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Author: Martin Thielen
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 2011-01-01
Total Pages: 170
ISBN-13: 0664236839
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA national worship and preaching consultant offers a provocative look at the core elements of Christian faith, articulating centrist, mainline Christianity in a way that is fresh and easy to understand. Original.
Author: Martin Thielen
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 2013-02-13
Total Pages: 146
ISBN-13: 161164092X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPastor and author Martin Thielen has compiled a list of ten things people need to believe, and ten things they don't, in order to be a Christian. This lively and engaging book will be a help to seekers as well as a comfort to believers who may find themselves questioning some of the assumptions they grew up with. With an accessible, storytelling style that's grounded in solid biblical scholarship, Thielen shows how Christians don't need to believe that sinners will be "left behind" to burn in hell or that it's heresy to believe in evolution. And while we must always take the Bible seriously, we don't always have to take it literally. At the same time, Christians do need to believe in Jesus--his life, his teachings, his death and resurrection, and his vision for the world. A great benefit of those beliefs is that they provide promising answers to life's most profound questions, including: Where is God? What matters most? What brings fulfillment? What about suffering? Is there hope? Thielen articulates centrist, mainline Christianity in a way that's fresh and easy to understand, and offers authentic Christian insights that speak to our deepest needs. This new edition includes a leader's guide, previously only available online, and a new introduction from the author that reflects on the book's reception. The leader's guide features unique and easily implemented aids for carrying out a seven-week, congregation-wide initiative that will help local churches reach out to their communities. More information is available at thielen.wjkbooks.com.
Author: Martin Thielen
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 2014-01-17
Total Pages: 178
ISBN-13: 0664239471
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIf you think the only logical response to bad Christianity is to leave Christianity completely, this book is for you. In an effort to help those who’ve been hurt by or turned off by negative religion, Martin Thielen explains that there is an alternative to abandoning religion: good religion. Thielen uses personal stories to illustrate the dangers of religion that is judgmental, anti-intellectual, and legalistic. While addressing the growth of the new atheism movement and the “Nones” (people that have no religious affiliation), this book argues that leaving religion is not practical, not helpful, and not necessary. Thielen provides counterparts to the characteristics of bad religion, explaining that good religion is grace-filled, promotes love and forgiveness, and is inclusive and hope-filled. This study is perfect for individual, group, or congregational study.
Author: Martin Thielen
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 2016-02-04
Total Pages: 179
ISBN-13: 1611646375
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe key to happiness is being rich, successful, and beautiful…right? Martin Thielen, best-selling author of What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?, insists that this is far from the truth. Happiness, Thielen argues, does not come from external factors like getting a job promotion or finally reaching your goal weight. Rather, happiness is an inside job. In brief, easy-to-read chapters, Thielen offers ten traits of happy and fulfilled people. Using psychological research, personal anecdotes, and Scripture, Thielen begins the path to contentment by showing how life circumstances—including income, health, physical appearance, and marital status—only account for about 10 percent of a person's overall life satisfaction. From there, he offers alternatives to the frequent methods we use to make ourselves happy. Instead of aiming to make more money, Thielen contends that expressing gratitude and cultivating optimism are surer paths to joy. Rather than focusing on constant advancement in our careers, let's practice our ability to forgive, to be generous, and to use trials as growth opportunities. These lessons, and much more, help readers who may be dissatisfied in their lives see that authentic contentment is closer than they ever imagined. The book features a guide for group or individual study, which includes questions for reflection and a challenge for each individual to reflect on during the week.
Author: Mike McKinley
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2011-06-07
Total Pages: 162
ISBN-13: 1433525798
DOWNLOAD EBOOKJesus divided the world into two groups—those who follow him and those who don't. But what happens when someone thinks he or she is a Christian, but isn't? With his witty, engaging style, Mike McKinley takes readers on a journey of what it means to be a Christian. He asserts that "manipulative evangelism techniques and a poor understanding of the gospel have resulted in an abundance of professing Christians who have no idea what it means to follow Christ." Each chapter title begins with "You're not a Christian [if/when/just because you]..." As he surveys what it means to be Christian, McKinley offers criteria for evaluating one's standing before God. Readers are guided through a series of challenges to reflect, repent, remember, and report to another person. Am I Really a Christian? ends with chapters on salvation and the local church. This unique book is written for nominal or new Christians and can be used in personal or small-group study.
Author: Joel Osteen
Publisher: FaithWords
Published: 2007-09-03
Total Pages: 270
ISBN-13: 0446510939
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn this remarkable New York Times bestseller, Joel Osteen offers unique insights and encouragement that will help readers overcome every obstacle in their lives.
Author: Wayne Grudem
Publisher:
Published: 2010-07-16
Total Pages: 160
ISBN-13: 9781844744862
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAuthor: Craig Groeschel
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2010-04-06
Total Pages: 180
ISBN-13: 0310597412
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAre you putting your whole faith in God but still living as if everything is up to you? You may believe in God, attend church, and generally treat people with kindness…but are you living as if God doesn't exist? Have you surrendered to God completely, living every day depending upon the Holy Spirit? Pastor and bestselling author Craig Groeschel will lead you on a personal journey toward an authentic, God-honoring life. This honest, hard-hitting, and eye-opening look into the ways people believe in God but live as if he doesn't exist is a classic of discipleship training. Groeschel's personal journey will help you break down your own barriers between simple belief and a more intentional faith. This book will help you: Let go of the shame of your past and know that you’re forgiven. Embrace Christ’s profound love for you. Believe in the power of prayer. Give up control when life doesn't seem fair. Trust God with all your anxious thoughts, heartache, struggles, and pain. From the author of Winning the War in Your Mind, The Christian Atheist is a rallying cry to get honest with God, shed the self-sufficiency and the hypocrisy, and live a life that truly brings glory to Christ.
Author: John Eldredge
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: 2011-04-17
Total Pages: 274
ISBN-13: 1400200393
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn all your boyhood dreams of growing up, did you dream of being a "nice guy"? Eldredge believes that every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. That is how he bears the image of God; that is what God made him to be.
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Published: 2012-03-02
Total Pages: 98
ISBN-13: 0486112519
DOWNLOAD EBOOKJefferson regarded Jesus as a moral guide rather than a divinity. In his unique interpretation of the Bible, he highlights Christ's ethical teachings, discarding the scriptures' supernatural elements, to reflect the deist view of religion.
