God S Image And Global Cultures

Author : Kenneth Nehrbass
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2016-08-26
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781498239103

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God’s Image and Global Cultures by Kenneth Nehrbass Pdf

Globalization has raised numerous questions about theology and culture for Christians. How should we respond to outsourcing and immigration? How does anti-Western sentiment affect the proclamation of the gospel? What is the role of the church in society? This book argues that Christians will be most fulfilled and most effective if they embrace their cultural activity rather than feel ambivalent about it. The central question of this book is, how does bearing God's image relate to cultural activity? Nehrbass explains that "spheres of culture," such as political, technological, and social structures, are systems that God has instilled in humans as his image bearers, so that they can glorify and enjoy him forever. Therefore, a theology of culture involves recognizing that the kingdom of God encompasses heaven and Earth, rather than pitting heaven against Earth. The text surveys anthropological explanations for humanity's dependence on culture, and shows that each explanation provides only partial explanatory scope. The most satisfying explanation is that a major functional aspect of bearing God's image is engaging in culture, since the Trinity has been eternally engaged in cultural functions like ruling, communicating, and creating. Each chapter contains a summary and questions about what it means to be a world-changer in the twenty-first century.

Author : Dr. David Dockery
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 249 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2023-08-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781637631737

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Created in the Image of God by Dr. David Dockery Pdf

All people have dignity because they are created in the image of God. This theological belief has been a liberating force among its believers, providing a myriad of beautiful implications in our world. On the other hand, where the idea of being created in God’s image has been misunderstood, the implications can be devastating. Created in the Image of God brings together leading experts to discuss what it means to be made in image of God and to bring clarity and guidance for implications in the midst of our cultural confusion. The overall approach of this work, though distinct and focused in each of the chapters, reflects a consensus understanding that men and women have been created in God’s image, that they have fallen and are influenced by sin, that Christ has provided redemption through his vicarious death and resurrection, and that there is hope in the promise of eternal life in Christ. Christ succeeded where Adam failed (Rom 5:12-21; 1 Cor 15), allowing those who trust in him to enjoy and glorify him forever. The rich chapters within, and their helpful application to human dignity issues, will help our world to regain a sense of the marvelous privilege that is ours as image bearers and how that should impact our engagement with complex dignity issues of our day.

Author : Nadim Nassar
Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2018-09-06
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781473671553

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The Culture of God by Nadim Nassar Pdf

'So much of the reporting of the Middle East at the moment reflects war and human misery; it's inspiring to find, in this thoughtful and engaging book, a message of hope from what Fr Nadim calls "that region of the world that God chose to live in when he took human form"' Edward Stourton 'The ultimate question of this book is, why does it matter to me, a human being, to know the culture of God, and what impact should that have on my own life and existence? The culture of God is the antithesis of the culture of the Pharisees - yet again and again we fall into the trap of condemning or excluding others. Understanding the culture of God helps us to uncover God's image within us, a shining jewel buried deep under the dirt of our selfishness and greed, and helps us to shine as God intends us to, re-forming our relationships with God and with each other in our amazingly diverse world.' It is as we read the Bible, argues Father Nadim Nassar, that we are invited to discover what 'the culture of God' - the community of love that makes up the Trinity - looks like, and how it might transform our lives and our faith. But in order to do so we need to understand the culture of the Bible itself, as well as the particular culture that forms our own worldview. Ultimately it is Jesus who has direct access to the culture of God; and so we also need to understand Jesus within his first-century Levantine context. Father Nadim Nassar is the Church of England's only Syrian priest and an outspoken advocate for western Christians to recognise the Middle-Eastern roots of their faith. The fresh and provocative reflections in The Culture of God, his first book, are informed by his experience of growing up in Syria and living through the conflicts in the region, especially the civil wars in Lebanon and Syria. Taking us on a journey through the mystery of the incarnation, to Jesus' role as storyteller - Al-Hakawati - his relationship with a disparate cast of people as narrated by the gospels, and finally his death and resurrection, Father Nadim unfolds for us the culture of God and what it can mean for a world that so desperately needs both freedom and a way to embrace diversity. 'Fr Nadim's personal experience of the painful effects of war and conflict in the Middle East is an insightful lens into the brokenness of humanity that leads to the ongoing violation of the God-given sanctity and dignity of life. At the same time, the paradox of the Crucifixion and Christianity is presented as a key to understanding the restoration of that same humanity, and the possibility of reconciliation with God and one another if the life and teachings of Christ are truly lived.' Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London

Author : Beth Felker Jones,Jeffrey W. Barbeau
Publisher : InterVarsity Press
Page : 276 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2016-03-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780830851201

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The Image of God in an Image Driven Age by Beth Felker Jones,Jeffrey W. Barbeau Pdf

Humans are created in the image of God, yet by choosing to rebel against God we become unfaithful bearers of his image. But Jesus, who is the image of God, restores the divine image in us. At the intersection of theology and culture, these essays offer a unified vision of what it means to be truly human and created in the divine image in the world today.

