In this companion volume to A Space for Grace, Johan Cilliers delves into some of the most profound theological underpinnings of preaching. Drawing on his extraordinary depth and breadth of scholarship, Cilliers examines the aesthetic, qualitative, and relational dimensions of sermonic time. Faithful preaching, he argues, is an art of speaking the now of grace, which is inextricably linked to past and future, but is simultaneously a dynamic event filled with the revelatory presence of God. Along with helpful reflections on pieces of visual art, Cilliers provides numerous sample sermons, as well as several detailed sermon analyses.
In this companion volume to A Space for Grace, Johan Cilliers delves into some of the most profound theological underpinnings of preaching. Drawing on his extraordinary depth and breadth of scholarship, Cilliers examines the aesthetic, qualitative, and relational dimensions of sermonic time. Faithful preaching, he argues, is an art of speaking the now of grace, which is inextricably linked to past and future, but is simultaneously a dynamic event filled with the revelatory presence of God. Along with helpful reflections on pieces of visual art, Cilliers provides numerous sample sermons, as well as several detailed sermon analyses.
Post-war, post-industrialism, post-religion, post-truth, post-biological, post-human, post-modern. What succeeds the post- age? Mark C. Taylor returns here to some of his central philosophical preoccupations and asks: What comes after the end? Abiding Grace navigates the competing Hegelian and Kierkegaardian trajectories born out of the Reformation and finds Taylor arguing from spaces in between, showing how both narratives have shaped recent philosophy and culture. For Hegel, Luther’s internalization of faith anticipated the modern principle of autonomy, which reached its fullest expression in speculative philosophy. The closure of the Hegelian system still endures in the twenty-first century in consumer society, financial capitalism, and virtual culture. For Kierkegaard, by contrast, Luther’s God remains radically transcendent, while finite human beings and their world remain fully dependent. From this insight, Heidegger and Derrida developed an alternative view of time in which a radically open future breaks into the present to transform the past, demonstrating that, far from autonomous, life is a gift from an Other that can never be known. Offering an alternative genealogy of deconstruction that traces its pedigree back to readings of Paul by way of Luther, Abiding Grace presents a thoroughgoing critique of modernity and postmodernity’s will to power and mastery. In this new philosophical and theological vision, history is not over and the future remains endlessly open.
Life is waiting! Tap into the Life Giver Himself and begin to give life more abundantly. Then share it! The whole world is your family in need. Based on the author’s profound, personal vision when he was caught up into Heaven, he shares the intimate details that the Lord gave him about heavenly abundance and how to live in Kingdom wealth, and share it with others. This vision changed his perspective on life—and it will do the same for you. The reality of how the thief prowls around like a lion, stealing hope, killing dreams, and destroying God’s family is savagely clear. As is the comforting fact that as God’s child you have authority to have life and give life to those the Father is redeeming. Jesus passed the torch to today’s believers. Wherever you are, whoever you are—opportunities abound to be fruitful, multiply, and give hope to God’s lost, broken, and hurting children. The Life Giver helps you to: See life with new vision, expectation, and purpose. See daily interactions and opportunities to “Give life” to others. See others through the family of God with redeeming love. Connect and overflow with the Life Giver Himself. Tap into the creative and revelatory power of God. The same creative life-giving power that has been breathed into you by The Life Giver, must be breathed out through you to a world gasping for fresh, heavenly air.
Explore this stunning quality of God’s grace: It never ends! In this revision of a foundational work, John Piper reveals how grace is not only God’s undeserved gift to us in the past, but also God’s power to make good happen for us today, tomorrow, and forever. True life for the follower of Jesus really is a moment-by-moment trust that God is dependable and fulfills his promises. This is living by faith in future grace, which provides God's mercy, provision, and wisdom—everything we need—to accomplish his good plans for us. In Future Grace, chapter by chapter—one for each day of the month—Piper reveals how cherishing the promises of God helps break the power of persistent sin issues like anxiety, despondency, greed, lust, bitterness, impatience, pride, misplaced shame, and more. Ultimate joy, peace, and hope in life and death are found in a confident, continual awareness of the reality of future grace.
A resilience theory on religion needs to answer four questions. What defines the kind of adversity which is addressed in religion? What is characteristic for processes of resilience in religion? What defines resilient religion as outcome? Which logic of inference (epistemology) based on our beliefs and experiences about reality binds these three elements together? The book starts with mapping the field of resilience theory on religion by addressing all four questions. The need for thinking about Christian resilience and the God symbol is addressed, and the need to be "explicitly contextual" with regard to resilience in South Africa. Next three types practices of religious acting are related to experiences of resilience, namely preaching, narrating and discerning. In the last chapters the focus is on the way stories help to express feelings of experiences of crises, tragedy, and trauma. But also how stories can help heal the broken heart. Prof Chris A.M. Hermans is extraordinary professor in practical theology and missiology at the University of the Free State (South Africa). He is emeritus professor in pastoral theology at Radboud University (the Netherlands).and emeritus professor in empirical study of religion as Radboud University (the Netherlands). Prof. Kobus (W.J.) Schoeman is professor of practical theology at the University of the Free State (South Africa).
Many people talk about the “game of life,” yet few among the masses understand the rules that govern it. Finally, Now You Can teaches you to connect the dots of your life by looking backward. Most people give up easily when confronted by adversity, but this comprehensive yet straightforward book will show you that there is power beyond you, an ability you can tap into in time of need. Anyone can feel good, be positive, and have faith under good circumstances, but we are most challenged mentally, spiritually, and physically when we get knocked down. It takes grace to deal with the floor, grace to stand back up, and grace to start over again. Take full responsibility for your life! When change and achievement knock at your door, grab the opportunity and say to all odds, “I am in control here. I am not going to let circumstances keep me down. I am not going to let occurrences destroy me. I am coming back better and stronger than ever.” It shall be your declaration of faith—your mantra for moving forward. Don’t give up; there is always an answer to everything. GRACE has you covered!
Chuck "Hoopman" Hayes is a retired Army Officer getting a chance to play college basketball. It doesn't take Hoopman long to figure out his team is hiding a dark secret. As Chuck digs deeper, he finds the purity of the game that he loves is being subjected to corruption. But Chuck Hayes has the courage to take on the criminals that threaten his teammates and his dreams. To save the game he loves and what may be his only chance to be a champion, Chuck Hayes will do whatever it takes. Even if it costs him his life.
This scholarly book is the final result of a team-research project, done by ten Practical Theologians from three denominations in the Reformed tradition in South Africa. The authors posed the following research problem and-question: What would be the relationship (if any) between preaching (and the liturgy of which it is a part) and the development of missional congregations? And secondly, what kind of preaching and preacher would best serve (even facilitate) such a process of missional congregational development in preaching and worship?
