation in Christ. Luther recognized that the only solution for humans bound by sin is the forgiveness that comes from Christ alone. Convinced that this insight represents the heart of the Christian gospel, Forde concludes with ten sermons that proclaim the message of salvation through Christ alone while elegantly relating theological inquiry to everyday life.
What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating is doing for women. Setting their hearts free. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be.
Gerhard Forde examines the nature of the "theology of the cross, noting what makes it different from other kinds of theology. His starting point is a thorough analysis of Luther's Heidelberg Disputation of 1518, the classic text of the theology of the cross.
A newly revised and updated edition of the influential guide that explores one of the most powerful ways to attract attention and influence behavior—fascination—and how businesses, products, and ideas can become irresistible to consumers. In an oversaturated culture defined by limited time and focus, how do we draw attention to our messages, our ideas, and our products when we only have seconds to compete? Award-winning consultant and speaker Sally Hogshead turned to a wide realm of disciplines, including neurobiology, psychology, and evolutionary anthropology. She began to see specific and interesting patterns that all centered on one element: fascination. Fascination is the most powerful way to capture an audience and influence behavior. This essential book examines the principles behind fascination and explores how those insights can be put to use to sway: • Which brand of frozen peas you pick in the case • Which city, neighborhood, and house you choose • Which profession and company you join • Where you go on vacation • Which book you buy off the shelf Structured around the seven languages of fascination Hogshead has studied and developed—power, passion, innovation, alarm, mystique, prestige, and alert—Fascinate explores how anyone can use these triggers to make products, messages, and services more fascinating—and more successful.
'This book drags systematic theology out of the study, sticks it into the pulpit, onto the altar, and under the waters of baptism so that it proclaims the gospel. It sets limits within which discussions of ministry and ecumenism must occur, if we are to remain proclaimers of the gospel. Forde's work ought to be the centerpiece for years to come, simply because-in his inimitably impatient way-he has it right.' James M. Kittelson, Professor of History, University of Ohio
Multitudes of sincere and trusting believers are caught in the virtually invisible web of religious captivation in the churches they attend, ministries they are under, and networks they are aligned with...and don't know it!These faithful followers of Christ are unaware victims of spiritual abuse, psychological enslavement, and exploitation perpetrated under the heavy-hand of hyper-authoritarianism. That is to say, the leadership of the church-group of which they are a part is dominating, controlling, manipulating, and exploiting their followers for personal gain and private kingdom-building. Through systematic indoctrination, victims are duped into accepting as biblical and beneficial the oppressive and abusive predominance imposed upon them by unscrupulous, tyrannical church-leaders.Without realizing the spiritual effect of what they are doing, myriads of sincere, faithful believers, in submitting themselves and surrendering unto their spiritual leaders their God-given right to self-governance, have become what God explicitly admonished against: "DO NOT BECOME SLAVES OF MEN!" (1 Cor. 7:23).Authoritarian abuse (aka, "spiritual abuse") is one of the most widespread and troubling problems facing the Church today. Indeed, the truth is that ecclesiastical enslavement and exploitation is pandemic in many sectors of 21st Century Christendom, though those churches and ministries employing it go to great lengths to disguise and conceal it.Though religious predomination is certainly nothing new, and hyper-authoritarianism is by no means limited to the Neo-Pentecostal branch of the Church, it has especially flourished in Charismatic and other Neo-Pentecostal groups since it was infused into the fabric, foundation, and functions of that branch of the Church in the early- to mid-seventies through what became known as the "Discipleship or Shepherding Movement." The doctrines and practices spawned in that false movement remain an integral part of the operations of many churches and groups yet today!Written from an "insider's" perspective by a noted and respected Charismatic minister, Charismatic Captivation, has been appraised and praised by ministers, scholars, theologians, church leaders, and laymen as one of the most comprehensive and convincing volumes written to date on the prevalent problem of authoritarian abuse, yet without the "Charismatic-bashing" characteristic of other books citing Neo-Pentecostal abuses.
Built to Love reveals how companies can create captivating products that energize the marketplace and set the standard for what customers want and expect. Firms often hope the answer is to produce the latest high technology devices - only to find that they fail to light up the marketplace. Or firms rely on ads that overstate or mislead, leaving the customer disappointed and disillusioned. Instead, a deeper emotional engagement between the customer and product is required, regardless of whether the products are physical products, services, technologies, software, systems, or brands. Using a combination of industry - based research and laboratory experiments, the authors demonstrate that customers will richly pay for products that authentically provide emotional fulfillment. They uncover the science behind successful products that create an avid and loyal following, and they present evidence that product emotions increase a product's success in the marketplace as well as a firm's success in the stock market (even when the economy is down!). A practical how - to guide, the book next shows how to analyze customers' emotional needs and translate those needs into features that galvanize customers. Throughout, the book uses revealing case studies that show how to energize customers in both consumer and business - to - business worlds, in both large and small firms.
This follow-up volume to our book The Age of the World Target collects interconnected entangled essays of literary and cultural theorist Rey Chow. The essays take up ideas of violence, capture, identification, temporality, sacrifice, and victimhood, engaging with theorists from Derrida and Deleuze to Agamben and Rancière.
He just wants to be seen. JAYNE SHEPHERD has spent his life blending in. He smiles. He laughs. He’s likeable. He’s also a sociopath. His emotions are limited. Love, fear, and desire don’t exist in his world. Until he meets Elijah. ELIJAH DUNNE had everything. Third generation Hollywood royalty. Child star. Untouchable. Until one man ruined it all. Elijah fled LA to try to forget, but now, he’s back on top and back on a monster’s radar. Elijah doesn’t think he’ll ever feel safe. Until he meets Shepherd. Elijah and Shep only have one thing in common. They both wear masks. Shep makes Elijah feel protected. Seen. Elijah makes Shep just feel. Now that he’s had a taste, he’s not about to let him go. Everybody warns that what they have isn’t real. Shep is obsessed with Elijah, not in love. But Elijah craves Shep’s obsession. He can’t imagine life without him. In Hollywood, being a sociopath is more of a life skill than a diagnosis. Could Shep be the monster Elijah needs to finally slay his demons? CAPTIVATING is the second book in the Elite Protection Services Series and contains age-gap, cum-play, voyeurism and one very sexy interrogation scene with an HEA and no cliffhangers. Warning: This book contains talk of past child sexual abuse.
Martin Luther was one of the most influential figures of the last millennium, with around 900 million people worldwide belonging to Protestant churches that trace their origins back to the Reformation he started five hundred years ago. His thinking and his writing were always original, fresh, controversial and provocative. They evoked strong reactions then, and still do today. This book offers an accessible way into that thinking by looking at the way he approached a wide range of issues in his own time, and how some of that thinking might give us new ways to approach contemporary issues. Examining his approach to topics such as sex, freedom, prayer, evil, pilgrimage and Bible translation, it illustrates vividly the mind of this man who was very much of his time, yet whose ideas still speak creatively to the modern world. It combines scholarly insight into some of the key issues surrounding the study of Luther today, while being written in a style that makes it accessible to the non-specialist. The result is a book that serves as an ideal handbook for those wishing to get inside the mind of this most remarkable man.