Author : Jacob Shatzer
Publisher : InterVarsity Press
Page : 198 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2019-04-09
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9780830865789

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Transhumanism and the Image of God by Jacob Shatzer Pdf

We're constantly invited to think about the future of technology as a progressive improvement of tools: our gadgets will continue to evolve, but we humans will stay basically the same. In the future, perhaps even alien species and intelligent robots will coexist alongside humans, who will grapple with challenges and emerge as the heroes. But the truth is that radical technological change has the power to radically shape humans as well. We must be well informed and thoughtful about the steps we're already taking toward a transhuman or even posthuman future. Can we find firm footing on a slippery slope? Biblical ethicist Jacob Shatzer guides us into careful consideration of the future of Christian discipleship in a disruptive technological environment. In Transhumanism and the Image of God, Shatzer explains the development and influence of the transhumanist movement, which promotes a "next stage" in human evolution. Exploring topics such as artificial intelligence, robotics, medical technology, and communications tools, he examines how everyday technological changes have already altered and continue to change the way we think, relate, and understand reality. By unpacking the doctrine of the incarnation and its implications for human identity, he helps us better understand the proper place of technology in the life of the disciple and avoid false promises of a posthumanist vision. We cannot think about technology use today without considering who we will become tomorrow.

Author : Anthony A. Hoekema
Publisher : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 1994-09-06
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0802808506

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Created in God's Image by Anthony A. Hoekema Pdf

ccording to Scripture, humankind was created in the image of God. Hoekema discusses the implications of this theme, devoting several chapters to the biblical teaching on God's image, the teaching of philosophers and theologians through the ages, and his own theological analysis. Suitable for seminary-level anthropology courses, yet accessible to educated laypeople. Extensive bibliography, fully indexed.

Author : Timothy S. Laniak
Publisher : Zondervan
Page : 145 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2012-03-06
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780310303947

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Finding the Lost Images of God by Timothy S. Laniak Pdf

Images are frequently used in the Bible to describe God and his relationship with his chosen people. Without an accurate understanding of the images, we cannot comprehend the profound biblical revelations they communicate. Understanding these cultural vehicles of communication comes by learning the cultural background of those who created them. Timothy S. Laniak illuminates this background for readers “from the ground up” with his archaeological and anthropological explanations of the contexts the authors lived in. Suitable for students, pastors, and lay leaders, the Zondervan ebook Images of God and His People links these cultural characteristics with the images of God with corresponding images of his people found in the Old and New Testaments. This complementary approach reveals a rich relationship between God and the people he loves and calls into his service.

Author : J. Warner Wallace
Publisher : David C Cook
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2013-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781434705464

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Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace Pdf

Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator. Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity. A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.

Author : Kenneth Nehrbass
Publisher : William Carey Publishing
Page : 315 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2012-02-26
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781645080251

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Christianity and Animism in Melanesia by Kenneth Nehrbass Pdf

In this book, Kenneth Nehrbass examines the interaction between traditional or animistic religion (called kastom) and Christianity in Vanuatu. First, he briefly outlines major anthropological theories of animism, then he examines eight aspects of animism on Tanna Island and shows how they present a challenge to Christianity. He traces the history of Christianity on Tanna from 1839 to the present, showing which missiological theories the various missionaries were implementing. Nehrbass wanted to find out what experiences in the lives of the islanders distinguished those who left traditional religion behind from those who held on to it. In the end, he contends that there are twenty factors of gospel response and cultural integration that determine whether an animistic background believer will be a mixer, separator, transplanter, or contextualizer.

Author : John C. Nugent
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 143 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2024-01-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781666770827

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The Fourfold Office of Christ by John C. Nugent Pdf

How should the church relate to the world? For over seven decades, the classic categories of Christ and Culture have monopolized Christian answers to this question. Nearly everyone bought into H. Richard Niebuhr’s lofty, world-transforming vision. And now that everyone’s trying to make the world better, we keep clashing about how to do so. We all want God’s will to be done on earth as in heaven, but deep disagreements about how to get there keep fracturing Christ’s body and subverting our testimony. Jesus was right: our witness to the world depends on our unity and our love for one another. In recent years, we've been failing at both. Political partisanship and constant infighting have wounded the vulnerable and driven countless people from the pews. It’s time to revisit church-world relations with fresh eyes and a stubborn commitment to God’s revelation in Scripture. Offering a new typology for the twenty-first century, The Fourfold Office of Christ lucidly examines the most common ways of relating church and world. John C. Nugent employs the memorable categories of prophet, priest, king, and servant to showcase the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. He then charts a rigorously scriptural and surprisingly hopeful path forward.

