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The church today faces challenges on every front. Christians are captivated by consumerism, seduced by celebrity, distracted by technology and overwhelmed by media. Religious and secular rivals are increasingly prominent, vying for our allegiance and worship. What does authentic Christian spirituality look like in such an era? Vaughan Roberts finds direction for today's church in Paul's prophetic letter of 1 Corinthians. Ancient Corinth was a similarly confusing cultural landscape, and the Corinthian church likewise struggled to remain true to Christ in a world of many idols. Paul's vision is clear--Christians must choose certain things and not others. We must focus on the cross of Christ, not on human wisdom. Our leaders should be faithful, not flashy. And in contrast to lives of moral permissiveness, we must live lives of holiness and love. Following the way of Christ may look like foolishness to the world, but therein is the path of true wisdom. With a Bible study in each chapter, this book will help you choose the true spirituality of the gospel of Christ, and become the authentic church God intends you to be.
Authentic Church Government by Dr. Steven L. Highlander Pdf
Is the current model of Church government Biblically accurate, or have we settled for a centuries-old model that has no Biblical basis? Authentic Church Government examines the roles of the Apostles Prophet, Evangelist. Pastor and Teacher in the Bible, as well as looking at the roles of Bishops, Elders and Deacons.
A New Model of the Authentic Church by Robert Fuggi Pdf
In American church culture, worldly benchmarks of achievement have all but blinded us to the true purpose of the body of Christ. A New Model of the Authentic Church may be one of the most significant books written on the American church in decades. It not only offers a scholarly analysis of the current state of the church, but provides practical solutions. The book offers a brilliantly well-developed model for how to make church work more effectively. If implemented, it would provide a much needed paradigm shift in how we do church in America. The books main contribution is that it provides a workable framework not only on how to birth new missionally minded churches, but how to reform existing ones back to the Authentic Church of the gospels. If its principles are taken and applied, the book could alter the landscape of the American church, which will be a breath of fresh theological air to a church that has lost its way in the new millennium. The purpose of this book is not to just challenge and change the status quo; its goal is to bring a real, lasting transformation to how we do church. The aspiration in writing this book is for it to be seen and read not just as a critical assessment of the condition of the American church, but as a practical blueprint that will provide much renewed hope and purpose to the contemporary American church, the bride of Christ.
Searching for the True Church by Roger N. Shuff Pdf
Roger Shuff holds that the influence of the Brethren movement on wider evangelical life in England in the twentieth century is often underrated. This book records and accounts for the fact that Brethren reached the peak of their strength at the time when evangelicalism was at its lowest ebb, immediately before World War II. However, the movement then moved into persistent decline as evangelicalism regained ground in the postwar period. Accompanying this downward trend has been a sharp accentuation of the contrast between Brethren congregations who engage constructively with the non-Brethren scene and, at the other end of the spectrum, the isolationist group commonly referred to as Exclusive Brethren. Besides being the first scholarly study of Brethrenism in England for nearly forty years, the book will find a wider audience among present and former adherents of the Brethren movement in its various guises. It also offers useful insights for Christian leaders and other professionals who find themselves with pastoral care for people upon whom their encounter with the Brethren has had a profound psychological impact.
The Authentic Report of the Discussion which Took Place at ... the Dublin Institution Between the Rev. Thomas Maguire and the Rev. Richard T.P. Pope by Thomas Maguire Pdf
Through this series of letters from a former emergent church staffer to the global church she's not always sure she wants to be a part of, this volume invites every person to engage their own disappointments and journey through disillusionment and back again.
Counseling Asian Indian Immigrant Families by Varughese Jacob Pdf
This book provides insight into the unique challenges facing Indian and South Asian immigrants in the West—particularly in the United States. It explores the “baggage” they carry; their expectations versus the realities of negotiating a new cultural, social, religious, and economic milieu; nostalgia and idealization of the past; and the hybridity of existence. Within this context, the author discusses factors which often contribute to intergenerational family conflict among this population. Jacob asserts that this conflict is largely a product of differences in cultural values and identity, acculturation stress, and the experience of marginality. After analyzing and interpreting empirical data collected from two hundred families, he proposes the “Praxis-Reflection-Action” (PRA) Model: a five-stage therapeutic model and the first pastoral psychotherapeutic model developed for the Asian Indians living in the West.
