The Church Faces Death Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle version is available to download in english. Read online anytime anywhere directly from your device. Click on the download button below to get a free pdf file of The Church Faces Death book. This book definitely worth reading, it is an incredibly well-written.
Ecclesiology (the theology of the church) is a neglected topic in contemporary theology. At a time when the institutional churches are experiencing dramatic decline, says Michael Jinkins, we need a new understanding of what the church is. In this work, Jinkins challenges the church to rediscover its vocation, to follow Jesus Christ even at the risk of its institutional survival. In the face of a variety of perceived threats to its future, he reminds us that the church is most alive and attractive when it forgets about itself and its safety. The ecclesiology Jinkins puts forward is born from a sense of "life in Christ" that can, he argues, face institutional death to recover a remarkable freedom. Without detailing the face of the future church, he asserts his faith that there is indeed life after death for the church as the worshipping body of Christ.
Ecclesiology (the theology of the church) is a neglected topic in contemporary theology. At a time when the institutional churches are experiencing dramatic decline, says Michael Jinkins, we need a new understanding of what the church is. In this work, Jinkins challenges the church to rediscover its vocation, to follow Jesus Christ even at the risk of its institutional survival. In the face of a variety of perceived threats to its future, he reminds us that the church is most alive and attractive when it forgets about itself and its safety. The ecclesiology Jinkins puts forward is born from a sense of "life in Christ" that can, he argues, face institutional death to recover a remarkable freedom. Without detailing the face of the future church, he asserts his faith that there is indeed life after death for the church as the worshipping body of Christ.
Death of the Church by Mike Regele,Mark Schulz Pdf
Our culture is changing at a dizzying rate. But the church seems to be left behind, caught in subcultural backwaters that have little or no impact on mainstream society. Based on the quantitative research of his group, Percept, Regele analyzes the forces in our culture and discusses how the church can fulfill its mission in the face of them.
Speaking of Dying by Fred Craddock,Dale Goldsmith,Joy V. Goldsmith Pdf
The church does not cope very well with dying. Instead of using its own resources to mount a positive end-of-life ministry for the terminally ill, it outsources care to secular models, providers, and services. A terminal diagnosis typically triggers denial of impending death and placing faith in the techniques and resources of modern medicine. If a cure is not forthcoming, the patient and his or her loved ones experience a sense of failure and bitter disappointment. This book offers a critical analysis of the church's failure to communicate constructively about dying, reminding the church of its considerable liturgical, scriptural, and pastoral resources when it ministers to the terminally ill. The authors, who have all been personally and professionally involved in end-of-life issues, suggest practical, theological bases for speaking about dying, communicating with those facing death, and preaching about dying. They explore how dying--in baptism--begins and informs the Christian's life story. They also emphasize that the narrative of faith embraces dying, and they remind readers of scriptural and christological resources that can lead toward a "good dying." In addition, they present current best practices from health professionals for communication among caregivers and those facing death. The book includes a foreword by Stanley Hauerwas.
The Church of the Dead by Jennifer Scheper Hughes Pdf
Tells the story of the founding of American Christianity against the backdrop of devastating disease, and of the Indigenous survivors who kept the nascent faith alive Many scholars have come to think of the European Christian mission to the Americas as an inevitable success. But in its early period it was very much on the brink of failure. In 1576, Indigenous Mexican communities suffered a catastrophic epidemic that took almost two million lives and simultaneously left the colonial church in ruins. In the crisis and its immediate aftermath, Spanish missionaries and surviving pueblos de indios held radically different visions for the future of Christianity in the Americas. The Church of the Dead offers a counter-history of American Christian origins. It centers the power of Indigenous Mexicans, showing how their Catholic faith remained intact even in the face of the faltering religious fervor of Spanish missionaries. While the Europeans grappled with their failure to stem the tide of death, succumbing to despair, Indigenous survivors worked to reconstruct the church. They reasserted ancestral territories as sovereign, with Indigenous Catholic states rivaling the jurisdiction of the diocese and the power of friars and bishops. Christianity in the Americas today is thus not the creation of missionaries, but rather of Indigenous Catholic survivors of the colonial mortandad, the founding condition of American Christianity. Weaving together archival study, visual culture, church history, theology, and the history of medicine, Jennifer Scheper Hughes provides us with a fascinating reexamination of North American religious history that is at once groundbreaking and lyrical.
How have millions of American Christians come to measure spiritual progress in terms of their financial status and physical well-being? How has the movement variously called Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Name It and Claim It, or simply prosperity gospel come to dominate much of our contemporary religious landscape? Kate Bowler's Blessed is the first book to fully explore the origins, unifying themes, and major figures of a burgeoning movement that now claims millions of followers in America. Bowler traces the roots of the prosperity gospel: from the touring mesmerists, metaphysical sages, pentecostal healers, business oracles, and princely prophets of the early 20th century; through mid-century positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale and revivalists like Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin; to today's hugely successful prosperity preachers. Bowler focuses on such contemporary figures as Creflo Dollar, pastor of Atlanta's 30,000-member World Changers Church International; Joel Osteen, known as "the smiling preacher," with a weekly audience of seven million; T. D. Jakes, named by Time magazine one of America's most influential new religious leaders; Joyce Meyer, evangelist and women's empowerment guru; and many others. At almost any moment, day or night, the American public can tune in to these preachers-on TV, radio, podcasts, and in their megachurches-to hear the message that God desires to bless them with wealth and health. Bowler offers an interpretive framework for scholars and general readers alike to understand the diverse expressions of Christian abundance as a cohesive movement bound by shared understandings and common goals.