Author : J. Richard Middleton
Publisher : Brazos Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2005-03-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781441242785

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The Liberating Image by J. Richard Middleton Pdf

For two thousand years, Christians have been intrigued by the somewhat enigmatic Imago Dei references in the book of Genesis. Much theological ink has been spilled mulling over the significance and meaning of these words: "Let us make humanity in our image, according to our likeness . . . " In The Liberating Image, J. Richard Middleton takes on anew the challenge of interpreting the Imago Dei. Reflecting on the potential of the Imago Dei texts for developing an ethics of power rooted in compassion, he relates its significance to the Christian community's distinct calling in an increasingly violent world. The Liberating Image introduces a relevant, scholarly take on an important Christian doctrine. It will appeal to all Christians seeking to better understand what it means to be made in God's image.

Author : Mark Edwards,Elena Ene D-Vasilescu
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 246 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2016-10-26
Category : History
ISBN : 9781315439587

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Visions of God and Ideas on Deification in Patristic Thought by Mark Edwards,Elena Ene D-Vasilescu Pdf

This volume illustrates the complexity and variety of early Christian thought on the subject of the image of God as a theological concept, and the difficulties that arise even in the interpretation of particular authors who gave a cardinal place to the image of God in their expositions of Christian doctrine. The first part illustrates both the presence and the absence of the image of God in the earliest Christian literature; the second examines various studies in deification, both implicit and explicit; the third explores the relation between iconography and the theological notion of the image

Author : Reza Aslan
Publisher : Random House
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2017-11-07
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780553394733

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God by Reza Aslan Pdf

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The bestselling author of Zealot and host of Believer explores humanity’s quest to make sense of the divine in this concise and fascinating history of our understanding of God. In Zealot, Reza Aslan replaced the staid, well-worn portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth with a startling new image of the man in all his contradictions. In his new book, Aslan takes on a subject even more immense: God, writ large. In layered prose and with thoughtful, accessible scholarship, Aslan narrates the history of religion as a remarkably cohesive attempt to understand the divine by giving it human traits and emotions. According to Aslan, this innate desire to humanize God is hardwired in our brains, making it a central feature of nearly every religious tradition. As Aslan writes, “Whether we are aware of it or not, and regardless of whether we’re believers or not, what the vast majority of us think about when we think about God is a divine version of ourselves.” But this projection is not without consequences. We bestow upon God not just all that is good in human nature—our compassion, our thirst for justice—but all that is bad in it: our greed, our bigotry, our penchant for violence. All these qualities inform our religions, cultures, and governments. More than just a history of our understanding of God, this book is an attempt to get to the root of this humanizing impulse in order to develop a more universal spirituality. Whether you believe in one God, many gods, or no god at all, God: A Human History will challenge the way you think about the divine and its role in our everyday lives. Praise for God “Timely, riveting, enlightening and necessary.”—HuffPost “Tantalizing . . . Driven by [Reza] Aslan’s grace and curiosity, God . . . helps us pan out from our troubled times, while asking us to consider a more expansive view of the divine in contemporary life.”—The Seattle Times “A fascinating exploration of the interaction of our humanity and God.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “[Aslan’s] slim, yet ambitious book [is] the story of how humans have created God with a capital G, and it’s thoroughly mind-blowing.”—Los Angeles Review of Books “Aslan is a born storyteller, and there is much to enjoy in this intelligent survey.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Author : Nico Vorster
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 196 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2011-10-26
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781610972239

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Created in the Image of God by Nico Vorster Pdf

What does it mean to be created in the image of God? How can the existence of evil be explained if we believe in a good and loving God? What is the precise meaning of the notion of original sin? How can God transfer the guilt of humanity to one innocent individual, or should we rather dispense with the notion of penal satisfaction? The first part of Created in the Image of God grapples in a concise manner with these and other elusive and controversial theological and anthropological issues. The second part proceeds to address societal issues that relate to dignity, equality, and freedom. How can human dignity and the dignity of the environment be reconciled? Are the values of freedom and equality natural enemies? When does theology become a tool of oppression? How should we evaluate neo-liberalist economic theory after the greatest recession since the Depression? This book cautiously attempts to provide some answers that might help modern society to re-invent itself in a tumultuous age.

Author : Masao Takenaka
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 104 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : Aesthetics, Japanese
ISBN : STANFORD:36105040512332

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God is Rice by Masao Takenaka Pdf