Book picks similar to
Reasons for Duty by John H. Gerstner
christian-life
apologetics
church
not-read
Where the Soul Hungers: One Doctor’s Journey from Atheism to Faith
Samuel Morris Brown - 2021
Brown was an atheist from an early age and proud of it. Yet, by his own account, God became an undeniable presence in his life. Now a faithful Latter-day Saint, this practicing research physician narrates some of the waypoints on his journey into believing and belonging. Some are dramatic—his wife’s cancer diagnosis or working in a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic—while many are simple yet profound: being mistaken for a homeless person while a student at Harvard, growing to like little children and opera, and learning to bake cookies for others. With gentle, self-critical humor and a generous regard for those who have accompanied him on his way, Brown’s book is an offer to walk with you a while on your own journey of faith.
Back to Basics: Rediscovering the Richness of the Reformed Faith
David G. Hagopian - 1995
Contributors include Douglas Wilson, Douglas Jones, and Roger Wagner.
History and Christianity
John Warwick Montgomery - 1965
John Montgomery, scholar, theologian and apologist for the faith, developed this book from a seminar he presented at the University of British Columbia. Readable and convincing, the book is divided into four sections:
Section One deals with four basic errors usually committed by those who attack the historicity of the New Testament.
Section Two defends the accuracy of the New Testament documents, using tests which are commonly applied to any ancient document.
Section Three, entitled "God Closes In," is a powerful defense of the truly divine and truly human nature of Christ.
Section Four clearly shows that if Jesus were not the Son of God, the only other alternatives are either liar or lunatic.The book includes the transcript of a panel discussion in which Dr. Montgomery convincingly argues from the above four points to demonstrate their application for the reader. Here is excellent material for class discussion or individual study, particularly suited to helping young people combat humanistic concepts of the Bible and Christianity.
Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds
Chris Brauns - 2008
This question is part of Chris Brauns's Forgiveness Quiz that draws readers into his book and gets them thinking about the subject of forgiveness. The truth is, pastors and counselors disagree profoundly on this subject. Unpacking Forgiveness combines sound theological thinking and honesty about the complicated questions many face to provide readers with a solid understanding of biblical forgiveness.Only God's Word can unpack forgiveness. The wounds are too deep for us to find healing on our own, and the questions are too complex to be unraveled by anything but the wisdom of God. This book goes beyond a feel-good doctrine of automatic forgiveness, balancing the beauty of God's grace and the necessity of forgiveness with the teaching that forgiveness must take place in a way that is consistent with justice.
The Kingdom New Testament: A Contemporary Translation
N.T. Wright - 2011
In The Kingdom New Testament, N. T. Wright, author and one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars, offers an all-new English translation that invigorates these sacred texts and allows contemporary readers to encounter these historic works afresh. The original Greek text is vibrant, alive, and active, and Wright’s translation retains that spirit by providing a new English text for the twenty-first-century reader. At the same time, based on his work as a pioneering interpreter of the Bible, Wright also corrects other translations so as to provide more accurate representations of the original writers’ intent.The Kingdom New Testament features consistent use of gender-neutral language and a more “popular-level” language matching character of the original Greek, while maintaining the vibrancy and urgency of the original work. It will help the next generation of Christians acquire a firsthand understanding of what the New Testament had to say in its own world, and what it urgently has to say in ours.Features:Complete text of the Kingdom New Testament—a fresh, new translation by N. T. WrightPreface by N. T. WrightDozens of maps throughout the textParagraph headings
Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You've Been Told
Bradley R.E. Wright - 2010
But the good news is, much of the bad news is wrong. Sociologist Bradley R. E. Wright uncovers what's really happening in the church: evangelicals are more respected by secular culture now than they were ten years ago; divorce rates of Christians are lower than those who aren't affiliated with a religion; young evangelicals are active in the faith. Wright reveals to readers why and how statistics are distorted, and shows that God is still effectively working through his people today.
What We Talk about When We Talk about God
Rob Bell - 2012
His new book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, will continue down this path, helping us with the ultimate big-picture issue: how do we know God? Love Wins was a Sunday Times bestseller that created a media storm, launching Bell as a national religious voice who is reinvigorating what it means to be religious and a Christian today. He is one of the most influential voices in the Christian world, and now his new book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, is poised to blow open the doors on how we understand God. Bell believes we need to drop our primitive, tribal views of God and instead understand the God who wants us to become who we were designed to be, a God who created a universe of quarks and quantum string dynamics, but who also gives meaning to why new-born babies and stories of heroes and sacrifice inspire in us a deep reverence. What We Talk About When We Talk About God will reveal that God is not in need of repair to catch him up with today's world so much as we need to discover the God who goes before us and beckons us forward. A book full of mystery, controversy, and reverence, What We Talk About When We Talk About God has fans and critics alike anxiously awaiting, and promises not to disappoint.
