Theology for a Troubled Believer: An Introduction to the Christian Faith


Diogenes Allen - 2010
    In this book, Allen hopes to supply more of the information (pieces of the puzzle) that are needed if a person is to make sense of the Christian understanding of God and our life in the universe. More philosopher than theologian, Allen writes for a troubled believer, dealing with issues and questions that emerge during Christians' daily lives and in the course of contemplating Christian faith.

A Brief History of Christian Worship


James F. White - 1992
    This book is a revisionist work, attempting to give new direction to liturgical history by treating the experience of worship of the people in the pews as the primary liturgical document. It means liturgical history written facing the other way--that is, looking into the chancel rather than out of it. Relishing the liturgical diversity of recent centuries as firm evidence of Chritianity's ability to adapt to a wide variety of peoples and places, Professor White shows that this tendency has been apparent in Chrisitian worship since its inception in the New Testament churches. Instead of imposing one tradition's criteria on worship, he tries to give a balanced and comprehensive approach to the development of the dozen or more traditions surviving in the modern world.

Handbook for Preclears


L. Ron Hubbard - 1976
    Here's a simple, practical handbook you can use and apply right now to improve your awareness, ability and happiness.Handbook for Preclears is a Dianetics self-processing manual containing fifteen powerful yet easily applied exercises to help you overcome barriers in your life that are blocking your true potentials.

Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library)


Don Casey - 1996
    But Don Casey shows us that it doesn't need to be that way. You can learn what you need to know by rapping,poking,looking,and listening. But you must be able to recognize problem symptoms when they arise. This book shows you how. Hull,deck,rig,interior,engine,electrical system—it's all here. You'll still want to hire a surveyor before buying a boat,and Casey guides you through that,too. In the meantime,though,whether you're maintaining or shopping,you can save hundreds,even thousands of dollars in survey fees. The Tolerance of Fiberglass For Neglect And Abuse Is Legendary—And An Astounding Number Of Sailboats Built In The Last 35 Years Are Still Around. There Are Bargains Aplenty—And The Best One Of All,With Some Overdue Attention,Just Might Be The Boat You Already Own Are those cracks in the gelcoat? Should the deck yield underfoot like that? Are those rivets in the toerail,and why are they loose? Why doesn't the head door close? Should there be rust on the keel bolts? What is that bulge in the hull? If any of these indicate real trouble,it is or could become your trouble. Here is all you'll need to learn where to look and what to look for. Whether you're shopping or prioritizing maintenance tasks,this book will save you money and perhaps even disaster.

Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry


Thomas C. Oden - 1983
    Moving from a critique of inadequate models for ministry -- from community organizer to T. V. evangelist -- Oden develops a more classical model, rich in its references to the past and compatible both with Christian faith and theology through the ages and with current needs.Reconciling classical tradition with practice, Pastoral Theology will be a standard resource and reference in the field. Oden distills the best ideas of the two millennia of ecumenical Christian thinking concerning what pastors are and do. Pastoral Theology provides the foundational knowledge of the pastoral office requisite to the practice of ministry. It will be of interest to persons preparing for ordination in its review of key issues; at the same time, Pastoral Theology will appeal to all those who have considered entering the ministry, those who want to know more about what clergy do and why, and those ministers who want to review their ongoing work in the light of a systematic reflection on the pastoral gifts and tasks.

The Seven Checkpoints for Youth Leaders: Seven Principles Every Teenager Needs to Know


Andy Stanley - 2001
    But the greatest advantage is this: You will know that you are doing more than providing exciting activities -- you are changing lives for eternity.A New Strategy for Youth MinistryAndy Stanley and Stuart Hall, both respected and effective leaders in the Christian Community, have developed a ground-breaking, dynamic plan for youth ministry of the coming decades. The Seven Checkpoints for Youth Leaders and the companion The Seven Checkpoints Student Journal presents a plan for a student's entire career in a youth group.The challenges facing our youth grow every year. Quick fixes and short-term programs will not provide the life-strengthening results needed for the teens of today. This revolutionary approach promises and delivers what is needed in the world of youth ministries around the country today.So what are you waiting for? You have a life to build. Open up this book and get the seven.