Catechism of the Catholic Church by U.S. Catholic Church Pdf
Over 3 million copies sold! Essential reading for Catholics of all walks of life. Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.
In this collection of essays, Tom Greggs explores the nature of the church in a world of many religions. Greggs' writings on the Church and on other religions emphasize the importance of attentiveness to Christ and the Holy Spirit, and both are simultaneously generous and particularist. The first part of the book addresses the Church as it is brought into being by the Spirit in glorifying God, celebrates the sacraments, respects the authority of the creeds, is generously Catholic, and critiques its own religion. The second part looks at the church in a pluralist context as it engages in inter-faith dialogue, expresses both particularism and universalism, speaks of Christ with many names, and reads scripture and understands the many covenants found there. Greggs offers a programmatic conclusion, setting an agenda for theologies of the church and of other religions and their simultaneous relationality.
Unto Death: Martyrdom, Missions, and the Maturity of the Church by Dalton Thomas Pdf
Throughout the three and a half years of His earthly ministry, Jesus consistently called His disciples to expect and embrace suffering, persecution, and martyrdom, exhorting them with such words as,
The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.
The best-selling Denominations Comparison ebook contains a side-by-side comparison of what 12 Christian denominations believe about God, the Trinity, Jesus, and other spiritual issues. This easy-to-read ebook summarizes the beliefs of the different denominations on key topics and includes a "Family Tree of Denominations" which reveals the roots of today's denominations. Denominations Comparison includes a look at: Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anabaptist, Congregational, Baptist, Presbyterian, Churches of Christ, Adventist, and Pentecostal churches. Each denomination believes in the deity of Christ and the importance of Scripture, so how are the groups different? The Denominations Comparison shows what denominations have in common as well as where they differ. The Denominations Comparison ebook compares 12 denominations on 11 different topics, such as: •When it was founded and by whom •The number of adherents in 2000 •How Scripture is viewed •Who God is •Who Jesus is •How individuals are saved •What happens after death •The definition of the Church •How each looks at the Sacraments •Other practices and beliefs •The major divisions and trends today. The Denominations Comparison ebook is an excellent source for pastors and teachers who want to present denominational beliefs in a concise and focused manner. The full color ebook organizes the denominations comparisons in the order in which they came to be, first covering the six liturgical denominations followed by the six non-liturgical denominations. The Liturgical Churches compared are: •Catholic •Orthodox •Lutheran (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) •Anglican (Episcopal Church; Reformed Episcopal Church) •Presbyterian (The Presbyterian Church (USA) or PCUSA; The Presbyterian Church in America or PCA) •Methodist Churches (United Methodists Church; African Methodist Episcopal; Free Methodists) The Non-Liturgical Churches compared are: •Anabaptist (The Mennonite Church; Church of the Brethren; Amish) •Congregational (United Church of Christ: The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches; The Conservative Congregational Christian Conference) •Baptist (Southern Baptists, American Baptists; National Baptists) •Churches of Christ (Christian Church, Disciples of Christ) •Adventist (Seventh-Day Adventist Church, SDA, 7th Day Adventist) •Pentecostal Churches (Assemblies of God; Church of God in Christ) In addition to the side-side comparison of the 12 Christian denominations, the Denominations Comparison ebook contains a list of 42 "Helpful Words to Know" for studying denominational differences. This list defines words such as: Anabaptist, apocrypha, canon, Eucharist, incarnate, pope, predestination, and puritan. The Denominations Comparison ebook also contains several helpful references, such as: •Official web sites for major denominations •General online references •Other web sites for the major traditions. Denominations Comparison also contains a short summary on the following Christian groups, their founders, size, and denominational ties (if applicable): •Calvary Chapel •Christian and Missionary Alliance •Church of God •Church of the Nazarene •Evangelical Covenant Church •Evangelical Free Church of America •International Church of the Foursquare Gospel •Salvation Army •Vineyard Ministries International Topical index: Adventists, African Methodist Episcopal,Anglican,Assemblies of God, Baptists, Calvary Chapel, Catholic Church, Charismatic, Church of Christ, Church of England, Church of God, Congregational Churches, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Church, Foursquare Church, Free Methodists, Holiness Churches, liberal denominations, Lutheran Churches, Methodist Church, Orthodox Church, Pentecostal Church, Presbyterian Church, Quakers, Reformed Church, Roman Catholicism, Salvation Army, Trinity, United Methodist Church, Vineyard Churches, Westminster Confession.
"My greatest teacher has been my cancer," says Jeffrey T. Simmons in "My Life and My Death." In walking readers, step-by-step, through his story of faith as he faces death, Simmons conveys a thoughtful treatment of living with a terminal illness.
Nearing his final days, a beloved Unitarian minister meditates on life, love, and death: “The goal is to live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for.” On a February day in 2008, Forrest Church sent a letter to the members of his congregation, informing them that he had terminal cancer; his life would now be measured in months, not years. He went on to promise that he would sum up his thoughts on the topics that had been so pervasive in his work—love and death—in a final book. Church has been justly celebrated as a writer of American history, but his works of spiritual guidance have been especially valued for their insight and inspiration. As a minister, Church defined religion as "our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die." The goal of life, he tells us "is to live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for." Love & Death is imbued with ideas and exemplars for achieving that goal, and the stories he offers—all drawn from his own experiences and from the lives of his friends, family, and parishioners—are both engrossing and enlightening. Forrest Church's final work may be his most lasting gift to his readers.