Living Jesus: Doing What Jesus Says in the Sermon on the Mount
Randy Harris - 2012
It is a way of life. Randy Harris invites you not just to understand these great teachings but to live them in ways you never before imagined.
God's Lavish Grace
Terry Virgo - 2004
This concise survey of the impact and outworking of God's grace in the life of the believer will revitalize the most threadbare faith.
God is Good for You: A defence of Christianity in troubled times
Greg Sheridan - 2018
It's a situation that's fraught both for Christians and our wider society, where the moral certainties that were the foundation of our institutions and laws are no longer held by the majority.At this point of crisis for faith, God is Good for You shows us why Christianity is so vital for our personal and social well-being, and how modern Christians have never worked so hard to make the world a better place at a time when their faith has never been less valued. It carries a vital torch for Christianity in a way that's closely argued, warmly human, good humoured yet passionate, and, above all, convincing.
By This Name
John R. Cross - 2007
Beginning by identifying who God is and what makes him unique, the author moves through Scripture from creation to the cross. Each chapter lays a crucial block into the foundation for a correct understanding of the gospel. Filled with drawings, maps and diagrams to help communicate the message, By This Name peels the religion off the Bible and lets the ancient story speak for itself.
The Church God Blesses
Jim Cymbala - 2002
It doesn’t matter whether a church is alive and growing or barely surviving on life support. God has a plan for it. It doesn’t matter whether a church is facing financial challenges, internal divisions, or strife among its leaders. God has a plan for it. God is able to deal with any problem a church will ever face--as long as his people earnestly seek him. As the pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle, Cymbala knows that God’s blessing and grace is available to us today just as much as it was in the early church, when thousands of people became believers despite the fact that the church lacked everything we consider vital: church buildings, seminaries, printed materials, sound systems, choirs, and money. None of these things mattered. What mattered was that God’s hand was on the church, working through his people to build the kingdom. Then, as now, God chose the church to manifest his presence to the world. In this companion book to The Life God Blesses, Cymbala describes the kind of church God wants to bless and use. Based on the Word of God and personal experience, The Church God Blesses describes the key elements found in a vitally alive church and offers church leaders and individual Christians a fresh and invigorating look at what God intends the church to be. The church God blesses is not necessarily the largest, newest, or loudest church in town. Instead, it’s a place where believers: * Receive solid spiritual nourishment *Can trust in God’s protection *Engage in vital praise and worship *Become effective in ministry *Learn that confession of sin is the channel to God’s power
Choosing Your Faith: In a World of Spiritual Options
Mark Mittelberg - 2008
Yet, while we hear these pleas, we're already functioning with existing beliefs—even if they are beliefs by default. So how do we choose what to believe—especially in the area of faith? Do we need to choose? In "Choosing Your Faith, " Mark Mittelberg encourages us, as Socrates does, not to lead an unexamined life. He invites us to examine why we believe what we believe. This examination will resonate with Christians and seekers alike.
Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission As Strangers In Our Own Land
Elliot Clark - 2019
It's time to rethink normal. Suffering and exclusion are normal in a believer's life. At least they should be. This was certainly Jesus's experience. And it's the experience of countless Christians around the world today. No matter your social location or set of experiences, the biblical letter of 1 Peter wants to redefine your expectations and reinvigorate your hope. Drawing on years of ministry in a Muslim-majority nation, Elliot Clark guides us through Peter's letter with striking insights for today. Whether we're in positions of power or weakness, influence or marginalization, all of us are called to live and witness as exiles in a world that's not our home. This is our job description. This is our mission. This is our opportunity. A church in exile doesn't have to be a church in retreat.
Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church Growth
Will Mancini - 2020
We continue to watch consistent church attendance shrink, and our desire to reach the lost is infected with a need for self-validation by growing our numbers at any cost. If we believe that God wants his church to grow, where do we go from here? What is the future of the church?Drawing from his 20 years and 15,000 hours of consulting, author Will Mancini shares with pastors and ministry leaders the single most important insight he has learned about church growth. With plenty of salient stories and based solidly on the disciple-making methods found in Scripture, Future Church exposes the church's greatest challenge today, and offers 7 transforming laws of real church growth so that we can faithfully and joyfully fulfill Jesus's Great Commission.