Willmingtons Guide to the Bible


Harold L. Willmington - 1981
    It's like eight Bible reference books in one—a Bible handbook, commentary, topical fact-finder, theological manual, history text, illustrated encyclopedia, cross-reference guide, and archaeological update! Special Features 250 illustrations 613 Old Testament commands 300 most important Bible characters main doctrines of Christianity

Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life


Dominic Grassi - 2005
    A. Pierce, author of Spirituality at Work The concluding prayer of the Mass is a command: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. We are charged to go forth and quite literally transform our families, our communities, and our world through the redeeming sacrifice of Christ as celebrated in the Mass. Fr. Dominic Grassi and Joe Paprocki use this challenge as the starting point for their inspiring and illuminating look at the central act of Catholic worship. They ask, What would our faith look like if we truly understood the gift of the Eucharist?Living the Mass will stir a new passion for and a greater understanding of this sacred two-thousand-year-old celebration offered freely to all who come, to all who believe.  Also available in Spanish! Vivir la misa

Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation


Allen P. Ross - 2006
    Throughout the book, the focus is on the integral issue of who we worship . . . and why. Ross then applies these discoveries to the contemporary Christian practice and debate.Recalling the Hope of Glory stands to become a definitive resource for the pastor, worship leader, and those training for the ministry. Regardless of their denomination, readers will appreciate the author's high view of Scripture and just how much it can and should inform Christian worship.

Faithful Preaching: Declaring Scripture with Responsibility, Passion, and Authenticity


Tony Merida - 2009
    Expository preaching is the best approach for accurately explaining and applying God’s Word, and for maintaining a God-centered focus in preaching. It also offers wonderful spiritual benefits to both the preacher and congregation. To be faithful expositors today, we must avoid the common problems associated with expository preaching such as boredom, irrelevancy, and Christless messages. Faithful preachers will usher the people through the text passionately and authentically, pointing them to Christ.”

Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change


Mark Lau Branson - 2004
    When First Presbyterian Church in Altadena, California, was asked to provide a mission study report for its pastor nominating committee, the congregation was afraid they would find themselves engaging in busy work and producing a report that would wind up in a file gathering dust. They then asked professor Mark Lau Branson to consult with them on writing this report. He invited them to join in a process of Appreciative Inquiry--a transformational organization change process--which resulted in a major shift in congregational conversations and a new sense of hope. Memories, Hopes, and Conversations recounts the experience of First Presbyterian and outlines a process that any congregation can utilize to harness the energies of the congregation at all levels of its common life. Branson first leads readers through the foundations of Appreciative Inquiry and bracingly explores biblical texts for understanding the practice in a faith context. He then outlines and illustrates a four-step process--Initiate, Inquire, Imagine, Innovate--that creatively employs constructive conversations and questions to evoke storytelling and spur imaginations. Branson persuasively demonstrates how concentrating on needs and problems can mire a congregation in discouragement and distract it from noticing innate strengths. By focusing on memories of the congregation at its best, members are able to construct "provocative proposals" to help shape the church's future. Grounded in solid theory and real-life practice, Memories, Hopes, and Conversations is a groundbreaking work of narrative leadership and the first book to apply the principles of Appreciative Inquiry to the lives of congregations.

The Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom


John Chrysostom - 1967
    This is a fresh translation of the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostem and is published as a parallel Greek and Emglsih text. The Greek text is that published in Athens by the Apostoliki Diakonia in 1950 with reference to some other texts. The English translation is a new one undertaken by a committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. The translation has for the first time adopted contemporary usage rather than the archaic forms used in earlier editions. This book is principally designed for use by members of the congregation but will also be employed by the priests and deacons celebrating the Liturgy.

The Kingdom of God: The Biblical Concept & Its Meaning for the Church


John Bright - 1953
    "To grasp what is meant by the Kingdom of God is to come very close to the heart of the Bible's gospel of salvation."--from the Preface

Models of the Church


Avery Dulles - 1974
    Welcoming this as a sign of vitality, Avery Dulles has carefully studied the writings of contemporary Protestant and Catholic ecclesiologists and sifted out six major approaches, or models, through which the Church's character can be understood: as Institution, Mystical Communion, Sacrament, Herald, Servant, and, in a recent addition to the book, as Community of Disciples. A balanced theology, he concludes, must incorporate the major affirmations of each. The method of models or types, observes Cardinal Dulles, can have great value in helping people to get beyond the limitations of their own particular outlook and to enter into fruitful conversation with others... Such conversation is obviously essential if ecumenism is to get beyond its present impasses.This new edition includes a new Appendix and Preface by the author.

The Birth We Call Death


Paul H. Dunn - 1976
    Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, c1976.