Essential Church? by Thom S. Rainer,Sam S. Rainer Pdf
Why do so many young adults (18 to 22) leave the church, and what will it take to bring them back? This important question is examined and duly answered in Essential Church?, a follow-up to Thom S. Rainer’s best-selling Simple Church cowritten this time with his son, research expert Sam Rainer. The book is based on a study of one-thousand so-called "church dropouts" who were interviewed about why they left. Their answers are quite surprising, having less to do with "losing their religion" and more about the desire for a community that isn’t made stale by simply maintaining the status quo. In turn, the Rainers offer churches four concrete solutions toward making their worship community an essential part these young people’s lives again: Simplify - develop a clear structure and process for making disciples. Deepen - provide strong biblical teaching and preaching. Expect - let members know the need for commitment to the congregation. Multiply - emphasize evangelism, outward focus, and starting new churches.
Christian Theology, Volume Two by Thomas N. Finger Pdf
This is one of the first systematic theologies written from a believer’s church—chiefly an Anabaptist-Mennonite—perspective. Dr. Finger develops his themes throughout the volume in careful dialogue with Reformed, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and other historic approaches. The eschatological approach taken by Finger does not represent a fixation on future events. Rather, it represents a method of inquiry based on the early Christian conviction that the ‘last things’ had already occurred through Jesus, even though their effects were not yet fully realized. Chief among these were the resurrection of the dead, the outpouring of the Spirit, the coming of God’s kingdom, and the defeat of the powers of evil. After outlining this vantage point, Volume I considered eschatology, revelation, and the work of Christ in its light. Volume II begins with anthropology. Jesus’ human work provides the norm for authentic human being. Justification comes next and is considered as the eschatological revelation and actualization of God’s righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. After treating the dynamics of personal sanctification, Dr. Finger explores the context within which it is pursued: the church. His ecclesiology begins with mission, including its approach to non-Christian religions and the sociopolitical realm. Volume II ends where most systematic theologies begin: with God, including the humanity and deity of Jesus Christ. “Thomas N. Finger has undertaken an important task that is rarely attempted: the production of a constructive systematic theology informed by judicious dialogue with current biblical scholarship. Finger's methodological decision to adopt an ‘eschatological approach’ enables him to work formally as well as materially from within a perspective shaped by the NT writers; his innovative organization of the loci of Christian doctrine—with its emphasis on the church as a community of believers living out the tensions between Christ's resurrection and Parousia—is a direct result of taking the NT seriously. “Particularly noteworthy is his exposition of the doctrine of justification in the light of recent paradigm shifts in Pauline studies. Finger's book is a productive and edifying work for all who care about the ongoing conversation between Scripture and systematics.” —Richard Hays, Duke Divinity School “Thomas N. Finger has chosen an approach to the systematic presentation of Christian Theology which I also have taken since the publication of my Theology of Hope in 1964. He begins with the goal: with eschatology. With that goal in mind, a new light is cast on every single doctrine of Christian theology—the light of redemption—and the work of the theologian becomes a labor of hope. This is a “theology of the way.” With the kingdom of God kept steadily in view, it becomes an invitation to walk the way of Jesus. “Tom Finger’s theological prospectus makes a brilliant contribution to ecumenical theological dialogue from the Anabaptist tradition. He offers an eschatologically oriented theology for which I can only congratulate him.” —Jürgen Moltmann, Professor of Theology, University of Tübingen “This volume is not only a contribution to the contemporary discussions in systematic theology. It is also an important ecumenical breakthrough. The Anabaptist tradition stands as an important dialogue partner in the quest for a common ground in the Christian faith. Finger approaches the biblical faith from an eschatological viewpoint that is faithful to the Anabaptist tradition, but in dialogue with Roman Catholic, classical Protestant, and contemporary scholars in both of these traditions. He has begun a substantive conversation that will be important into the twenty-first century.” —Jeffrey Gros, Former Director of the Commission on Faith & Order, National Council of Christian Churches, USA
An Universal History of Christian Martyrdom, Being a Complete and Authentic Account of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant Deaths of the Primitive as Well as Protestant Martyrs ... Together with a Summary of the Doctrines, Prejudices, Blasphemies, and Superstitions of the Modern Church of Rome. Originally Composed by the Rev. John Fox, M.A. with Notes, Commentaries, and Illustrations by the Rev. J. Milner ... A New Edition, Greatly Improved and Corrected by John Foxe Pdf
95 Questions to Shape the Future of Your Church by Thomas G. Bandy Pdf
95 Questions to Shape the Future of Your Church is a comprehensive commentary on systemic change for the church. It combines the spirit of Luther’s 95 Theses with depth of insight akin to Luther’s reformation catechism. This book will be essential for every congregational, denominational, and seminary bookshelf. Church leaders and members all yearn for a new Reformation that will realign Christian congregations with God’s mission. This book frames the right questions, and focuses the right answers. It helps church leaders do the hard work of assessment and planning. The next Reformation will be an extraordinarily practical endeavor. Leaders need to apply the tactics that will leverage the greatest change, and guide the church deeper into the mystery of Christ and further in companionship with Christ. We want to be faithful. Now we know how to be faithful.
Digital Media and Youth Discipleship by Vo Huong Nam Pdf
Today’s youth grow up immersed in digital technology. This presents a unique challenge to the church as it seeks to faithfully make disciples of the next generation. What does it look like – theologically and practically – to minister contextually to those whose lives are permeated by social media and digital culture? In this in-depth study, Dr. Vo Huong Nam offers both social and theological insight into the task of discipling youth in the digital age. He examines the impact of digital media on both society and young people and offers an overview of Christian responses to the changing technological landscape. Engaging such authors as John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Henri Nouwen, he develops a constructive theology of spiritual formation relevant to the context of twenty-first century youth. He explores the implications of this theology on church practice, urging the church to take seriously its call to be all things for all people. Drawing specific examples from youth ministry in Vietnam, he addresses practical questions of application and contextualization and suggests that silence, solitude, and prayer are spiritual disciplines uniquely vital for the digital age. This book is an important resource for all those involved in discipling young people and longing to see today’s youth come to fullness of life in Christ.
In early 2016 I found myself laying in a hospital bed at the Royal Marsden in Fulham, diagnosed with terminal cancer, I decided to write about my faith in Christ; what it is and how it has been shaped and tested by a life that is lived out in the unpredictability of a world that can be so harsh and cruel. My starting point is to examine what sin is and what it does, paving the way for me to explain the necessity of salvation and what it does. I have made this my starting point because this is where faith begins. The fundamental message of the book is to acknowledge that, as a Christian, life can be filled with extreme pain, confusion and disillusionment and begs for meaningful answers to some very serious questions. The book takes an honest look at faith under the examination of someone who has experienced the safety of Christianity from childhood, yet along the way became one of the biggest sceptics of the Christianity that I saw around me. It was a scepticism that led me to the point of considering abandoning whatever faith I thought I had. This is a dilemma that I know a lot of Christians are tempted by and I hope that this book will give to them the encouragement, support and determination to press on. In this matter I attempt to examine what genuine faith is and what it is not, what it will do and what it will not do. I seek to highlight that the person with genuine faith must expect and be prepared for their faith to be tried and tested by God Himself and what His purpose in doing so is. The conclusion that the book as a whole alludes to, is that whilst there are times when faith does not seem to work, the faithfulness of what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ determines that faith always works.
Insider Movements = Church-planting Movements? In the last few decades, the Church has witnessed a growing harvest of Muslim-background believers coming to Christ. However, a divide remains over whether the “insider” paradigm contributes to the flourishing and multiplication of healthy, biblical churches among Muslims. S. T. Antonio advances this conversation beyond the old arguments through a fresh analysis of the insider paradigm by asking the question, What is church? Starting with the identity-shaping narrative of the people of God, Antonio digs deep into the nature of biblical ekklesia from multiple angles—local and universal, visible and invisible, the classical "marks" of the church, and missional identity. Combining a robust, biblical vision with a nuanced contextualization framework, and informed by firsthand ministry among Muslims, Antonio uncovers the roots and contours of the ecclesial vision of the insider paradigm. Insider Church provides an innovative diagnosis of a paradigm that has been surrounded by controversy, challenging it with constructive analysis for multiplying biblical churches among Muslims. This integrative study draws together biblical, theological, and missiological scholarship in service of Christ’s mission. Insider Church helps guide mission practitioners, leaders, and students toward a wise assessment of insider movements and a vision for church multiplication that is both fruitful and faithful to the Lord of the harvest.
A Pentecostal Hermeneutic for the Twenty First Century by Kenneth Archer Pdf
The purpose of this book is to present a critically informed contemporary Pentecostal hermeneutic rooted in Pentecostal identity, in its stories, beliefs and practices. As Pentecostals began entering academic communities of higher learning, their interpretive methods became both mainstream and modernistic as they adapted the historical critical methods, or the so-called scientific hermeneutic. The proposed hermeneutic contained in this book desires to move beyond the impasse created by Modernity, instead pushing Pentecostals into the contemporary context by critically re-appropriating early Pentecostal ethos and interpretive practices for a contemporary Pentecostal community. The Pentecostal hermeneutic is a three-way interaction for theological meaning between the Holy Spirit, the Pentecostal community and sacred Scripture.